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Cli-Fi: A Companion
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 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.
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 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.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 31, 2024
I was looking for a primer to get my head around the sub-genre of cli-fi speculative fiction, and this was an inspired choice. A handy introduction traces the emergence and influence of cli-fi, in addition to the evolution of the science behind the fiction, and how media reporting has often polarised the debate or just gotten it plain wrong.
Aimed at general readers as well as students and teachers, the writing is very accessible. The editors begin their introduction by pointing out that global warming entered the public consciousness in the 1980s, while the term ‘cli-fi’ was coined by journalist Dan Bloom in 2007.
The range covered is diverse, from Kim Stanley Robinson’s Science in the Capitol trilogy to Michael Crichton’s State of Fear, Ian McEwan’s Solar, The Day After Tomorrow, and JG Ballard’s ‘proto-climate change’ novel The Drowned World and Antti Tuomainen’s Finnish thriller The Healer. Even Frozen is in here, so definitely something for everyone.
Aimed at general readers as well as students and teachers, the writing is very accessible. The editors begin their introduction by pointing out that global warming entered the public consciousness in the 1980s, while the term ‘cli-fi’ was coined by journalist Dan Bloom in 2007.
The range covered is diverse, from Kim Stanley Robinson’s Science in the Capitol trilogy to Michael Crichton’s State of Fear, Ian McEwan’s Solar, The Day After Tomorrow, and JG Ballard’s ‘proto-climate change’ novel The Drowned World and Antti Tuomainen’s Finnish thriller The Healer. Even Frozen is in here, so definitely something for everyone.
November 11, 2023
More of a list of examples than any coherent shared argument, but I felt like the field is wide open and that I can write whatever I want. The chapter on Frozen made a nice argument about the potential of using genres like melodrama to get audiences engaged in big topics (like climate change)
September 20, 2020
A great overview of cli-fi books and movies to date. There is a brief introduction to cli-fi at the beginning and I would have loved this to be a bit longer given the authors' extensive knowledge in the field, but still a highly recommended read overall.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews