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Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives

This essay looks at Keris Mas’ Jungle of Hope (1984) and K.S. Maniam’s Between Lives (2003) and discusses how humanity’s alienation from nature gets different treatments by these two prominent Malaysian writers. This estrangement resonates with current environmentalism as it is seen as complicit i...

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Main Author: Zainal, Zainor Izat
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2014
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36355/1/36355.pdf
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36355/
http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2022%20%284%29%20Dec.%202014/05%20Page%20993-1006%20%28JSSH%200865-2013%29.pdf
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spelling my.upm.eprints.363552015-12-04T06:35:58Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36355/ Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives Zainal, Zainor Izat This essay looks at Keris Mas’ Jungle of Hope (1984) and K.S. Maniam’s Between Lives (2003) and discusses how humanity’s alienation from nature gets different treatments by these two prominent Malaysian writers. This estrangement resonates with current environmentalism as it is seen as complicit in conditioning humanity’s thinking that they are not a part of nature, causing them to take the anthropocentric and utilitarian attitudes that contribute further to environmental woes. Alienation from nature is to a large extent, the reflection of the environmental conditions in which the writers find themselves and the different phases in the country’s environmental history, in which the texts are placed. Keris through Jungle of Hope delves into the onset of this alienation, focusing on the trauma felt by Malay peasants, caught between environmental realities and tradition. Maniam through Between Lives also delves into this rift. He, however, offers a way to heal this rupture – by going back to cultural and religious tradition. Indeed, forgotten tradition is reclaimed and revived in both texts but Maniam seems to foreground forgotten tradition as a way to heal this estrangement from nature. Both texts nevertheless, serve as valuable resources for thinking about alienation and its effects on humanity; and the immense capacity that humanity has to amend their relationship with nature. Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2014-12 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36355/1/36355.pdf Zainal, Zainor Izat (2014) Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 22 (4). pp. 993-1005. ISSN 0128-7702; ESSN: 2231-8534 http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2022%20%284%29%20Dec.%202014/05%20Page%20993-1006%20%28JSSH%200865-2013%29.pdf
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
building UPM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Putra Malaysia
content_source UPM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://psasir.upm.edu.my/
language English
description This essay looks at Keris Mas’ Jungle of Hope (1984) and K.S. Maniam’s Between Lives (2003) and discusses how humanity’s alienation from nature gets different treatments by these two prominent Malaysian writers. This estrangement resonates with current environmentalism as it is seen as complicit in conditioning humanity’s thinking that they are not a part of nature, causing them to take the anthropocentric and utilitarian attitudes that contribute further to environmental woes. Alienation from nature is to a large extent, the reflection of the environmental conditions in which the writers find themselves and the different phases in the country’s environmental history, in which the texts are placed. Keris through Jungle of Hope delves into the onset of this alienation, focusing on the trauma felt by Malay peasants, caught between environmental realities and tradition. Maniam through Between Lives also delves into this rift. He, however, offers a way to heal this rupture – by going back to cultural and religious tradition. Indeed, forgotten tradition is reclaimed and revived in both texts but Maniam seems to foreground forgotten tradition as a way to heal this estrangement from nature. Both texts nevertheless, serve as valuable resources for thinking about alienation and its effects on humanity; and the immense capacity that humanity has to amend their relationship with nature.
format Article
author Zainal, Zainor Izat
spellingShingle Zainal, Zainor Izat
Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives
author_facet Zainal, Zainor Izat
author_sort Zainal, Zainor Izat
title Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives
title_short Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives
title_full Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives
title_fullStr Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives
title_full_unstemmed Alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in Keris Mas' Jungle of Hope and K. S. Maniam's Between Lives
title_sort alienation from nature and the role of forgotten tradition in keris mas' jungle of hope and k. s. maniam's between lives
publisher Universiti Putra Malaysia Press
publishDate 2014
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36355/1/36355.pdf
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/36355/
http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2022%20%284%29%20Dec.%202014/05%20Page%20993-1006%20%28JSSH%200865-2013%29.pdf
_version_ 1643831717021089792
score 13.211869

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