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Anthropocene Entanglements

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Anthropocene Entanglements: The Novum, Policy, and Environment in Science Fiction by Wyndham, Atwood, and Liu by Jeremy Ross Strong A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of English, Theatre, Film, and Media The University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2020 Jeremy Ross Strong Abstract This dissertation argues that Darko Suvin’s proposed literary device unique to science fiction, “the novum”, is entangled with national state policy and environmental politics, and that up to now this has not been studied with sustained focus. I propose that the emergent sub-genre cli-fi is really just the distillation of ongoing concerns about the compounding problems of life in the Anthropocene that have long been present in much science fiction. By exploring the relationship between the novums of science fiction novels and national state policies the project reveals the unique perspectives the science fiction genre offers for addressing the Anthropocene. I put forward the notion of the “national political imaginary” as a concept useful in understanding temporary landscapes of thought that include political discourse and artistic production alike. I argue that the novum helps reveal how the subtext and themes within the fiction and the social forces driving the policy are connected through an axis of environmental concern. The case studies span three distinct time periods in the UK, Canada, and China connecting geo-political, bio-cultural, and socio-political policies to novels by John Wyndham, Margaret Atwood, and Cixin Liu respectively. Adopting a New Historicist approach, the chapters first explain the historical conditions and particular cultural and national elements that give rise to each policy, before undertaking close readings of the novels. The close readings explore the environmental subtext in the novels that is revealed through each novum’s function as a conduit to each respective national state policy. Ultimately finding the novum to have more significant political dimensions than previously theorized, and that it is resonant with Fredric Jameson’s theory of the political unconscious, the project serves as a bridge between policy studies and literary studies, potentially opening new dialogical possibilities for future scholars. ii Acknowledgements I could not have written this dissertation without financial support from Canada Research Chair Dr. Diana Brydon. I was also fortunate during this degree program to have financial support from The Affect Project and its director Dr. Arlene Young. I am grateful also for a number of bursaries and scholarships received during my time as a graduate student at the University of Manitoba that have helped me continue my journey, including from St. John’s College, the Lambda Foundation, the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and The Department of English, Theatre, Film, and Media. The professionalization opportunities and mentoring I received during my time working at Mosaic: an interdisciplinary critical journal under editor Dr. Dawne McCance and her wonderful team were invaluable. I have been fortunate also to work as a teaching assistant, research assistant, seminar leader, and grader to a number of people that have had a big impact on me, including: Dr. Adam Muller, Dr. David Watt, Dr. Erin Keating, Ms. Jenifer Mohammad, Dr. Lucas Tromly, Dr. Judith Owens, Dr. Pam Perkins, Mr. Roy Campbell, and Dr. Serenity Joo. I have also been fortunate to study during my time in graduate school under some of the most inspiring and critically rigorous professors anywhere in the world, including: Dr. Alison Calder, Dr. Arlene Young, Dr. David Arnason, Dr. David Watt, Dr. Dana Medoro, Dr. Diana Brydon, Dr. Fernando de Toro, Dr. George Toles, Dr. Jonah Corne, Dr. Judith Owens, Dr. Lucas Tromly, Dr. Mark Libin, Dr. Michelle Faubert, Dr. Pam Perkins, the late Dr. Robert Finnegan, Dr. Serenity Joo, Dr. Struan Sinclair, and Dr. Vanessa Warne. There isn’t enough space to put into words here the individual ways you have all influenced my life, just know that I appreciate what I have learned from you and will never forget. iii During my time with the Department of English, Theatre, Film, and Media I have also been very fortunate for the guidance, encouragement, support, and kindness of the support staff and administration, including Alex Snukal, Anita King, Darlene McWhirter, Mabelle Magsino, Marianne Harnish, Dr. Brenda Austin-Smith as department head, and Dr. Glenn Clark as graduate chair. You have all been wonderfully kind to me, generous with your time, and have all made the difficult parts of graduate school a bit easier. Thank you also to all of the students that I taught throughout my graduate degree, you