An unquiet poetry : eco-consciousness in Kate Fagan's First light and Earthworks : a collection of poems

Abstract

An Unquiet Poetry is a two-part thesis consisting of an exegesis and a creative component. The exegesis, "Eco-consciousness in Kate Fagan's First Light", examines Fagan's collection of poetry First Light in an eco-poetical context, with the goal of determining how a consciously relational aesthetic positions the work in open dialogue with the human and non-human worlds of its surrounds. The creative component "Earthworks" comprises a collection of my own poetry, arranged in three sequences. Together, the exegesis and creative component consider the relationship between an experimental use of language and an ecocritical intention of addressing climate justice. Supported by the theory of anthropologist Deborah Bird Rose and the research of Gomeroi woman Professor Heidi Norman, the exegesis posits that a commitment to decolonisation is central to an ecocritical practice, which must witness the violence of the past while incorporating Indigenous knowledges, founded on sustainability. The exegesis further makes use of the theory of cultural thinkers Amitav Ghosh and Timothy Clark, to advocate for an experimental poetry which seeks to break bourgeois consciousness of the everyday through an ecological revitalisation of the imagination. First Light is read for its formal qualities, including the recycling of material, the use of a discourse of science and experimentation with perception, time and scale. Chapter One introduces Fagan's task of place-making which is engendered through an ethics of interconnectedness. Chapter Two examines the question of language's culpability and capability in confronting the many social and ecological complexities presented in Fagan's collection. My collection of poetry "Earthworks" is simultaneously performative, playful and serious in its approach. It is structured in three sequences, with the opening sequence "Echo" documenting an inheritance of colonialism in daily urban and semi-rural Australian life. The middle sequence "Ego" takes the form of an abecedarium, with 26 poems from A to Z juxtaposing the minutiae and complications of dwelling within the Anthropocene. The final sequence "Elemental" is structured in four sections, "Earth", "Air", "Fire" and "Water". It offers a more meditative approach, through exploration of a sense of responsibility to the earth and its people. Language here is a tool for unsettling Western dualities of otherness, while alluding to a diverse, creative and more sustainable future.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	English