Reconfiguring Nature And Terror In Roma Tearne’s Mosquito Through An Eco Gothic Lens

Author(s)	Ms. Priyadharshini R.G, Dr. Rajeswari V
Country	India
Abstract	This paper examines Sri Lankan English writer Roma Tearne’s novel Mosquito (2007) as an Eco Gothic text, foregrounding the deployment of Gothicised landscape tropes-such as the sea, the forest, and the beach-to illuminate the intersections between human exploitation and environmental degradation in postcolonial Sri Lanka. Theoretical concepts from Eco Gothic and related theories will serve as the basis for an analysis of how the novel connects nature with the horrific, traumatic experiences in Sri Lanka arising from terrorism and civil war. The paper contends that Mosquito presents landscapes as sites of monstrosity due to the civil conflict. Ecophobic tales about landscapes involved in the war create a narrative of these space as threatening and strange. Using Eco Gothic as a lens through which to view the tropical island, the author reveals the island to be an expanse of haunted land with multiple histories (palimpsests) of political violence and ecological devastation. This study ultimately demonstrates that the political use of landscapes in postcolonial Sri Lanka creates estrangement from the land, and produces ecophobic responses from people.
Keywords	Nature Horror Eco Gothic Sri Lankan Ecophobia, War
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-08-12
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.85479

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research