Authors: Anindita Bhattacharjee Roy
Abstract: In this paper, I conduct an ecocritical analysis of Jim Corbett’s works on wilderness, highlighting the intricate relationship between hunting and conservation that exists in his narratives. Through textual analysis of Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and My India, this paper demonstrates that Corbett’s literature contains a “hunter-conservationist dialectic” that challenges dichotomies such as anthropocentrism vs. biocentrism. This analysis finds four consistent ecocritical motifs: the portrayal of the man-eater as a signifier of the ecological crisis instead of its intrinsic evil; criticism of colonial forestry practices; the recording of local ecology; and a connection with the wilderness that surpasses instrumental reasons. This paper argues that Corbett’s texts are ahead of their time in advocating some core principles of modern environmental ethics, namely Aldo Leopold’s land ethic.
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