ecogothic crystallizing world and the collapse of capitalism in j. g. ballard`s the crystal world

J. g. ballard`s professed fascination with surrealism has led to predominantly surrealist readings of the crystal world (1966) which mainly explore the psychological states of the characters. more recently ecocritical studies of the crystal world have still disregarded the ecogothic nature of the novel. this article aims to offer an ecogothic reading of the crystal world drawing on simon c. estok`s ecogothic theory in tandem with jason w. moor`s theory of world ecology. this study deploys estok`s concept of ecophobia and moore`s concept of finance capital which have been curiously overlooked in studying the crystal world. we argue that the gothic crystalized nature in the crystal world replaces the corrupt, collapsed capitalist/modern-founded system and that this new world is the harbinger of the end of a life that is a fatal movement towards dissolution of all kinds of existence as well as of the end of human dominance over the non-human. we maintain that ballard in the crystal world deprecates man`s advance in time at the cost of plaguing the natural space. we also observe that the commencement of man`s more modern existence and the introduction of capitalism as the ruling economic power have generated an ever more rapidly widening gap between the social and the natural in the novel. moreover, the findings suggest that in contrast to time which is deemed precious as it guarantees development and more accumulation of capital, space is believed to be only useful when it retains the capacity to be exploited, deforested and commodified. capitalism is armed with time against nature. time is possessed by man but space belongs to nature. this man-nature conflict can be regarded in terms of ecogothic.