An Ecocritical Reading in the Contemporary Era with Emphasis on the Works of Four Poets (Sohrab Sepehri, Simin Behbahani, Fereydoun Moshiri, and Houshang Ebtehaj): The Role of Nature in the Creation of Literary Concepts, Images, and Beliefs

Abstract

Language and literature are formed through continuous interaction with the surrounding environment, and ecological, climatic, and cultural factors play a decisive role in shaping linguistic structures, modes of imagery, and the formation of literary motifs. Linguistic theories, from Sapir to contemporary scholars, have emphasized the direct influence of language structure on modes of thought, while many recent studies demonstrate that language itself evolves in a profound relationship with geographical, climatic, and environmental factors. In this sense, climate not only affects phonetics, vocabulary, and local expressions, but also constitutes the origin of metaphors, metonymies, proverbs, and other elements of literary imagination. This article, adopting an ecocritical approach, addresses the question of how nature contributes to the creation of literary concepts and images, and what kind of relationship exists between the ecological characteristics of each region and the structure of imagination, cultural beliefs, and the worldview of writers and poets. The analysis of literary samples indicates that climate can lead to the creation of enduring motifs, including recurring representations such as drought, rain, mountains, wind, or vegetation; these elements possess not only aesthetic functions but also semantic and ideological roles within the text. From this perspective, ecocriticism provides a pathway for a deeper understanding of the semantic layers of literary texts and demonstrates how nature, as an active source, contributes to the formation of the literary world.