Apocalypse Memories and the Continuing Relevance of Apocalyptic Literature in the Modern World

Abstract

This article examines the continuing popularity and popularisation of apocalyptic texts in modern literature, taking as a case study the novel Apocalypse Memories based on the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This text seeks to demonstrate that a spoofy-horror-teen novella such as Apocalypse Memories can be examined and questioned in a way that tells us a lot about the evolution and fundamental appeal of eschatological texts and humanity’s constant fascination with the idea of the End. To do so this article investigates Frank Kermode’s theories on apocalyptic literature as set out in his seminal work The Sense of an Ending while examining elements from the Book of Revelation which introduces the ancient religious concept of the apocalypse. I argue that the eschatological inspiration illustrates the continual appeal for the apocalypse and reveals something fundamental about human nature.