Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Eurasian Journal of English Language and Literature, cilt.8, sa.1, 2026 (Hakemli Dergi)
In an era of ecological crisis, startled by disturbances to the environment, either facilitated by human interference or by the aggravated climate change, it is crucial to direct the attention towards the agenda of forming meaningful connections with nature. Both fictional and non-fictional literary works have quite an impact on the field of ecocritical studies. French author Jean Giono’s The Man Who Planted Trees (L’Homme quis plantait des arbres), published in 1954, has claimed critical appreciation by the scholars in the field. As a short work of fiction, it has gathered attention to the conservative and restorative acts on degraded landscapes. Even though the novella is considered as a fictional work, it has plausible impacts on real life by forming the initiative of environmental restoration practices on the land. The fluidity between the genres of fiction and nonfiction allows the interpretation of the text as stepping beyond the borders of the fictional world, and ground on the actual world. In this sense, Giono’s fictional work projects the emergence of hands-on practices on nature in addition to carrying factual and autobiographical notes within. Restoration ecocriticism requires the literary text to induce active human engagement with the environment, since there is an urgent “need for ‘contact’ with the physical world”. Considered within the perspective of restoration ecocriticism, Giono’s work reflects how fictionality can extend beyond and make a change in the actual world through forming a hands-on involvement with the environment. Within an intermingled line between fact and fiction, this study examines the emergence of new factualities arousing from Giono’s text and their final landing on the “communal truth,” enhanced by environmentally restorative and conservative practices.