Narrative in the Anthropocene
Narrative in the Anthropocene by Erin James, published by Ohio State University Press in 2022, is a thought-provoking exploration of the interplay between narrative and the current geological epoch characterized by human impact on the Earth. This edition spans 207 pages and is presented in English, offering a comprehensive examination of how narratives can inform our understanding of this unique period while also reflecting on how the Anthropocene reshapes narrative itself.
In this work, James poses critical questions about the relationship between storytelling and the Anthropocene, drawing from diverse sources such as Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park and Indigenous speculative fiction. The book introduces the concept of “Anthropocene narrative theory,” which encompasses new ways of reading narratives and redefines narrative as a cognitive and rhetorical tool for worldbuilding. Readers will find an insightful discussion on the forms and functions of narrative, as well as the philosophical and social aspects that emerge from this contemporary context.
Official synopsis Publisher
In Narrative in the Anthropocene, Erin James poses two complementary questions: What can narrative teach us about our current geological epoch, defined and marked by the irrevocable activity of humans on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems? and What can our current geological epoch teach us about narrative? Drawing from a wide range of sources–including Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, Maria Popova’s collective biography Figuring, Richard McGuire’s graphic novel Here, Indigenous and Afrofuturist speculative fiction, and more–James argues that a richer understanding of the forms and functions of narrative in the Anthropocene provides us with invaluable insight into how stories shape our world. At the same time, she contends that the Anthropocene alters the very nature of narrative. Throughout her exploration of these themes, James lays the groundwork for an “Anthropocene narrative theory,” introducing new modes of reading narrative in the Anthropocene; new categories of narrative time, space, narration, and narrativity; and a new definition of narrative itself as a cognitive and rhetorical tool for purposeful worldbuilding.
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