The Pen is Mightier Than the Crisis

We all know the pen is mightier than the sword, but is it mightier than the climate crisis? I believe it can be, and I have created this project in exploration of that idea.

              Welcome to MightierThanTheCrisis.com. My name is Faith Schilmoeller, and you are viewing my senior honors English thesis, which I affectionately call my “thingamajig,” as it has grown to be far more than the essay I originally imagined. I have crafted this in preparation for my graduation from the University of Missouri – Columbia in May 2024, though I started working on it in 2023 and plan to continue the endeavor well after college.

              I have always believed in the power of fiction and literature to have great influence over us. When we recognize that power, we can hone it and create pieces that change lives. Climate fiction can do just that. The climate crisis is possibly the greatest threat to humanity in the present moment. With such a big threat, it can often feel hopeless, and we can be lost on where to begin. Cracking open a book is the first step we can take.

            This thingamajig aims to be part history, part examination, part journal, and part guide to investigate how climate fiction can and does inform reactions to the current climate crisis. In sum, this ongoing project aims to act as a compassionate guide to climate fiction as it can be used as a tool to fight the climate crisis.

              The Anthropocene section sets the stage on how we got to where we are now, exploring avenues less traveled.

              The Climate Fiction section investigates what "cli-fi" is as a genre and how it has evolved, as well as examining specific examples.

              The What Now? section is built to help readers like you digest the information in the other tabs and pivot to use cli-fi as a tool yourself.

              The Climate Literature Bookshelf is an interactive online tool to access an extensive annotated bibliography I have crafted and personalized. Users can peruse sources I have used in this project, as well as others I would recommend but have not yet read. Mouse over each book for information and click to see my thoughts on them.

              Finally, the Bibliography tab gives access to all of the resources I use or reference in this thingamajig.

              I offer special thanks to Ginny Muller and John Fenske for helping me along this journey. Ginny is my thesis advisor, and she has given me endlessly valuable insight and support through the entire process. Plus several great book recommendations! John made this whole website possible, especially the Bookshelf. He made my dreams become reality and has been extremely encouraging along the way. I am forever indebted to both and cannot thank them enough.