Anthropocene Unconscious: Climate Catastrophe Culture

The Anthropocene Unconscious explores how the Anthropocene and anthropogenic climate destabilization manifest in texts that are not overtly about climate change, drawing out repressed and obscured elements such as capital, class, imperialism, inequality, alienation, violence, commodification, patriarchy, and racial formations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 02 November 2021
Publisher: Verso Books

The art and literature of our time are teeming with catastrophic elements, encompassing weather and water, wildness, and weirdness. The Anthropocene, the term assigned to this geological epoch characterized by human-driven destruction on Earth, permeates contemporary cultural production in various forms. While discussions of how culture registers, figures, and mediates climate change often revolve around climate fiction or cli-fi, The Anthropocene Unconscious delves deeper into how the Anthropocene and, particularly, anthropogenic climate destabilization manifests in texts that are not explicitly about climate change. Mark Bould contends that the Anthropocene constitutes the unconscious of the art and literature of our time.

In this captivating and thought-provoking book, Bould traces the contours of the Anthropocene unconscious across a diverse range of film, television, and literature, disregarding high-low culture distinctions. By exploring a wide array of genres and narratives, he uncovers some of the things that are repressed and obscured by the term the Anthropocene, including capital, class, imperialism, inequality, alienation, violence, commodification, patriarchy, and racial formations.

The Anthropocene Unconscious is not merely about documenting these suppressed aspects but also about embarking on a kind of rewriting. It prompts us to question our assumptions about texts that do not explicitly address climate change. What if all the stories we tell are, in fact, stories about the Anthropocene? About climate change? By broadening our lens to encompass the Anthropocene, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the world we inhabit and the challenges we face.

This book offers a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourse on climate change and its cultural manifestations. By exploring the unconscious aspects of the Anthropocene, it sheds light on the ways in which our narratives and cultural productions shape our understanding of the world and our place in it. It encourages us to think critically about the stories we tell and the role they play in shaping our collective consciousness.

In conclusion, The Anthropocene Unconscious is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of art, literature, and climate change. It offers a fresh perspective on the Anthropocene and challenges us to reimagine our relationship with the natural world and our place in it. Through its playful and engaging approach, this book provides a valuable tool for understanding the complex and interconnected challenges we face in the 21st century.

Weight: 240g
Dimension: 205 x 137 x 105 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839760471