Green Wisdom in Grey Futures. An analysis of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Saci Lloyd’s The Carbon Diaries 2015 and why we should teach them

Abstract

This thesis examines two works of climate fiction, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006) and Saci Lloyd’s The Carbon Diaries 2015 (2009), and suggests ways to teach them. The thesis draws on ecocritical work from theorists such as Lawrence Buell and criticism regarding the Anthropocene and ideas on how to integrate climate change in the English subject (ENG01-04). It argues that teachers of all subjects must help raise pupils’ environmental awareness and that English language novels are particularly suited to addressing this curricular requirement. English teachers can be no exception, as their field of study holds particular value in understanding and confronting the climate crisis. By investigating both novels through an ecological lens, the thesis highlights how their realistic settings and visions of climate changed worlds make them especially suited to the young adult reader.