Liminality and Nature: Shifting Children's Relationship in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Pastoral World
Keywords:
Liminality, pastoral fiction, ecocriticism, nature-child relationship, American fictionAbstract
This article explores the evolving relationship between children and nature as depicted in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, with special focus on the liminality of the pastoral experience. It examines the interplay between pastoral and technological elements in Laura Ingall’s novels, highlighting how her portrayal of children reflect a transitional element in American cultural and environmental consciousness. Although the harsh realities of pioneer life necessitate technological advancements, nature remains a crucial and nurturing force in her work. Hence the narrative challenges traditional binaries of subordination and supremacy as the pastoral ideals coexist with practical necessities in her work. The children in the series, especially embody this liminality as they balance their innate affinity for nature with the demands of a changing world. In a larger context this interdependence underscores a broader American cultural narrative where nature and technology are not antagonistic but mutually influential.
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