Cli-Fi: A Companion (Genre Fiction and Film Companions)

__What is Cli-Fi?__ Climate change fiction is a new literary phenomenon that emerged at the turn of the twenty-first century in response to what may be society’s greatest challenge. Climate change is already part responsible for extreme weather events, flooding, desertification and sea level rise, leading to famine, the spread of disease, and population displacement. Cli-fi novels and films are typically set in the future, telling of disaster and its effect on humans, or they depict the present, beset by dilemmas, conflicts or conspiracies, and pointing to grave consequences. At their heart are ethical and political questions: will humankind rise to the challenge of acting collectively, in the interest of the future? What sacrifices will be necessary, and is a green dictatorship our only hope for survival as a species? Each chapter in this volume offers a way of reading a particular literary text or film, drawing attention to themes, formal features, reception, contribution to public debate, and issues for class discussion. Popular novels and films (Kim Stanley Robinson’s __Science in the Capitol__ trilogy, Michael Crichton’s __State of Fear__, Ian McEwan’s __Solar__, and __The Day after Tomorrow__) are examined alongside lesser known writing (for instance J. G. Ballard’s «proto-climate change» novel __The__ __Drowned World__ and Antti Tuomainen’s Finnish thriller, __The Healer__), and films not generally thought of as being about climate change (__Frozen__ and __Take Shelter__). The book, which includes an introduction tracing the emergence and influence of cli-fi, is directed towards general readers and film enthusiasts as well as teachers and students. Written in an accessible style, it fills the gap between academic studies and online blogs, offering a comprehensive look at this timely new genre. Cover 1 Contents 7 Introduction (Axel Goodbody / Adeline Johns-Putra) 11 Defining cli-fi 11 A brief overview of literary production 13 Fictionalizing climate change: Aims and challenges 17 Approaches and forms 20 Teaching cli-fi 24 The shape and aims of this volume 26 Part I Proto-Climate Change Fiction 29 J. G. Ballard’s The Drowned World (1962) – Psycho-Geographical Cli-Fi (Jim Clarke) 31 Max Frisch’s Man in the Holocene (1980) – Geological Cli-Fi (Thomas H. Ford) 37 Ignacio Brandão’s And Still the Earth (1981) – Political Cli-Fi (Mark Anderson) 45 Part II Speculative Future Fiction: Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Narratives 51 George Turner’s The Sea and Summer (1987) – Urban Dystopian Cli-Fi (Thomas H. Ford) 53 Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy (2003–2013) – Post-Apocalyptic Cli-Fi (Dana Phillips) 59 Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl (2009) – Biopunk Cli-Fi (M. Isabel Pérez-Ramos) 65 Steven Amsterdam’s Things We Didn’t See Coming (2009) – Riskscape Cli-Fi (Antonia Mehnert) 71 Ilija Trojanow’s The Lamentations of Zeno (2011/2016) – Prophetic Cli-Fi (Axel Goodbody) 77 Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer (2014) – Adventure Cli-Fi (Kiu-Wai Chu) 83 Jeff Nichols’s Take Shelter (2011) – Psychic Cli-Fi (Stef Craps) 91 Part III Realist Narratives Set in the Present and Near Future 99 Maggie Gee’s The Ice People (1998) and The Flood (2004) – State of the Nation Cli-Fi (Adeline Johns-Putra) 101 T. C. Boyle’s A Friend of the Earth (2000) – Activism in Cli (Adam Trexler) 107 Kim Stanley Robinson’s Science in the Capitol Trilogy (2004–2007) – Science and Politics in Cli-Fi (Chris Pak) 113 Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behaviour (2012) – Class and Religion in Cli-Fi (Sylvia Mayer) 121 Nathaniel Rich’s Odds Against Tomorrow (2013) – Risk and Rationality in Cli-Fi (Hannes Bergthaller) 127 Franny Armstrong’s The Age of Stupid (2009) – Documentary Cli-Fi (Alexa Weik von Mossner) 133 Part IV Thriller, Crime, Conspiracy and Social Satire 141 Roland Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow (2004) – Apocalyptic Cli-Fi (Alexa Weik von Mossner) 143 Michael Crichton’s State of Fear (2004) – Denialist Cli-Fi (Greg Garrard) 149 Liz Jensen’s The Rapture (2009) – Thriller Cli-Fi (Terry Gifford) 157 Will Self ’s The Book of Dave (2006) – Satirical Cli-Fi (Bradon Smith) 163 Ian McEwan’s Solar (2010) – British Comic Cli-Fi (Richard Kerridge) 169 Antti Tuomainen’s The Healer (2013) – Nordic Crime Cli-Fi (Lieven Ameel) 175 Part V Children’s Film and Young Adult Novels 181 Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee’s Frozen (2013) – Fantasy Cli-Fi (David Whitley) 183 Jostein Gaarder’s The World According to Anna (2013/2015) – Didactic Cli-Fi (Reinhard Hennig) 191 Saci Lloyd’s The Carbon Diaries 2015 (2008) – Coming-of-Age Cli-Fi (Sina Farzin) 197 Part VI Literary Modernism 203 David Brin’s Earth (1990) – Epic Cli-Fi (Ursula K. Heise) 205 David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks (2014) – Genre Pluralism in Cli-Fi (Bradon Smith) 213 Jeanette Winterson’s The Stone Gods (2007) – Postmodern Cli-Fi (Louise Squire) 221 Alexis Wright’s The Swan Book (2013) – Indigenous Cli-Fi (Iva Polak) 227 Bibliography 233 Notes on Contributors 237 Index 243 "Climate change fiction is a new literary phenomenon that emerged at the turn of the twenty-first century in response to what may be society's greatest challenge. Climate change is already part responsible for extreme weather events, flooding, desertification and sea level rise, leading to famine, the spread of disease, and population displacement. Cli-fi novels and films are typically set in the future, telling of disaster and its effect on humans, or they depict the present, beset by dilemmas, conflicts or conspiracies, and pointing to grave consequences. At their heart are ethical and political questions: will humankind rise to the challenge of acting collectively, in the interest of the future? What sacrifices will be necessary, and is a green dictatorship our only hope for survival as a species? Each chapter in this volume offers a way of reading a particular literary text or film, drawing attention to themes, formal features, reception, contribution to public debate, and issues for class discussion. Popular novels and films (Kim Stanley Robinson's Science in the Capital trilogy, Michael Crichton's State of Fear, Ian McEwan's Solar, and The Day after Tomorrow) are examined alongside lesser known writing (for instance J. G. Ballard's 'proto-climate change' novel The Drowned World and Antti Tuomainen's Finnish thriller, The Healer), and films not generally thought of as being about climate change (Frozen and Take Shelter). The book, which includes an introduction tracing the emergence and influence of cli-fi, is directed towards general readers and film enthusiasts as well as teachers and students. Written in an accessible style, it fills the gap between academic studies and online blogs, offering a comprehensive look at this timely new genre" -- Provided by publisher