helped me to realize how much I enjoy sharing knowledge and ideas, and you kept me on my toes. My student colleagues have been a constant source of inspiration, and each of you have enriched my life. Thanks especially to Ademola Adesola, Barbara Romanik, Breanna Muir, Caitlin McIntyre, Dr. Cameron Burt, Dr. Chigbo Arthur Anyaduba, Dr. Dustin Geeraert, Grace Paizen, Gretchen Derige, Ifeoluwa Ideniyi, Ishrat Ismail, John Stintzi, Karalyn Dokurno, Dr. Katelyn Dykstra Dykerman, Katie Leitch, Kendra Magnus-Johnston, Kevin Ramberran, Dr. Katherine Thorsteinson, Kristian Enright, Dr. Mandy Elliot, Max Bledstein, Dr. Melanie Braith, Dr. Melanie Dennis Unrau, Michael Campbell, Dr. Michael Minor, Mike Hayden, Dr. Riley McGuire, Sabrina Mark, Sameera Abdulrehman, Stephanie George, Thomas Toles, Thor Burr, Timothy Penner, Vanessa Nunes, Zacharie Montreuil, and many others. I hope that our paths will cross again. I feel fortunate to have been given the opportunity to meet you all throughout the graduate journey. My advisory committee for this project was a dream team, and I truly am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with you all. I cannot overstate how grateful I feel to my advisor Dr. Diana Brydon for her friendship, selflessness, patience, mentorship, and for teaching me to demand the best of myself. Your ability to listen to the ideas of others and to iv respond carefully and constructively has changed my life. I thank Dr. Serenity Joo for first inspiring me to the academic study of science fiction through her teaching and her critical approaches. In graduate school, you helped me to gain confidence, to establish lasting connections with my peers, and to understand the political and moral value of careful close reading and criticism. I also might not have survived graduate school without your sense of humour. Dr. Jonathan Peyton from the Department of Environment and Geography has brought a wealth of historical and political knowledge to this project. I thank you for generously giving your time and energy to carefully reading my work, you have been a motivating force in helping me to finish this project and a role model to me through your excellent environment and policy scholarship. Thank you also to my external examiner Dr. Gerry Canavan from the English department at Marquette University for your insights and your encouraging support of this project. I am grateful to Dr. Lucas Tromly for first introducing me to Darko Suvin’s concept of the novum and for giving me the opportunity to first apply the theory in a graduate seminar on science fiction. Thanks also to Andy Sawyer and Robyn Orr at the Science Fiction Foundation Archive for arranging my access to the Wyndham papers collection when I visited Liverpool University in the summer of 2018. To Dr. David Ketterer, whom I chanced to meet during the same visit, thank you for your insights about John Wyndham and for offering me a tour of Triffid Alley in London. Thank you to the Petrocultures Research Group for the opportunity to present work from this dissertation at the 2018 Glasgow conference, and to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Department of English, Theatre, Film, and Media for supporting my travel there. The love and support of my family and friends are ultimately what have made this dissertation possible, and I am grateful to more of you than I can name here. Thank you to my v parents, Mark and Kim, for instilling in me at a very young age a love of reading that will never leave me. Thank you to my other parents, Donna and Archie, for supporting our family and believing in my chosen path. Thank you to Jonathan Saunders for unwavering friendship through the years, and for reminding me not to take myself too seriously. Thank you to Bill Brydon, a new friend taken too soon, who provided invaluable insights about Cixin Liu and gave me perspective on the place of graduate work in my life. Thank you to Manny, for sitting patiently and listening to me read my work. Thank you to my children, Samantha, Quin, and Ora for making me smile every day and for understanding my frequent and long writing days. And to Jessie, whose unwavering patience, encouragement, hard work, sense of humour, and love have inspired me to take risks, create, and persevere, thank you most of all. I love you. vi Dedication To all those whose imaginations allow the specters of the future to speak: thank you, we are trying to listen. vii Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….…….…......ii Acknowledgements.......……………………………………………………………………....….iii Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………..vii List of Tables…………………..……………………………………………………………….....x List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………….xi Project Introduction…………....................………………………………………………….........1
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