Narrating Environmental Consciousness in Imbolo Mbue’s How Beautiful We Were

Abstract

This research project is based on the novel How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue. The novel's content is environmental, and it is essential to study it critically to understand the prevailing ecological issues in the world. The rapid increase of environmental problems like pollution due to human activities like mining inspires the research to actual environmental experiences that continue to hinder the continuity of life. Through literature review, adequate knowledge is gathered to facilitate bridging the gap in the writing style in Literature as a tool for understanding environmental issues. This approach to literary style in understanding ecology can eventually lead to the discovery of environmental consciousness in literary texts. The background of the ecological problems in the contemporary world is significant in this research in terms of laying the foundation to discover new approaches like publishing that can help understand environmental issues. For instance, traditionally, public campaigns dominate the scene of sensitizing people to environmental matters. Still, in the contemporary world, published works like articles, novels, and short stories reflect the natural environment, hence the terminology 'nature fiction.' Therefore, Literature is classified as the most flexible discipline in handling ecological issues due to its extensive application of creativity to reflect environmental realities. In approach to the research objectives, this research intends to investigate the relationship between Literature and ecology, examine environmental consciousness in the novel, and investigate the writing style in the novel. The objectives are actualized in the subsequent chapters two, three, and four, guided by the following topics respectively; [Style, and Ecology], [Narrative Techniques in Mbue's novel How Beautiful We Were] and [Environmental Consciousness in Mbue's novel How Beautiful We Were]. However, to achieve the research objectives in the chapters above, we hereby make the following assumptions to trigger thoughts: [Literature and ecology coexist in environmental fiction], [Literature plays a significant role in creating environmental consciousness], and finally, [Narrative techniques form an integral part of literary style].