The Cambridge Companion to Literature and the Anthropocene

From catastrophe to utopia, the most comprehensive survey yet of how literature can speak to the 'Anthropocene'.

John Parham (Edited by)

9781108724197, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 June 2021

340 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.5 kg

'Recommended.' J. Bilbro, Choice Magazine

The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch marking humanity's alteration of the Earth: its rock structure, environments, atmosphere. The Cambridge Companion to Literature and the Anthropocene offers the most comprehensive survey yet of how literature can address the social, cultural, and philosophical questions posed by the Anthropocene. This volume addresses the old and new literary forms - from novels, plays, poetry, and essays to exciting and evolving genres such as 'cli-fi', experimental poetry, interspecies design, gaming, weird, ecotopian and petro-fiction, and 'new' nature writing. Studies range from the United States to India, from Palestine to Scotland, while addressing numerous global signifiers or consequences of the Anthropocene: catastrophe, extinction, 'fossil capital', warming, politics, ethics, interspecies relations, deep time, and Earth. This unique Companion offers a compelling account of how to read literature through the Anthropocene and of how literature might yet help us imagine a better world.

Introduction: With or Without Us: Literature and the Anthropocene John Parham
Prologue: Earth, Anthropocene, Literary Form
1. Earth Laura Dassow Walls
2.Data/Anecdote Sean Cubitt
Part I. Anthropocene Form: 3. Poetry Mandy Bloomfield
4. The Novel Astrid Bracke
5. Popular Fiction Saba Pirzadeh
6. The Essay Byron Caminero-Santangelo
7. Theatre and Performance Sabine Wilke
8. Interspecies Design Stanislav Roudavski
9. Digital Games Alenda Y. Chang
Part II. Anthropocene Themes: 10. Catastrophe David Higgins and Tess Somervell
11. Animals Eileen Crist
12. Humans Hannes Bergthaller
13. Fossil Fuel Sam Solnick
14. Warming Andreas Malm
15. Ethics Zainor Izat Zainal
16. Interspecies Heather Alberro
17. Deep Time Visible Pippa Marland.

Subject Areas: Social impact of environmental issues [RNT], Environmentalist thought & ideology [RNA], Literary studies: post-colonial literature [DSBH5], Literary studies: general [DSB], Literary theory [DSA]