Cli-Fi - A Companion

What is Cli-Fi? Climate change fiction is a new phenomenon that responds to the effects of extreme weather events and explores what climate change means for the survival of humanity. With short, accessible chapters on texts from Kim Stanley Robinson's trilogy to Frozen, this book will appeal to fans, teachers and students alike.

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, recepti on, 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.

Rezension:

«This is a rich, timely collection of essays that makes a unique contribution to the environmental humanities. It does important work defining and charting the breadth and variety of cli-fi and is sure to appeal to those exploring cultural responses to the Anthropocene.» (Dr Astrid Bracke, Lecturer in English Literature, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, Netherlands)







«Goodbody and Johns-Putra's Companion will prove an indispensable guide to contemporary climate fiction for writers, scholars and critics alike. Its 29 chapters, five devoted to film, the remainder to the novel, range from genre science fiction through to literary modernism and young adult fiction, drawn from across Europe and North America, Australia and Korea. Invaluable.» (Andrew Milner, Professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature, Monash University, author of Locating Science Fiction)