In this seminar we will read theory, fiction, poetry, and non-fiction that, in one way or another, responds to the Anthropocene – the geological era in which human actions are considered a geological force. After reading texts that will introduce participants to the debates around the term itself (the “Anthropocene” is not uncontested conceptual territory!), we will look into the “Anthropocene” as an interpretive framework for literature and culture, addressing questions of historical periodization, genre, form, and function. In the second half of the semester we will read poetry, non-fiction, and fiction and discuss their genre-specific contribution to understanding life and its challenges in the twenty-first century.