// 2015inLiterature:AfterNature,AfterAutofictionFlavorwire

2015inLiterature:AfterNature,AfterAutoction
Books(http://avorwire.com/category/books)|ByJonathonSturgeon(http://avorwire.com/author/jonathon-sturgeon)|December17,2015

Idontbelieveinnature,ayoungKarlOvesaystoafellowteacherinVolume4ofMyStruggle,Itsaclich.

Whatdoyouwriteaboutthen?theteacherreplies.

Itsaworthwhile,evenimposingquestion.Whatdoyouwriteaboutwhenyounolongerputstockintheideathenarrativethatnature
existsobjectivelyandindependentlyofourstoriesaboutit?Itssooverwhelmingaquestion,infact,thatitwilltakeKnausgaardmany
decadesandnoshortageoflivingtoansweritbystrugglingtocomposehisselfovervevolumes.Whennaturenolongerexistsbeyond
ourconstructionofit,inotherwords,whenitnolongerhastheweightandforceofathingthatgovernswhoandwhatwemaybecome,the
writercanndsolaceindoingthatworkhimself.Butthequestionsremains:whatcomesaertheself?

2015wasayearinnonction(http://avorwire.com/551547/the-15-best-nonction-books-of-2015)andctioninnarrativewhenwe
expressedrobustlyourlackoffaithinnature,whenweacceptedourroleinshapingourownenvironments.Itwaslikewiseayearwhenwe
imploredeachothertounderstandthatwhatevercomesnextmustbemorethanthemereself.

LastDecember,Iwrotethattherenewedvigorforctionsoftheself(http://avorwire.com/496570/2014-the-death-of-the-postmodern-
novel-and-the-rise-of-autoction)wasnotonlyreal,alivinghypothesis,butalsothatitshowedourexhaustionwiththepostmodernnovel,
thathuge,quasi-Victorianconstructionwhereintheselfisdrownedincold,impersonal,entropicsystemsofnoiseandspectacle.My
argumentwassimplistic:IwrotethatanewcropofnovelsKnausgaardsMyStruggle,BenLerners10:04,NellZinksknstlerromane
Wallcreeperwerereassertingtheselfasalivingthing,onethattheauthorhadtherightfashionandnarrate,tosavefromdrowning.

Partofthisproject,Iwrote,wastheidea,expressedmostsuccinctlybyLerner,thatctionshaverealeects,thatourexperienceofthe
worldchangesdependingonitsarrangementintoonenarrativeoranother.enovelasustainednarrativeofselvescouldthen
becomewhatKennethBurkecalledequipmentforliving.And,asaresult,thedierencebetweenrealandfalsectionswasnolongeras
important.Novelsofself-narrationnowhadthedepthandweightofMiddlemarch.

Itnowseemsobvioustomethatthisisonlyhalfthestory.ItsnotmerelythatautoctionalauthorslikeLernerandKnausgaardassertedtheir
righttonarratetheirselvesintoexistence,butalsothatexistence,intheformofnature,isahumanconstruction:astorywevebeentelling
eachotherforcenturies,aclich,astheyoungKnausgaardputsit.Andbecausewenolongerbelieveinthestory,itsonethatneedsto

change.
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// 2015inLiterature:AfterNature,AfterAutofictionFlavorwire

change.

Inthenonctionof2015,thisideaisexpressedforcefullyacrossseveralimportantbooksonthesubjectoftheAnthropocene.Althoughthey
dierradicallyintoneandprescription,thedenitionoftheAnthropoceneasanageoftheEarthwhenhumanactivityhasdemolishedthe
ideaofNatureobtainsthroughout.ecleareststatementonthispredicamentcomesfromJedediahPurdysAerNature:APoliticsofthe
Anthropocene:

eAnthropocenendsitsmostradicalexpressionintheacknowledgmentthatthefamiliardividebetweenpeopleandtheirworldisno
longerusefuloraccurate.Becauseweshapeeverything,fromtheupperatmospheretothedeepseas,thereisnomorenaturethatstands
apartfromhumanbeingsItmakesnosensenowtohonorandpreserveanaturethatisdenedbynotbeinghuman,thatispurestin
wilderness,rainforests,andtheocean.Instead,inaworldwecanthelpshaping,thequestioniswhatwewillshape.

