ABSTRACT
The chapter considers the phenomenon and challenge of scale from a variety of theoretical vantage points, arguing that the representation of scales as well as readerly attempts at scaling help understand some of the complexities negotiated in Anthropocene discourse. By pointing to the “granularity” of different discourses and perspectives, scaling proves insightful in environmental and ethical conflict. Through illustrative readings of works by Barbara Kingsolver, T.C. Boyle and Nathaniel Rich, the chapter elaborates on this insight by proposing that literary fiction might be understood as a way of modelling different forms of complexity and concludes with an outline of the implications of this idea for teaching literature, especially in the context of what Claire Kramsch discusses as “ecological perspectives” on language and culture.
