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For MA students, this seminar is part of the module Text/Context together with the seminar Last Things on apocalyptic writing in the Middle Ages, taught be Thomas Honegger.
The end of the world has been a persistent topic in multiple genres throughout history, ranging from religious prophecies and political propaganda to dystopian literature, adventure stories and fantasy fiction and, sadly, also to scientific research and visions of ecological catastrophe. In the seminar we will discuss various literary works from the 20th and 21st century which present narratives of apocalypse and/or post-apocalypse, usually as a sub-genre of science fiction. We will discuss theoretical approaches to apocalyptic literature, recurring patterns and motifs, but also momentous innovations in the genre. Among the novels we will read, there may be John Wyndham’s The Day of the Triffids, J.G. Ballard’s High Rise, John Brunner’s The Sheep Look Up, and Kurt Vonnegut’s Galapagos. I am open to suggestions – within limits, e.g. there will be no Zombie apocalypses in this seminar. It is quite possible, that we will also watch one or two movies. |