Crucially,PurdysuggestsifImreadinghimcorrectlythatitisntenoughforustoimploreeachothertochange,wehavetolikewise
changetheverywayweimagineourselvesintheworld.Inaphrasethathasimplicationsforctionandnonctionalike,hecallsthisnew
orientationenvironmentalimagination,and,likeLerner,hemakesitclearthatourimaginationhasrealeects.ItshouldbeclearPurdy
writes,thatfarfrombeingfrivolousmake-believe,imaginationisintenselypractical.

eidea,putforthbythetitleofPurdysbook,isthatwehavetoimagineaworldaernature,aworldwheretheveryideaofnatureis
replacedbynewnarrativesnewwaysofbeingintheworldthatwenecessarilycreate.Overandagain,thisideaemergesinalltheyears
booksabouttheAnthropocene,fromRoyScrantonsLearningtoDieintheAnthropocenetoMcKenzieWarksMolecularRed:eoryofthe
Anthropocene,fromDaleJamiesonandBonnieNadzamsLoveintheAnthropocenetoA.L.TsingseMushroomattheEndoftheWorld:
OnthePossibilityofLifeinCapitalistRuins.

Inalloftheseworks,thereimaginationofaworldwithoutnatureisputforthasanimperative,andinmanyofthemmostnotablyinthe
workofWark,Scranton,andTsingtheendofnatureisseenasakindofwreckorruin.AttheconclusionofWarksbook,hesearchesfora
newslogan,

OnewhichalreadypossessesinimaginationthemeansandthewilltoundotheworkingsoftheAnthropocene.Onewithnothingforit
buttobuildthenewlivingworldwithintheruinsoftheoldone.Weallknowthiscivilizationcantlast.Letsmakeanother.

Partofthisidea,theyearsmostincisiveworksofcriticismmakeclear,isthatwemuststartbeinghonestaboutwhattheworkofimagination
canreasonablyaccomplish.Ifwevemanagedtowrecktheworld,wecanonlybuildnewnarrativesofpossibilityoutofwhatisleoftheold
one;narrativeartcannotjustdowhateveritpleases.InHalFostersincisiveBadNewDays,theyearsmostaccomplishedworkofart
criticism,theauthorarguesthatarttodayisnomatchforimageindustriesandinformationagencies,bothcorporateandgovernmental,
thatmonitorandregulatethesensiblewithenormouspower.InEven(http://evenmagazine.com/),oneoftheyearsmostcelebratednewart
journals,theopeningeditorialdescribestheshortcomingsofournarrativesaboutart:

Eitherweaskarttodothingsitcannotdo,makingfantasticalclaimsaboutsubvertingauthorityorrewiringsociety,despitedecadesof
evidencethatarthasnosuchpower.Orelsewefailtonoticeallthethingsartactuallycando,andreduceittotheselebackdropofthe
day.

Muchthesamecouldbesaidoftheopeningsalvo(http://salvage.zone/in-print/salvage-perspectives-1-amid-this-stony-rubbish/)ofSalvage,
apolemicalnewjournalofartandpoliticsontheLe.OrofTsingsquestioningofthepossibilityoflifeincapitalistruins.

Asaresult,theautoctionalproject,inasmuchasitexploresonlytheselfinaworldwithoutnature,hascometobeseenassomewhat
frivolous,insucientlythematic,andevendecadentasmaybearststeptowardnarratinganewworld,butonethatisnotconcerned
overmuchwiththelivesofothersandlimitedpossibilities.PerhapsthemostpowerfulcritiqueoftheautoctionalnovelcamefromWalter
BennMichaelseBeautyofaSocialProblem,oneoftheyearsbestworksofliterarycriticism.Inhisbook,Michaelsgoessofarasto
redescribememoiristicction,beginningwithSheilaHetisHowShouldaPersonBe,bywayofMargaretatcherspoliticsof
irresponsibility:

inkMargaretatcher:eresnosuchthingassociety,onlyindividualsandtheirfamilies.Noliterarytheoristcouldbetterdescribe
thefundamentalcommitmentofthememoir,althoughagenerationallyupdatedversionwouldprobablyaddfriendstofamily.

Formymoney,though,thebestctionof2015wasalreadyaheadofMichaelsandFoster(andme).oughitacknowledgedautoctions
hat-tippingtowardtheconstructionoftheselfandtheendofnature,itmovedbeyondthatprojectinimportantways,usuallybymeasuring
thescopeandscaleofthewreckwevemadeoftheworld,andthenbysuggestingresourcefulwaysofmovingforward.ebestctionof
2015,toputitinanotherway,wasformallyandthematicallyhonestaboutwhatnarrativecando.

