What is the meaning of “adventure” as we enter the third decade of the 21st century, after a global pandemic, social and geopolitical calamities, and accelerating environmental catastrophes? What stories are humans telling about wilderness, remote destinations and the most difficult thoughts thinkable?
“Adventure” is a pinball assortment of unexpected encounters. Each chapter entertains a specific project, fantasy or activity that dabbles with adventure – and runs into limits. Subjects range from Mars exploration, commercial space tourism and adventure consumerism to the day-to-day experiences of living in a world increasingly impacted by climate change and environmental disasters.
Taking a wide-angle view – at times personal, at others theoretical – Schaberg explores our ideas about adventure and their narrative, cultural and philosophical underpinnings.
About the author
Christopher Schaberg is director of public scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis and author of “The Textual Life of Airports” (2012), “The End of Airports” (2015), “Airportness” (2017), “The Work of Literature in an Age of Post-Truth” (2018), “Searching for the Anthropocene” (2019), “Pedagogy of the Depressed” (2021) and “Adventure: An Argument for Limits” (2023), all published by Bloomsbury. He is also the founding co-editor (with Ian Bogost) of Bloomsbury’s Object Lessons book series.
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