ecocriticism, deep ecology, California, John Muir, Mary Austin, Robinson Jeffers, John Steinbeck, Gary Snyder

This study explores connections among five selected California authors?John Muir, Mary Austin, Robinson Jeffers, John Steinbeck, and Gary Snyder?and the principles of the deep ecology movement. It demonstrates that these writers anticipated and even accelerated the emergence of deep ecology. Not only does the dissertation examine the extent to which the authors influenced deep ecology, but it also analyzes the underlying causes of the occurrence of this thought pattern in specific California environments. The book also traces the sources of the non-anthropocentric worldview these five writers share. Finally, it illumines the actual instances where literary works have contributed to the formulation and evolution of deep ecology.