The Affective Legacy of Silent Spring

Abstract

In the fiftieth year since the publication of Silent Spring, the importance of Rachel Carson's work can be measured in its affective influence on contemporary environmental writing across the humanities. The ground broken by Silent Spring in creating new forms of writing has placed affect at the very centre of contemporary narratives that call for pro-environmental beliefs and behaviours. A critical publicfeelings framework is used to explore these issues and trace their passage from the private and intimate, where they risk remaining denuded of agency, and into the public sphere. The work of Lauren Berlant and Kathleen Stewart and their focus on the struggle of everyday citizenship in contemporary life is helpful in illustrating how Silent Spring mobilised private feelings, particularly anger aimed at environmental destruction, into political action. This template is then explored in two contemporary environmental writers. First, The End of Nature by Bill McKibben is examined for its debt to Silent Spring and its use (and overuse) of sadness in its attempt to bring climate change to the public's attention. Second, Early Spring by Amy Seidl is shown to be a more affective and effective descendant of Silent Spring in its adherence to Carson's narrative procedures, by bringing attention back to the unpredictable and intimate power of ordinary, everyday affects. As such, Silent Spring is shown to occupy a foundational position in the history of the environmental humanities, and a cultural politics concerned with public feelings.

Anxiety and the Ecological Crisis: An Analysis of Eco-Anxiety and Climate Anxiety

“…I have discussed themes for further research already above, but one important research focus is related to social contexts and cultural factors. The beginnings have already appeared of applying the frameworks of "cultural politics of emotion" and "public feelings" into ecological emotions and eco-anxiety [18,44,68,139], but more work is needed in this regard. Manifestations of eco-anxiety are in numerous ways shaped by socio-cultural factors, power dynamics, and justice issues [59].…”

Letters from Corona Ground Zero to Helsinki: Notes on the pandemic and the environmental crisis

“…Those with economic or power related interests on the matter attack her viciously. If the justified anger of citizens can merge together and become a mass movement, changes happen (Lockwood, 2012). I wonder where all the corona feelings will eventually be channeled into?…”

Science fiction and science dis/trust: Thinking with Bruno Latour’s Gaia and Liu Cixin’s The Three-body Problem

“…Carson was not a formally trained scientist, except for her Bachelor's degree, and she was targeted by the pesticide industry and accused of practicing bad science. Nonetheless, the book had impact on everyday Americans who were seeing first-hand the effects of DDT on crops, insects and health (Lockwood 2012). Petrochemical companies and the government responded to Carson's book with vitriol and fear (Smith 2001).…”