Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Amitav Ghosh: where is the fiction about climate change? It's literally everywhere

Ok, so first of all, I think this article is a bit outdated. In just the last two years, stories about climate change have become increasingly popular.  Additionally, I'm not sure why the author cites a bunch of movies in his argument, when the article is asking why there isn't enough climate change in fiction. Yes, some of them are adaptations of novels, but still I think a better example could have made his argument stronger.

Secondly, the article doesn't seem to address Young Adult fiction as a source for climate change fiction. This is problematic, because it doesn't recognize YA as a serious part of fiction literature. I would argue that it is perhaps the most important area for climate change to be a theme, as its readers are likely the demographic who will be most affected by climate change and need to have a role in it.

There are so many YA novels that have running themes that involve climate change, and do not involve sci-fi elements like extra-terrestrials. In fact, YA has a whole sub-genre called "eco-fiction" that addresses many environmental issues.  (a list can be found here:http://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=347864&p=2345360)

No comments:

Post a Comment