"For all of its current popularity, contemporary apocalyptic fiction-novels set during or after events that devastate the world as we know it-is part of a long tradition that includes the Biblical story of Noah, the epic of Gilgamesh, and the Works and Days of the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, as well as the vast array of modern examples. In this short, essayistic book, the author focuses on twentieth- and twenty-first-century fiction in which new forms of life emerge from catastrophe, how the survivors adapt to the altered ...
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"For all of its current popularity, contemporary apocalyptic fiction-novels set during or after events that devastate the world as we know it-is part of a long tradition that includes the Biblical story of Noah, the epic of Gilgamesh, and the Works and Days of the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, as well as the vast array of modern examples. In this short, essayistic book, the author focuses on twentieth- and twenty-first-century fiction in which new forms of life emerge from catastrophe, how the survivors adapt to the altered conditions of existence, and the various ways in which the past asserts its claims on them-both the immediate past of the world that was lost, and the deep past of prehistory and imagination that returns with this loss. In Payne's view, "post-apocalyptic fiction is political theory in fictional form. Instead of producing arguments in favor of a particular form of life, it shows what it would be like to live that life." In a world in which there is no more capitalism and no more nation state, characters have to relearn basic survival skills and return to earlier forms of social life. They acquire new capabilities, which bring new satisfactions they could not have anticipated in the world that is gone. In the post-apocalyptic world, they disentangle themselves from old ways of thinking and their misconceptions of human happiness. In this way, Payne argues, post-apocalyptic fiction is the pastoral of our time. The individualism and small-scale social relations of post-apocalyptic fiction are not na???ive, but instead the necessary ground for choosing the freedoms and capabilities readers would want to see preserved in any future collective that might emerge from them"--
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 192 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
