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Chapter 16 - Interspecies

from Part II - Anthropocene Themes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2021

John Parham
Affiliation:
University of Worcester
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Summary

The contemporary pertinence of green utopianism in its myriad manifestations lies in its trenchant critiques of the ecological deficiencies of the present and its imaginative projections of more ethical modes of human–animal–nature relationality. The extant climate and ecological crisis demands a radical rethink of how we relate to the non-human world. Thus, drawing largely on green utopian and posthuman theory, this chapter features critical assessments of human–non-human relations as depicted in four canonical ecotopian literary texts: Aldous Huxley’s Island (2009), Marge Piercy’s Woman on the Edge of Time (1976), Kim Stanley Robinson’s Pacific Edge (1990) and Ursula K. Le Guin’s Always Coming Home (1985). The extent to which the works deconstruct traditional human/nature dualisms and hierarchies is explored and discussed in depth. The chapter concludes with ruminations on potentially ethical modes of relationship that move beyond hierarchical and antagonistic structurings of ‘otherness’ and incorporate reverence and respect for irreducible alterity.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Interspecies
  • Edited by John Parham, University of Worcester
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Literature and the Anthropocene
  • Online publication: 28 July 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108683111.018
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  • Interspecies
  • Edited by John Parham, University of Worcester
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Literature and the Anthropocene
  • Online publication: 28 July 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108683111.018
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Interspecies
  • Edited by John Parham, University of Worcester
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to Literature and the Anthropocene
  • Online publication: 28 July 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108683111.018
Available formats
×