Issue Details: First known date: 2024... 2024 “Complicit Concealments”: Developing Ecological Consciousness in Sally Abbott’s Closing Down (2017) and Briohny Doyle’s Echolalia (2021)
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'This article explores the challenges faced by climate fiction writers who address human responses to climate change, emphasising the need to expose the underlying political and economic mechanisms of the climate crisis. It builds on the critique offered by theorists Adam Trexler, Timothy Clark, Mark Fisher and Amitav Ghosh, highlighting the risk of climate fiction novels becoming “complicit concealments” if they fail to focus on the principle drivers of the carbon economy – overconsumption, economic growth and market-based thinking. We analyse a growing trend in Australian climate fiction, where connections between neoliberal capitalism and climate change are becoming major themes. Novels like Sally Abbott's Closing Down (2010) and Briohny Doyle’s Echolalia (2021) represent characters’ relations to society and the economy and try to capture the complex realities of climate change. Based on this analysis, we propose the concept of “ecological consciousness” as a potential narrative strategy for writers, building on the Marxist concept of class consciousness, which extends awareness beyond traditional class dynamics to encompass the interconnectedness of humans with the environment. The article concludes by emphasising the strength and versatility of this approach, showcasing its potential for providing a holistic perspective on societal and environmental dynamics in climate fiction.' (Publication abstract)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon TEXT : The Journal of the Australian Association of Writing Programs vol. 28 no. 2 31 October 2024 29290615 2024 periodical issue

    'Preposition extinction

    'When I was invited to become a member of the TEXT Advisory Board, I thought the editors had made a mistake. I wondered what they saw, why they were inviting me. I asked myself, what had I done, what was my contribution to the field, how could I give. The language of invitation surprised me, genuinely so. Perhaps the timing too, the absurdity of it.' (Editorial introduction)

    2024
Last amended 6 Dec 2024 07:53:05
https://textjournal.scholasticahq.com/article/125621-complicit-concealments-developing-ecological-consciousness-in-sally-abbott-s-closing-down-2017-and-briohny-doyle-s-echolalia-2021 “Complicit Concealments”: Developing Ecological Consciousness in Sally Abbott’s Closing Down (2017) and Briohny Doyle’s Echolalia (2021)small AustLit logo TEXT : The Journal of the Australian Association of Writing Programs
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