Eco-Theory and Annihilation

Eco-Theory and Annihilation is part of the Film Theory in Practice series, which blends the explanation of a film theory with the interpretation of a film and provides discrete examples of how film theory can serve as the basis for textual analysis.

This book offers a concise introduction to eco-theory in jargon-free language and shows how this theory can be deployed to interpret Alex Garland's controversial film adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's hit novel Annihilation.

Eco-theory is one of the most exciting and timely offshoots of contemporary critical theory, but it is too frequently treated as only a recent development. Covering historical developments in nature philosophy, geology, and organic chemistry, as well as contemporary critical methodologies like systems theory and new materialism, Eco-Theory and Annihilation introduces readers to the full extent of eco-theory’s lively variations. It also investigates the complications that arise when those variations are mediated by the generic expectations of filmic science fiction.

This book illuminates the deep history of eco-theory, maps its contemporary coordinates, and demonstrates how it can shed light on Garland’s provocative eco-sci-fi thriller.