在人类悠久的文学史中，动物一直是作家书写的重要对象之一。及至近代，以夏长运为代表的批评家正式提出了“动物小说”的概念，这促进了该类作品的文体自觉，推动了创作的繁荣。自20世纪80年代以来，中国出现了以沈石溪等为代表的、一大批专事动物小说创作的作家，他们风格不一的创作不断丰富了动物小说的内容，拓宽了动物小说的边界。就作品主旨来看，我国80年代以来的动物小说旨在关注动物的生存状态，思考人与自然的相处之道；就读者定位而言，不少作品“为儿童而写”，推动着我国儿童文学的多样化发展。

然而，结合不断发展的生态批评加以审视，仍可发现我国动物小说中存在的一些问题。其中，最为突出的当属性别失衡，集中体现在形象以及叙事两方面。首先，不少作品中雌性动物数量较少、类型较单一。其次，这些动物具有“同质化”甚至“工具化”倾向。它们主要承担母亲及妻子两种身份，前者负责孕育后代，维系种群繁衍；后者则作为欲望对象，帮助雄性动物完成自我建构与发展。与此同时，动物小说中女性形象塑造也陷入了困境，她们与雌性动物和自然环境紧密相联，不仅被剥夺了“理性”，还失去了“具体性”，最终表现出“边缘化”特质。此外，性别失衡还表现在叙述权利、内容、结构的倾斜中。就叙述者身份来看，此时期动物小说叙述者大多是男性。作家们通过建立“男性”——尤其是“人类男性科学家”的身份，强化叙述权威。就叙事主题而言，不少作品表面是在讲述人与动物的故事，实则是在复述传统的“性属主题”和“男性成长主题”。就叙事结构来说，作家大量使用“男性凝视”这一视角，以至于雌性动物失去主体性，成为被注视的“他者”。这也进一步促使了动物小说中二元对立结构的生成，较为典型的代表便是人类与动物、雄雌与雌性的对立。

性别失衡对我国动物小说的创作产生了较大的影响。首先，现存的动物形象（主要是雌性动物形象）与理想的生态型动物形象之间存在矛盾，它们欠缺生态型动物形象所要求的完整性、非功利性等重要特质。其次，作家在小说中建构的雄性自我也一定程度遮蔽了符合生态批评的生态自我。前者更类似传统性别观念下生成的社会自我，既缺乏生态自我对自然的尊重，也不具备生物中心主义、生态中心主义要求的多元意识。最后，性别失衡的写作一定程度导致动物小说呈现出文化写作的面貌。这种写作又集中体现为宗教信仰写作与男权文化写作。在宗教信仰写作中，作家（尤其是少数民族作家）通过塑造被神化的动物与女性，呼唤着传统信仰的复苏。希望以神秘、野性的古老文明抵抗工业文明对人身体和精神的侵袭。在男权文化写作中，动物小说则成为了反映男权意识的一面镜子。基于这种现状，本论文分别从语言、结构、生存经验三个层面提出了较为合理的写作路径。借助符合生态伦理的“生物学语言”与“大地语法”、主客间性的结构关系、生态女性主义倡导的女性经验，以期动物小说迈向更加平等、开放、多元化的生态写作。

In the long history of human literature, animals have always been one of the important objects for writers to write. In modern times, critics represented by Xia Changyun formally put forward and defined the concept of "animal novels", which strengthened the stylistic consciousness of such works and promoted the prosperity of related creation. Since the 1980s, a large number of animal novel writers, represented by Shen Shixi, have appeared in China. Their works with different styles constantly enrich the content of animal novels and broaden the boundaries of animal novels. In terms of the theme of the works, animal novels in China in the past 30 years have focused on the survival of animals and reflected on the way people get along with nature. In terms of reader orientation, many works are rooted in the field of children's literature, which promotes the diversified development of children's literature in China.

However, some problems in Chinese animal novels can still be found in the visual threshold in Eco-criticism. The imbalance is mainly reflected in two aspects: image building and narrative application. First of all, many works have fewer non-human female animals and occupy less space. These embody the characteristics of "homogeneity" and even "instrumentalization". They mainly assume the two roles of mother and wife, the former is responsible for gestating offspring and maintaining the reproduction of the population, while the latter is the object of desire to help males complete self-construction and development. At the same time, the image of human women is also in a dilemma. Their images are closely related to female animals and natural environment, which reflects the trend of "background" and even "naturalization". Secondly, the gender imbalance is also manifested in the tilt of narrative rights, contents and structure. In terms of narrators, most of the narrators of animal novels in China are male. Writers reinforce their narrative authority by establishing their identity as "male" -- particularly as "human male scientists". In terms of narrative theme, many works ostensibly tell the story of people and animals, but actually retell the traditional "sexual theme" and "male growth theme". In terms of narrative structure, writers tend to use the male "gaze" perspective extensively,  that lots female animals lose their subjectivity and become the other to be watched. This further promotes the formation of binary opposition structure in animal novels, the typical representative of which is the opposition between human beings and animals, male and female and female.