Narrative Empathy in James Bradley’s Clade: Disability, Ecosickness and Hope

Abstract

Nel suo romanzo più recente, Clade (2015), lo scrittore australiano James Bradley segue i percorsi conflittuali di tre generazioni della famiglia Leith, ritra­endo scenari apocalittici sulla scia del cambiamento climatico che sta condi­zionando profondamente il nostro pianeta. Ciò nonostante, questo articolo sostiene che il romanzo tende a privilegiare una modalità ottativa invece della catastrofe di massa tipica dell’eco-narrativa canonica. A tale fine, si analizza­no alcune strategie formali di empatia narrativa, come l’identificazione con i personaggi e la focalizzazione multipla, che favoriscono la partecipazione emotiva del lettore. Le manifestazioni della vulnerabilità che Clade traccia ri­velano profonde implicazioni empatiche, richiamando un’etica della cura che coinvolge il lettore sul piano affettivo.

DOI: 10.17456/SIMPLE-138

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