Narratives of eco-utopia and eco-apocalypse have long shaped relationships between human society and nature. This talk discusses a revival of interest in these genres in nineteenth century Britain, as writers concerned about pollution, industrialization, and technological change speculated about the future of humanity and of the planet. By introducing vast temporal and spatial narrative scales to the novel form, these fictions laid the groundwork for later generations of environmental writing, including contemporary novels about climate change and the Anthropocene.
Benjamin Morgan researches literature, science, and aesthetics in the Victorian period and early twentieth century. His particular interests include nineteenth-century sciences of mind and emotion; aestheticism and decadence; and speculative and non-realist fiction, including gothic, science fiction, utopia, and romance. He also writes about topics in the environmental humanities including extinction, energy cultures, and the literary history of climate change.
Presentations in the Cultures and Knowledge Workshop Series range across historical and disciplinary boundaries, and provide a major component of SIFK's inquiry into the process of knowledge formation and transmittal from antiquity to the present day. Research-in-progress is welcomed and will receive constructive feedback.
This workshop will take the format of a presentation followed by a discussion. Lunch will be provided to those who RSVP. Due to space restrictions, our workshops have a maximum attendance of 40. Registered guests will be seated first.
Persons with disabilities who need an accommodation in order to participate in this event should contact srwhite@uchicago.edu in advance.