Writing from the Wreckage: Environmental Collapse and Female Voice in “Diary of an Interesting Year”

Authors : Selin Yurdakul, Olgahan Bakşi Yalçın

Pages : 1688-1701

Doi:10.29110/soylemdergi.1775251

View : 107 | Download : 339

Publication Date : 2025-12-28

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Post-apocalyptic fiction has emerged as a prominent genre in contemporary literary studies, frequently mirroring cultural concerns such as environmental degradation, societal collapse, the scarcity of essential resources and the complex ethical dilemmas that arise in extreme circumstances. At this point, ecofeminist theory provides a constructive lens by emphasizing the interconnections between environmental degradation and patriarchal oppression. Helen Simpson’s short story “Diary of an Interesting Year” (2009) exemplifies this intersectional perspective by presenting the voice of an unnamed female narrator who struggles to survive in a world devastated by environmental collapse, disease and violence. Written in the form of a diary composed of brief, sequential entries, the narrative places the female body into the foreground as a central site where ecological devastation and patriarchal control converge, thereby challenging conventional male-centered portrayals of apocalypse by emphasizing issues of sexual violence, reproductive injustice, and the silencing of women’s voices. In this context, our study aims to explore how Simpson’s short story lays bare the ecofeminist entanglement of environmental and patriarchal collapse by rendering the female body not only as a victim of environmental scarcity but also as a battleground of reproductive control and social violence in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Keywords : Post-apokaliptik kurgu, ekofeminizm, cinsel şiddet, çevresel tahribat, toplumsal cinsiyet eşitsizliği

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