Post-apocalyptic World Research Articles

The Last War: A Screenplay Depicting Optimism In A Post-Apocalyptic World

The Last War: A Screenplay Depicting Optimism In A Post-Apocalyptic World

Indigeneity as a Post-Apocalyptic Genealogical Metaphor

This paper is a theoretical exploration that works through a global Indigenous consciousness. As a critically reflexive story work and auto-ethnographic contemplation it begins by confronting a presumed genealogy in a post-apocalyptic world of coloniality through a global Indigenous lens. Extending beyond racially legalised genealogical ancestry, the metaphysics of indigeneity in the context of Western modernity can be re-positioned as a metaphor of past future human-being-ness or person/people-hood. Global Indigeneity and Indigenous metaphysics are framed as a portal and entry beyond coloniality through fugitive sociality and subversive relationality. Confronting the tensions of colonially purist and racially essentialist categories of indigenous identity, lineages of the post-post-apocalyptic world are forming in the enduring social connections embodied in an Indigenous genealogical consciousness of the present.

Surviving the End: Toward a Reappraisal of Climate Apocalypse

Abstract: Through an analysis of voice in Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake , John Un calls attention to the survival implicit in eschatological narration. He argues that the formal constraints in representing the end of the world mean that climate apocalypse is more than a tutor in the reality of climate change, encompassing a language of hopes, anxieties, and demands. He shows how Atwood's configuration of eschatological narration, whereby the character-narrator is sequestered in a corporate saferoom, calls into question the possibility of an ethical response to climate catastrophe within sociopolitical stratification. Only upon exiting his sequestered position, and abandoning the safeguards it represents, can the protagonist develop an ethical comportment to those who occupy the postapocalyptic world of the novel.

Politeness Strategies by "Ellie" from the Tv series "The Last of Us."

This research thoroughly explores the captivating world of politeness strategies employed by the main character, "Ellie," in the immensely popular television series "The Last of Us." the data source was meticulously collected from the HBO streaming service website and a comprehensive transcript repository. Employing Brown and Levinson's politeness strategy framework (1987), the study embarked on a qualitative method analysis, carefully examining the dialogue and interactions of "Ellie" throughout the series. The investigation unravels a fascinating array of insights, shedding light on how "Ellie" masterfully employs diverse politeness strategies in her communications. The study identified 16 instances of various politeness strategies found within the series. Among these, the most frequently observed strategy was the "Bald on Record" approach, utilized a remarkable nine times (comprising 52.25% of the instances). Following this, the "Negative Politeness" tactic emerged with four occurrences (25%), while "Positive Politeness" was deployed twice (12.5%). Lastly, the "Off-record" strategy was observed once (10%). The findings of this research unveil a compelling pattern of "Ellie" consistently employing a wide range of politeness strategies throughout the series. It is intriguing that the prevalence of "Bald on Record" may be attributed to the dangerous and challenging circumstances Ellie and the other characters face in the post-apocalyptic world. Direct communication is a pragmatic approach in such dire situations, minimizing misunderstandings and saving precious time. This study's nuanced exploration of politeness strategies in "The Last of Us" offers valuable insights into the complexities of human communication, even in the face of adversity. It mirrors real-life communication challenges and strategies in diverse contexts.

AN ECOCRITIQUE OF POSTMODERN CULTURE IN ORYX AND CRAKE

In this dystopian world where technology has brought about social degradation, Margaret Atwood interrogates the ways in which humans and animals transform into commodities in a techno-cultural and hyperreal society. The novel seems to be a warning about the possible catastrophic results of our wrongdoings in near future with the profit seeking and powerful multinational corporations recklessly controlling and misusing science and technology for their own purposes. It compares the life of an emerging new community comprised of humanoids called Crakers, non-violent, innocent, and peaceful creatures, in a post-apocalyptic world, and the world before apocalypse presented by the memories of Jimmy, initially believed to be the only human being who survived after a worldwide pandemic, or Snowman- his post-apocalyptic name used by Crakers. Atwood posits the world of Crakers as a place where there is no trace of irresponsible, and reckless damaging actions of the previous world as Crake, the young, genius scientist who has bioengineered them, has made them free of all the devastating, faulty human characteristics such as “racism, hierarchy, territorialism, fear of death,” as well as “harmful symbolisms” like “kingdoms, icons, gods, or money” (2003, p.305). On the other hand, in the pre-epidemic world, Atwood skillfully and vividly designs a world of consumer and pleasure-seeking corporate culture lacking ethical and ecological values. This chapter sets out to shed light on contemporary problems through the examples in the novel in which despite securing scientific and technological possibilities, people do not seem to achieve social and environmental progress.

