Fantasy and Myth in the Anthropocene: Imagining Futures and Dreaming Hope in Literature and Media

This book explores the intersection of the discourse of the Anthropocene within the two highly influential storytelling modes of fantasy and myth, highlighting the need for stories that articulate visions of a biocentric, ecological civilization. It combines chapters by top scholars with personal reflections by authors and illustrators of books for young audiences, covering the works of major fantasy authors and exploring how mythic narratives and fantastic stories can mobilize resistance toward the emergence of an ecological civilization.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 10 March 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This groundbreaking book is the first to explore the intersection of the discourse of the Anthropocene within the two highly influential storytelling modes of fantasy and myth. It demonstrates the urgent need for stories that articulate visions of a biocentric, ecological civilization. Fantasy and myth have long served as humanity's most advanced technologies for collective dreaming, and today they are instrumental in helping us adopt a biocentric lens, re-knit ourselves with other forms of life, and facilitate the transition to an ecological civilization. By purposefully shifting away from dystopian narratives towards anticipatory imaginations of sustainable futures, this volume combines chapters by renowned scholars in the fields of fantasy, myth, and Young Adult literature with personal reflections by award-winning authors and illustrators of books for young audiences, including Shaun Tan, Jane Yolen, Katherine Applegate, and Joseph Bruchac. The chapters cover the works of major fantasy authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Prachett, J.K. Rowling, China Miéville, Barbara Henderson, Jeanette Winterson, John Crowley, Richard Powers, George R.R. Martin, and Kim Stanley Robinson. These narratives are set in various locations, including the UK, USA, Nigeria, Ghana, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Australia. Throughout the chapters, fantasy and myth are portrayed as spaces where visions of sustainable futures can be meticulously designed with the utmost detail and nuance. Rather than merely critiquing the ecocidal status quo, the book poses the question of how mythic narratives and fantastic stories can mobilize resistance around the ideas essential for the emergence of an ecological civilization.

Weight: 516g
Dimension: 170 x 243 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350204164