Storytelling as Environmental Discourse in Oryx and Crake: Climate Change and the Hope for Survival
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjlls.v5i5.226Keywords:
Climate Fiction (Cli-fi), Storytelling, Warning, Hope, SurvivalAbstract
As the climate changes and ecosystems unravel, scientific reports and policy recommendations often struggle to spark the emotional urgency needed for action. This article explores how storytelling, particularly - speculative fiction, can bridge that gap, carrying environmental realities into the realm of lived experience. Using Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake (2003) as a case study, it examines how literature can serve as both warning and survival strategy. Atwood’s “ustopia”—a blend of utopia and dystopia—mirrors our present moment of ecological crisis, technological promise, and corporate power. Within the novel, Snowman’s fragments of stories, myth and memory become a form of resilience, revealing the role of narrative in enduring catastrophe. Drawing on climate fiction and the environmental humanities, the article argues that storytelling is not merely an art, but a vital means of engaging with, and surviving, the climate emergency.
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