The Anthropocene Cosmic Sublime: Viewing the Earth from Space in Samantha Harvey’s "Orbital"

Abstract

This paper examines the representation of the sublime in Samantha Harvey’s novel Orbital (2023) in the context of the Anthropocene and space exploration, in which humans markedly engage with and transform terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. It discusses the concept of the Anthropocene cosmic sublime, which represents an evolving aesthetics that differs from more traditional notions of the sublime as explored by Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant. While these thinkers concentrated on terrestrial phenomena, the article shifts the focus to space travel and the experiences of astronauts in space. The article argues that the Anthropocene cosmic sublime emphasizes the embodied experience of space from the astronauts’ perspective, rather than through technological mediation like telescopes. This experience evokes traditional affects of awe and smallness in relation to the vast cosmos, while also highlighting our environmental responsibilities. The article explores how space exploration, although often linked to technological advancement and imperialist rhetoric, can also reflect ecological and ethical considerations through the lens of the Anthropocene cosmic sublime. The article argues that fiction, and particularly works like Orbital, can serve as a space for ethical reflection on the Anthropocene. Ultimately, Harvey’s novel renegotiates the sublime as a transformative narrative and aesthetic tool, inviting readers to reconsider humanity’s role in shaping planetary and cosmic environments with a renewed ethical and ecological consciousness.