• Circulating Our Imaginary Extinction

    Author(s):
    Charlie Gleek (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Subject(s):
    Ecocriticism, Books, History, Printing--Social aspects, Science fiction
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Book history, Print culture
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6Q52FC6B
    Abstract:
    The following exposition is about how the reader encounters imaginary extinction, and the related concept of deforestation, in Ursula Le Guin’s 1972 Hugo Award-winning novella, The Word for World is Forest. My analysis points to how The Word for World is Forest can be read to reveal a representation of extinction, both on Earth as well as on the fictional planet New Tahiti. Separated into three distinct threads, my first analytical section draws on theoretical perspectives from Ashley Dawson in his 2016 work Extinction: A Radical History. The first thread of my analysis points to how the reader can come to see Le Guin's representation of extinction on Earth and deforestation practices on New Tahiti as an imbrication of capitalism, colonization, deforestation, and extinction that works in concert with Dawson’s argument about how extinction is an overt feature of the inherent contradictions of capitalism.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    5 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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