The Cultural and Ecological Relevance of Climate Fiction
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The Cultural and Ecological Relevance of Climate Fiction Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Magistra der Philosophie an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz vorgelegt von Janine HAFNER am Institut für Anglistik Begutachterin: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Maria Löschnigg Graz, 2018 Acknowledgements "You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once, but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own." Michelle Obama One thing is clear; I would not be where I am today without the help of some truly wonderful people who have constantly supported me in every way possible. First and foremost, the biggest thanks goes to my incredible family. Thank you, Mom, for always listening to my, at times utterly confusing, chatter and still giving me the best advice. You are the strongest woman I know and my biggest role model. Thank you to my step-dad, whose support has been essential for my development. Thank you both, for allowing me to chase my dreams and experience a fantastic time. To all my siblings, but especially to my twin- brother, thank you for making me an outsider in the best way possible, I love being your ingenious sister! ☺ I also would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Ao.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil Maria Löschnigg. Your passion and knowledge have accompanied me since the very beginning of my studies. I am forever grateful that you sparked my interest in literature and more recently in ecocriticism. Thank you for your kind and motivating words in the process of writing this thesis and during my time as your study assistant. Your wisdom has incredibly helped me to grow and thrive! Furthermore, thank you to my former English teachers for recognizing my potential and pushing me to become better. Without you, I certainly would not have studied at the Department auf English and American Studies, and definitely would not have become a teacher. Last but not least, I want to thank my dearest friends at home and abroad for believing in me and supporting me no matter what. Some of you have accompanied me for the better part of my life, which I consider the greatest gift. Others, especially those I have met during my semester abroad, have showed me that there is always a couch to crash on in so many places worldwide. In addition, my gratitude goes out to some very special people who I met during my studies in Graz, and who now hold an irreplaceable place in my life. Thank you for laughing and crying (sometimes simultaneously) with me. Thank you also for spending hours on the phone, especially when we felt the urgent need to philosophize about the craziness of life. Another thank you goes to my soul sister and my ‘Leasing Family’: you are my safe haven and I am truly and eternally grateful for your help in all situations. Our conversations have impacted me enormously. ii Eidesstattliche Erklärung Ich erkläre ehrenwörtlich, dass ich die vorliegende Arbeit selbständig und ohne fremde Hilfe verfasst, andere als die angegebenen Quellen nicht benutzt und die den Quellen wörtlich oder inhaltlich entnommenen Stellen als solche kenntlich gemacht habe. Die Arbeit wurde bisher in gleicher oder ähnlicher Form keiner anderen inländischen oder ausländischen Prüfungsbehörde vorgelegt und auch noch nicht veröffentlicht. Die vorliegende Fassung entspricht der eingereichten elektronischen Version. __________________ _____________________ Ort, Datum Unterschrift iii Abstract Climate change has been in the center of scientific research for the last two decades and will continue to demand close attention in the following centuries. Simultaneously to its prominence in science, global warming has become a prominent theme in the field of literature and literary studies. The aim of this thesis is therefore to highlight the cultural and ecological relevance of non-scientific approaches as they are offered, for example, by climate fiction. Fiction is ascribed special importance with regard to the discourse about environmental concerns and is understood as an exceptional means to render and discuss these complex issues. Thus, the thematic genre of cli-fi has the unique ability to break down complexities and as a result facilitate comprehension. Furthermore, fiction allows the reader to see and experience the issue of climate change from different and hitherto unfamiliar points of view, which enable the reader to rethink the status quo, reflect their anxieties, provide assistance for the imagination of future times and most likely generate activism. This thesis aims to provide a holistic view of the genre of cli-fi and to do justice to the variety of aesthetic expression. The analysis focuses on three contemporary cli-fi novels, namely Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, Ian McEwan’s Solar and T.C. Boyle’s A Friend of the Earth. All of these works tackle anthropogenic climate change. With this focus I aim at providing a representative selection of the variety within this extraordinary genre and want to emphasize the importance of narrative means to counteract individual helplessness and perceived paralysis concerning the complex issue of global warming. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................ ii Eidesstattliche Erklärung ............................................................................................................................iii Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... iv 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Literature and a Changing Climate.................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Why Literary Studies Need to Talk about Climate Change ........................................................... 3 2.2 Literature and the Environment .................................................................................................... 6 2.3 What is Cli-Fi? And is it a Genre or Not? .................................................................................... 9 2.4 What is Ecocriticism? ................................................................................................................. 14 2.5 Anthropocene – What Does it Mean? ......................................................................................... 19 3 Analysis of Climate Fiction................................................................................................................ 21 3.1 Flight Behavior ........................................................................................................................... 22 3.1.1 ‘A woman with flame-colored hair’ – Human/Animal Interconnections ............................... 23 3.1.2 ‘The weather has turned weird’ – Spatial and Temporal Setting ............................................ 25 3.1.3 ‘Educated people had powers’ – Science, Education and Class Distinction .......................... 29 3.1.4 ‘Fly less’ – Environmental and Economic Challenges ........................................................... 37 3.1.5 ‘They are a sign of something’ – Migration ........................................................................... 41 3.2 Solar ............................................................................................................................................ 44 3.2.1 ‘See global warming for himself’ – Structure, Spatial and Temporal Setting ........................ 45 3.2.2 ‘The planet is sick’ – Beard as an Allegory of the Planet and Human Nature ....................... 47 3.2.3 ‘If the place isn’t hotting up?’ - Science and the Depiction of the Climate Change............... 54 3.2.4 ‘It’s a catastrophe. Relax!’ – Satirical and Comic Effects ...................................................... 60 3.3 A Friend of the Earth .................................................................................................................. 65 3.3.1 ‘Santa Ynez, November 2025’ – Structure and Focus of the Novel ....................................... 66 3.3.2 ‘The sky is black’ – Imagination of the Future Environment ................................................. 67 3.3.3 ‘Enemy of the people’ – Environmentalism, Love and Nature .............................................. 73 4 Comparison of Findings..................................................................................................................... 81 5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 87 6 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................... 89 v 1 Introduction In 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change came to the conclusion that there is a very strong possibility that humanity will face the effects of drastic global warming in the foreseeable future (cf. Trexler 2015: 3). In 2007, the IPCC published a report stating that it is likely that the average global temperature will rise between 2 and 4,5 degrees within the next century.