Seeing the Big in the Little : The Representation of the Anthropocene in Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Flight Behavior

Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Flight Behavior (2012) describes the impacts of climate change in a realistic contemporary setting. This thesis analyses the representation of the anthropocene, the epoch in which human impact on the planet's ecological systems are significant, in Flight Behavior from an ecocritical perspective. The main themes focused upon are climate change, biodiversity and the relationship between human and nature in an anthropocene context. Social and economic contexts, such as economic inequality, of the anthropocene, as well as competing climate change narratives, are also examined. In the thesis I offer readings and interpretations on multiple temporal and spatial scales. This methodological approach is inspired by Timothy Clark’s multi-scalar analyses in Ecocriticism on the Edge (2015). The result of the study shows that an intentional focus on multiple scales, results in a reconsideration of what is important in the text. The analysis also shows that even if Flight Behavior is situated in a specific time and place, the narrative contains numerous connections to other spatial and temporal points of reference. Moreover, my multi-scalar reading of Kingsolver’s novel shows how intertwined the concepts of nature and culture are in an anthropocene context