Paratextuality in Watership Down: Anthropocentric and Ecocentric Readings

Watership Down, published over five decades ago, is a beloved classic of English literature. While initially dismissed as too adult for young readers and too childish for older ones, its rich narrative has captivated diverse audiences. Whereas the young are enraptured by the adventures of a group of brave rabbits and by the immersive narration which allows them to watch the world from the animal standpoint, older readers appreciate its epic and mythical elements, its nostalgia for pastoral England, and the multilayered meanings embedded in its paratextual apparatus. This article will examine how the latter, mainly epigraphs and footnotes, influences the book’s construction and interpretation, as well as its ecological significance. Using the Nature in Culture Matrix, a hermeneutical tool for analysing nature in fiction, it will be possible to distinguish between «animal» and authorial stances and between ecocentric and anthropocentric positions, thus revealing the complex interplay between narrative techniques and ecological themes in Watership Down.