''Do climate fiction writers suffer from “preachiness” syndrome?'' asks Seattle blogger Joe Follansbee

Do climate fiction writers suffer from “preachiness” syndrome?

Posted on July 3, 2018 by J.G. Follansbee

Is “preachiness” a problem for climate fiction writers?

I recently posted some thoughts about climate fiction on two Reddit forums. The immediate response in both cases was a warning about “preachiness.” As one responder who borrowed from Tolkien put it, “Nobody wants to be interrupted whileFrodo‘s struggling up the slopes of Mount Doom to be lectured about the effects of volcanic activity on the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases.”

Obvious, I suppose, but it obscures a real problem. Climate change is happening right now, in front of our eyes, and deliberately avoiding it in near-future speculative fiction—arguably all fiction going forward—ignores a major, albeit subtle, element in readers’ lives. If you write a contemporary or near-future story taking place on an ocean beach, for example, you are committing an act of literary malfeasance by failing to at least mention rising sea levels.

Deliberately avoiding climate change in near-future speculative fiction—arguably all fiction going forward—ignores a major, albeit subtle, element in readers’ lives.

Skeptics of this approach, however, make a good point. Climate activists often rely on apocryphal language and imagery.Growing up and living in the Pacific Northwest, a hotbed of environmental activism, including global warming, I’ve seen and read plenty of “The end is nigh!” rhetoric over the past five decades. It’s tiresome and boring, and it shuts down debate instead of encouraging constructive discussion.

When a writer proclaims his desire to portray climate change in his novel, or simply makes it the backdrop of the story, it’s easy to label him an “alarmist” in the same way fervent believers in a religious tradition are dismissed by non-believers as “fanatics.”

It may be difficult for writers to avoid this kind of stereotyping. Activists and skeptics have badly polarized the discussion of climate change, transforming it from a discussion of scientific evidence into a debate about worldview. In this environment, even the term “climate fiction” gives a story the whiff of a religious tract, wrecking an opportunity for a good writer to present her narrative about love, sex, money, power, or any other universal theme within the context of a warming planet.

The challenge for a climate fiction writer is presenting the context without standing on a soap box. Success comes when a reader or reviewer admires the quality of the writing or the interesting characters while offering an “oh, by the way” comment about global warming or other environmental themes. A good plot, three-dimensional characters, and a clever turn of phrase always trumps polemics. A bit of sleight-of-hand will have far more power than a grand gesture.

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4 thoughts on “Do climate fiction writers suffer from “preachiness” syndrome?”

1. Catana 

   July 3, 2018 at 8:25 am

   I haven’t run into any Science Fiction “climate” fiction that I’d consider preachy, but maybe that’s a function of my particular interests and which books I prefer to read. Just a suggestion off the top of my head: I wonder if novels aimed at young adults tends more to preachiness because this is the generation that’s going to have to cope with what’s happening and thus needs to be educated.

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   1. J.G. Follansbee 

      July 3, 2018 at 4:34 pm

      I actually think the “preachiness” is more of an expectation on the part of some readers given the political environment around climate change. They assume a story will preach because it contains global warming. Clearly, they haven’t read much in the sub-genre.

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      1. Catana 

         July 3, 2018 at 7:06 pm

         Yes, that’s likely, too. I think it’s a general flaw in readers. For instance, if a book contains any religion, they assume the author is taking a particular stance and expect to be preached at. I’m sure there are readers who reacted that way to The Sparrow, which has religion at its core.

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2. The Clyfy Channel (@do_you_cli_fi_) 

   July 4, 2018 at 8:38 pm

   Your comment is awaiting moderation.

   Joe and Catana, this book Watermelon Snow by Bill Liggett is not preachy at all, see this new write up on July 4 at scienceline.org — re Science reporter from NYU @JenMonnier profiles ‘cli-fi’ novels and William Liggett’s ‘WATERMELON SNOW’ novel in engaging feature report http://scienceline.org/2018/07/running-out-of-daylight/ #CliFi