Literature

Climate is a common inspiration for literature in the past and present. Numerous examples of such books and poems, and their connections to climate are explored in this learning resource.

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The Swan Book (2013) by Alexis Wright
An illustration of Hansel and Gretel meeting the witch outside of her gingerbread house in Hansel and Gretel (from Williams, 2020).
Hansel and Gretel (1812) by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Published by The Viking Press (1939).
The Grapes of Wrath (1939) by John Steinbeck
Published by Yearling (2008).
First Light (2007) by Rebecca Stead
Illustration of Li Yuyang (from Blazon, n.d.).
Poetry of the Seven Sorrows by Li Yuyang
Aerial photograph of Mount Tambora in Indonesia (from Pangburn, 2014).
Darkness (1816) by Lord Byron
Published by Anchor (2009).
Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction)
Published by Harvard University Press (2007).
Ecocriticism
Frankenstein
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) and The Vampyre by John William Polidori (1819)
Published by Bantam/Turner Books (1992).
Ishmael (1992) by Daniel Quinn
Published by Verso (2011).
I'm With the Bears: Short Stories from a Damaged Planet (2011) by Margaret Atwood

The drop-down menus below contain links to in-site webpages developed by the Smith College Climate in Arts and History team. The display above features selected images from these pages. The Exploration (In Progress) menu lists additional topics that are in development to become full-length entries. 

The Eruption of Mount Tambora (1815-1818 CE)

Climate-Inspired Literature

  • The Long Winter (1940) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • Unnamed Dragonfly Species (2002) by Juliana Spahr
  • To See the Earth Before the End of the World (2010) by Ed Roberson

Climate Themes in Literature

Cli-fi (Climate Fiction)
  • Oryx and Crake (2004) by Margaret Atwood
  • The Year of the Flood (2009) by Margaret Atwood 
  • I’m With the Bears: Short Stories from a Damaged Planet (2011) edited by Mark Martin
  • Flight Behavior (2012) by Barbara Kingsolver
  • Parable of the Sower (2012) by Octavia E. Butler 
  • MaddAddam (2013) by Margaret Atwood 
  • Odds Against Tomorrow (2013) by Nathaniel Rich
  • Orleans (2013) by Sherri L. Smith
  • Some Possible Solutions (2016) by Helen Phillips 
  • American War (2017) by Omar El Akkad 
  • Clade (2017) by James Bradley
  • Disasters in the First World (2017) by Olivia Clare
  • Florida (2018) by Lauren Groff
  • Guernica: March 2019 Issue
    • Woodland by Lydia Millet 
    • Floating by Pitchaya Sudbanthad 
    • The Disaster Store by Helen Phillips 
    • Factory Air by Omar El Akkad
  • McSweeney’s Issue 58: 2040 AD (2019)
  • War Girls (2019) by Tochi Onyebuchi 
  • Rebel Sisters (2020) by Tochi Onyebuchi
Ecocriticism
  • Oryx and Crake (2004) by Margaret Atwood
  • Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness (1968) by Edward Abbey
  • The Comedy of Survival: A Literary Ecology and a Play Ethic (1997) by Joseph W. Meeker
  • Politics of Nature: How to Bring the Sciences into Democracy (2004) by Bruno Latour 
  • The Future of Environmental Criticism (2005) by Lawrence Buell
  • Ecology Without Nature (2007) by Timothy Morton
  • Climate Change is Violence (2014) by Rebecca Solnit
  • Indigenous Poets Addressing Climate Change
    • Tanaya Winder: Land Back as a Call to Action Against Climate Change
    • Jake Skeets: Finding Home in the Desert
    • Amber McCrary
    • Kinsale Hueston
    • Edyka Chilomé

Indigenous Perspectives

  • Indigenous Poets Addressing Climate Change
    • Tanaya Winder: Land Back as a Call to Action Against Climate Change
    • Jake Skeets: Finding Home in the Desert
    • Amber McCrary
    • Kinsale Hueston
    • Edyka Chilomé
  • Indigenous Stories of Past Climate Change / Climate Events
    • Ktsi Amiskw, The Great Beaver (Mt. Sugarloaf, South Deerfield, MA)

Articles

Books

Poetry

Teaching Resources

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