Topics in Literary and Cultural Theory: Aesthetics of the Anthropocene

According to the diagnosis associated with the term Anthropocene, humans are the decisive geological force responsible for various recent ecological changes and crises. Although there are alternative concepts and narratives to account for the current situation, ‘Anthropocene’ has installed itself as the privileged designation for the rethinking of the relationship between nature and culture. The seminar will discuss the challenges this task poses for art and aesthetics. We will explore terms like the sublime, the uncanny, the spectral, the ironic, the melancholic, the grotesque, the monstrous, and the (post-)apocalyptic in this context.