Critique of Anthropocentrism in The Water-Babies

The Victorian era marked the zenith of the British Industrial Revolution, yet it also gave rise to a series of environmental crises and social problems. Taking The Water-Babies as its object of inquiry, this paper employs the method of close reading and, centering on the critique of anthropocentrism, examines the anthropocentric values embodied in and criticized by this work. It further argues that the work can provide a paradigm for cultivating children's ecological personhood and offer significant literary insights for realizing the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.