Symbiotic Storytelling in Richard Powers' The Overstory and Ibrahim al-Koni's The Bleeding of the Stone
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes1265Keywords:
ecocriticism, ecological consciousness, Ibrahim al-Koni, posthumanism, Richard Powers, symbiotic storytellingAbstract
This paper examines comparatively the concept of symbiotic storytelling as a narrative strategy in two major environmental novels: Richard Powers' The Overstory (2018) and Ibrahim al-Koni's The Bleeding of the Stone (1990). Drawing on ecocritical posthumanism theory, symbiogenesis, and posthumanist thought, the paper proposes a conceptual framework for understanding how these novels construct profound interdependence between human and nonhuman life. While Powers employs scientific realism and polyphonic narrative structures modeled on mycorrhizal networks, al-Koni crafts mythic allegory rooted in Tuareg animism and desert spirituality. The analysis reveals that despite their divergent cultural contexts—North American forests versus the Saharan desert—both novels challenge anthropocentrism and advocate for ecological consciousness through distinct yet convergent narrative strategies. This study contributes to global comparative ecocriticism by demonstrating how different cultural traditions offer unique resources for imagining ecological interconnectedness. The paper concludes that symbiotic storytelling represents an urgent and necessary mode of environmental literature, one that can help readers reimagine humanity's relationship with the more-than-human world.
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