InayearwhenthemostimportantthrowbackbookwasAgainstNature(notethetitle),J.K.Huysmanshilariousnovelaboutdecadencein
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InayearwhenthemostimportantthrowbackbookwasAgainstNature(notethetitle),J.K.Huysmanshilariousnovelaboutdecadencein
theageofliterarynaturalism,oneofthebest(andfunniest)stepsforwardwasthesimilarlytitledAgainsttheCountrybyBenMetcalf,a
novelthatpushedwithandagainstautoctionbybecomingahyper-eloquentrantaboutthebasictrashinessofruralAmericanlife.Similarly,
ElisaAlbertsAerBirthrepurposedautoctionaltropestoattackthepietiesofmotherhoodtotremendouseect.Bothnovels,Iwould
argue,madeautoctionthematic.

Inperhapsthemostcelebratedautoctionalnoveloftheyear,RachelCuskshowedthattheselfisnotmerelytheassertionoftheauthor,but
akindofelision,anOutlinethatisasmuchcreatedbythenarrativesofothers.

JoshuaCohensBookofNumbers,describedbyonecriticasamergingofautoctionandhystericalrealism,evisceratedtheformerbytriple-
layeringhisselfinacakeofnotonebutthreeJoshuaCohens.Healsoattackedthefoundationofmemoiristicctionbysuggestingthatour
workingmemoriesarenowdeletedandresoldtousbyenormoustechcompanies.

BothNellZinksMislaidandPaulBeattyseSellout,twooftheyearsbestsatiricalnovels,waylayourobsessivequanticationand
measurementofidentitybysubjectingourself-narrativestoabsurdextremes.

InAlexandraKleemansbrilliantdebut,YouTooCanHaveaBodyLikeMine,theselvesareabstractedintoletters:A,B,andC.Andthe
authormakesittransparentthatourownmaterialconsumptionwhatwebuyandeat,forexampleisasformativeasanyotherinputin
latecapitalism.Kleemansformalshallowdepth,thewaysheplaceshernovelsomewherebetweenthenouveauromanandconventional
realism,hadtheeectofmakingbig,Victorian,TV-damagedgestureslikePurityandCityonFireseemlikeextensionsofcapitalismrather
thansubversionsofit.SheretroactivelymadeJonathanFranzenanauthorofcapitalistrealism.

Finally,noauthordemonstratedthelimitsofourresourcesbothplanetaryandimaginativemorethanKimStanleyRobinson,whose
enormousnovelAurorawasoneoftheyearsbestinanygenre.Inhisnovel,Robinsonplacesmultiplegenerationsofhumansonaship
boundforanewworld,onlytohavethemreturntoEarthwhentheydiscoverthisworldcannotsustainthem.elimitedresourcesavailable
tohumansalsoputsrestrictionsonthenovelsnarrativeform.AswasalsothecasewithlmslikeeMartianandMadMax:FuryRoad
bothnarrativesabouthumansinresource-poorworldsRobinsonsAuroraisashapedlikeaboomerang.

Obviouslythisisjustaquick-and-readytourofctionandnonctionfrom2015,onethatleavesoutotherbrilliantworks,likeMaggie
NelsonseArgonauts,whichexaminesloveandgenderbywayofwhatitsauthorcallsautotheory,orTa-NehisiCoatesBetweenthe
WorldandMe,whichnotonlyredistributesournarrativesofblackbodiesinaraciststatebutalsostandsaheadofKnausgaardsownpost-
autoctionalwork(http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/12/15/aer-my-struggle-an-interview-with-karl-ove-knausgaard/)of
addressinghischildwithaletter.

Noneoftheabovementionedworkstakesnatureforgranted,andnonepresupposesthefreeandlimitlessnarrationoftheself.Insteadthey
allpointtonewpossibilitiesinadamagedworld.Or,toquoteWalterBennMichaels,whoputitbest:Ifwhatyouwantisavisionofthe
structuresthatproduceboththepolicieswevegotandthedesireforalternativestothem,artisalmosttheonlyplaceyoucanndit.

Itturnsoutthereissomehopetobehadaerthewreck.

ispieceispartofFlavorwiresseriesofessayson2015inculture.Clickhere(http://avorwire.com/tag/year-in-culture-2015/)tofollowour
end-of-yearcoverage.

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