Presentation: Research Proposal

mvcl vsw•n Q7ns. Field of Study PT165 – Kesusasteraan Inggeris Research Title Treading the Natural Path: An Ecocritical Analysis of Tash Aw’s Novels Name of Researcher Lam Chook Kuan Matric Number P20211000931 Programme PhD Specialization English Literature Name of Supervisor Dr. Lajiman bin Janoory.

Chapter 1. Title Treading the Natural Path: An Ecocritical Analysis of Tash Aw’s Novels Problem Statement Ecocriticism allows the researcher to study the link between literary texts and nature as well as culture (Aslan & Bas, 2020). By looking into the relations between literary texts and the environment concerned, a comprehensive view of humanity will emerge, helping one to better grasp the understanding of a particular group of population..

Chapter 1. Research Objectives 1. To analyse Tash Aw’s contemporary literature in the context of ecocriticism To explore how nature affects the characters in the novels positively To explore how nature affects the characters in the novels negatively 2. To compare and contrast the different contemporary literature written by Tash Aw in the context of ecocriticism Research Questions How does nature affect the characters in the novels positively? How does nature affect the characters in the novels negatively? What are the similarities and differences between Tash Aw’s contemporary literature in the context of ecocriticism ?.

Chapter 2. Literature Review Barnard and Winn (2006) asserted that literature presents us with some insights into others’ cultures, perceptions, lifestyles, and even histories. Writers have undertaken the roles of telling stories and representing the cultures they know. Contemporary literature includes every piece of writing which is produced in today’s world or is related to the current society and issues. Zainal and Yahya (2009) had written an article about the role of nature in Tash Aw’s The Harmony of Silk Factory. It suggested that Tash Aw had not only made the story more artistic by the ways he represented the natural world, there were also some distinct ecological features in it. It also further discussed that nature in literature should be regarded as a subject instead of an object, giving it a voice. In this article, it revealed that nature is viewed as individual existence, encompassing different elements of nature..

Chapter 3. Introduction This chapter describes the research design, sampling techniques, data collection, and analysis techniques. Qualitative Research Design Narrative Research Design To understand the experiences of individuals (Creswell, 2014) Population and Sample Purposeful sampling Homogeneous sampling samples are purposefully chosen based on a similar trait (Creswell, 2014) Four Malaysian novels by Tash Aw The Harmony Silk Factory (2005) Map of the Invisible World (2009) Five Star Billionaire (2013) We, The Survivors (2019) Data Collection Methods Documents Textual analysis Data Analysis Method Coding data for themes.

Validity and Reliability An external audit can be employed to validate the findings of the research. (Creswell, 2014) Ethical Issues Data need to be collected and analyzed ethically. The researcher needs to take into consideration the sensitivity to people and settings. (Creswell, 2014) Summary This research will use a narrative research design, utilizing a fully qualitative methodology..

Conclusion. Significance of the study It is noted that there is not much research which is carried out on the analysis of Malaysian contemporary literature. Hence, the researcher intends to seek to gain some insights on it and bridge the gap in the academic world. Through the window of contemporary literature, one is able to seek the meanings of different issues arising from today’s world and gain insights into a variety of ideas. By analysing Tash Aw’s novels, one is able to learn about the nature represented in his novels and its link to humanity. It can also help one to better grasp the meaning of life in relation to the natural world and how it represents the current society..

References. Aslan, E. U., & Bas, B. (2020). Ecocritical approach to children’s literature: Example of “I am a Hornbeam Branch” . Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED1280235) Barbard , B., & Winn, D. (2006). Access literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama . Thomson Wadsworth. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Pearson New International Edition: Educational Research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4 th ed.). Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Zainal, Z. I., & Yahya, Wan. R. W. (2009). The Role of Nature in Tash Aw’s The Harmony Silk Factory. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: Annual Review, 4(1). 305-312..