Fear and Loathing in the Anthropocene: Grief, Compassion and the Benefits of Literature

Abstract

Abstract This essay considers the nexus between literature and compassion in relation to the well-reported global environmental crisis and the attendant range of emotions, as signalled by the terms ‘ecocide’, ‘extinction crisis’ and ‘eco-anxiety’. While the words ‘grief’ and ‘hope’ have come to represent a range of associated emotions and feelings, there are important affective inflections occurring between these two semantic reference points, which are in themselves significant, if less amenable to debate and conversion to meaningful action. The following essay considers the nuances of these same affective extremities and emotional complexities, with particular reference to collective emotions such as anger and fear, and the implications of sustained feelings of dread, despair and collective trauma. The essay concludes by arguing for the constructive role of literature in mediating collective feeling and redirecting negative public emotions.