Speaker: Karen Pinkus, Professor Emerita of Romance Studies and Comparative Literature, Cornell University; Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature, Cornell University
In 2023 the COP meeting in Dubai called for a “just, orderly and equitable” transition away from fossil fuels. It would be difficult for any reasonable person to take a position against the transition. But perhaps reason is not helpful here and now. Pinkus puts literary narratives (primarily French and Italian, although in theory she is suggesting a broader method) in conversation with climate policy, in order to undo a complacent faith in “transition.” What are its temporal logics? How will we know when it is over? Can economic transformations or scientific paradigm shifts provide useful models? And ultimately, how does literary writing, with its potential ruptures or failures, stand in relation to our collective dream of a smooth sail into a fossil-free future?
From noon to 1 p.m. October 31, there will be a lunch workshop/discussion with Karen Pinkus at the Institute for Research in the Humanities. A catered lunch will be provided, and attendees will receive a PDF of a chapter from Pinkus’s recently published book, Subsurface (University of Minnesota Press, 2023), optional reading to serve as a springboard for casual discussion.
Anyone interested in ecocriticism, the environmental and energy humanities, geology, the 19th century novel, literary theory, or global warming and its effects, is welcome. Space is limited, so RSVP is requested by Monday, October 28, to jtarmstrong@wisc.edu.