Reading literature in the Anthropocene: Ecosophy and the ecologically-oriented ethics of Jeff Noon's Nymphomation and Pollen

Emma Nicoletti

Research output: ThesisDoctoral Thesis

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Abstract

[Truncated] This thesis examines the science fiction novels Nymphomation and Pollen by Jeff Noon. The reading brings together ideas from the eco-sciences, environmental humanities and ecocriticism in order to analyse the ecological dimensions of these texts. Although Noon’s work has been the subject of academic critique, critical discussions of his oeuvre have overlooked the engagement of Nymphomation and Pollen with ecological issues. This is a gap in the scholarship on Noon’s work that this thesis seeks to rectify. These novels depict landscapes and communities as being degraded because of the influence of information technologies and homogeneous ideologies, making them a productive lens through which to consider and critically respond to some of the environmental and social challenges faced by humanity in an anthropogenic climate.
In order to discuss the ecological dimensions of these novels, the thesis advances the notion of an “ecosophical reading practice.” This idea draws on Felix Guattari’s concept of “ecosophy,” and combines it with the notions of “ecological thinking” developed in the work of theorists Timothy Morton, Lorraine Code and Gregory Bateson. While Morton’s work is extensively cited in ecocritical scholarship, with a few exceptions, the work of the other theorists is not. This thesis thus seeks to demonstrate how these theorists’ ideas are also valuable for exploring ecocritical concerns, thereby contributing to the range of theoretical scholarship from which ecocriticism draws.
Original languageEnglish
QualificationDoctor of Philosophy
Supervisors/Advisors
  • Dalziell, Tanya, Supervisor
  • Harper, Tauel, Supervisor
Award date18 Dec 2014
Publication statusUnpublished - 2014

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