The relationship between nature and literature is a long-standing one. Nature’s portrayal in literature can be seen from ancient times everywhere in the world. In recent times, literary theorists are mostly concerned with how literature reflects physical environment as a whole and how living and non-living entities are interrelated and interdependent. People are thinking today how literature can play a crucial role to sensitize the mass about ecosystem, ecological crisis, environmental pollution and degradation. Consequently, environmental literature is gaining popularity day by day. However, the birth of ecocriticism as a literary and cultural theory was not accidental and the seeds of it can be found in many works. This paper attempts to present an overview of ecocriticism – its birth, scope, development, various waves and branches.

literature, environment, ecosystem, ecocriticism.