CHAPTER ONE
RESCUINC LADY NATURE:
ECOLOCY AND THE CULT OF THE
ROMANTIC
Ecological awareness of the planet peaked in 1972 when astronauts first
photographed the planet, revealing thick furrows of smog encasing a blue and
green ball. ‘The world is dying’, became the common cry as the planet,
personified as ‘Mother Earth’, captured national, sentimental attention. Nature
became rendered as a victimi 2 ed woman, a Madonna-like angel to be
idealized, protected, and ‘saved’ from society’s inability to restrain itself.
Decades later, we still witness popular expressions of the desire to protect
‘nature’. As we observe each'April on Earth Day, politicians, corporate agents,
and environmentalists take their annual leap into the romantic, ecological
drama, becoming ‘eco-knights’ ready to save helpless lady nature’ from the
dragon of human irresponsibility.
The cult of romantic love, which emerged first in the twelfth century
poetry of the French troubadours of Longuedoc, still provides a cauldron of
images and metaphors for today’s depictions of nature.1 Contemporary Western
representations of ‘mother nature’ emerged out of this “cult of the romantic”
tradition based on a dialectic between an heroic savior and an ideal lover.
Indeed, the metaphors and myths used to discuss ecological problems often
find their origins within romantic literature. Yet despite its association with love,
romanticism often shows its cool side when it surfaces within ecological
discourse. While often expressing a desire to protect ‘mother nature’, it may
ignore the social and political struggles of marginalized peoples. In particular,
romantic ecology fails to challenge the ideologies and institutions of social
domination that legitimize social injustice. Instead of challenging institutions