”Min tröst var att författa en egen artikel om svamparna”

“My Consolation was to Write my Own Article on Fungi”: Fictional Representations of the Relationship Between Fungi and Humans This article explores fictional representations of fungi, understanding them as a materialization of theoretical ideas about the entangled relationships between humans and the more-than-human, central to humanistic and philosophical thinkers within the nonhuman turn. The point of departure is the growing interest in fungi over the last decades, scientifically and, more recently, also in arts and culture. To frame the discussion historically, concepts from ethnomycology is used as a background, describing cultural tendencies and attitudes towards fungi in terms of mycophobia and mycophilia. The American HBO-series The Last of Us (2023) is discussed as an example of the contemporary boom, using Anna Tsing’s ideas on fungi as a representation of multi-species collaboration in the era of capitalist destruction. The story raises questions about individuality, represented by the human, as opposed to the collective fungus. The main focus of the article is, however, a Swedish context and two prose narratives in which fungi play a significant role, Agneta Pleijel’s historical novel Fungi. En roman om kärleken (Fungi. A Novel on Love, 1993) and Lars Jakobson’s fantastic story “Nians nät över trapetsen” (“The Nine Net over the Trapezius”, 2004). In the postapocalyptic world of The Last of Us, the fungus is a dangerous parasite portrayed with horror and ambivalence. In Pleijel’s and Jakobsons’s stories the lives of fungi are associated with harmony, even joy. In different ways, their human characters relate to fungi with love and reverence, and strive to fully understand their nature. Nevertheless, all three stories raise questions about interspecies entanglements. The wonders and horrors of symbiosis that they portray point towards the complex condition of the anthropocene and the limits of a mechanistic worldview.

Unveiling Otherness: Gendered Memories and Identity in Octavia Butler's Dawn

In recent years, American Studies have shifted their focus towards the political realm. However, despite the undermining of many moral-philosophical dogmas of the Western metaphysical tradition by poststructuralism and deconstruction, a significant portion of the political claims made in this revisionist turn still rely, albeit tacitly, on these moral and ethical assumptions. As these assumptions often clash with the theoretical foundations of revisionist works, some proponents resort to what could be termed as the "pathos of marginality" and rely on vague concepts of "otherness." Furthermore, these political-ideological interpretations often neglect aesthetic aspects, suspecting them of carrying implicit and hegemonic strategies of representation. This abstract delves into the exploration of gendered memories and identity within Octavia Butler's seminal work, Dawn. The narrative unfolds in a world fundamentally transformed by alien intervention, where the protagonist, Lilith, grapples with the complexities of her own identity amidst encounters with enigmatic extraterrestrial beings. Through an analysis of key characters and narrative themes, this study elucidates the nuanced portrayal of otherness and the role of gendered memories in shaping individual and collective identities. Butler's visionary narrative offers a thought-provoking examination of the intersections between memory, gender, and the construction of the self in a post-apocalyptic world. By delving into the philosophical underpinnings and ethical implications of otherness, this research aims to shed light on the intricate dynamics of identity formation and the quest for belonging in speculative fiction.

Simulacrum And Hyperreality in Cargill’s Day Zero

This study examines the simulacrum and simulation representation of postmodern society in Cargill's Day Zero in the postmodern theoretical paradigm of Baudrillard. The postmodern concept of hyperreality is concerned with concealing the truth behind reproductions that is twice removed from reality. The thorough study of the text shows how simulacra and simulation can produce highly real environments that seem to exist entirely outside of human reality. This writing is dystopian in nature because the hyperbolic representation of consumer society leads towards magic world which seems real due to its continuous practice. The protagonist of the story is a little boy named Ezra who uses a robot named Pounce to help him to navigate the post-apocalyptic world. Pounce, a fictitious nannybot, is the representation of consumer society due to its robotic implications. Pounce wonders over the elements of robot revolution that will exterminate humanity. This paper has analyzed the rebellious attitude of machinery such as by robots and other artificially intelligent computers against humans. Therefore, the ordinary and uninteresting state of the modern world eventually gives rise to the world of hyperreality, where everything appears to be more fascinating and less dry than the alleged desert of the real outside. In the context of this study, it is asserted that the postmodern person gets tired of the apparent artificiality of hyperreality and either strives to re-discover the real or confronts the meaningless wasteland left in the wake of the real’s absence. Through this analysis, the researcher has drawn the conclusion that reality has completely changed and that hyperreality is now the predominate reality. Therefore, the application of this study is valuable in demonstrating an understanding of the scope and impact of hyperreality, simulation, and simulacra on the postmodern individuals.

Blade Runner’s Replicant Humanity: Self-Discovery and Moral Formation in a World of Simulation

In the postapocalyptic world of Blade Runner, replicants become the medium and content of a life-changing revelation: human existence has become an enslaving simulation. Humans and replicants are confronted with the challenge of (re)defining the human. The Blade Runner movies enact this (re)definition through the arcs of two key characters: Rachael and Officer K. Transcending externally imposed enslavement, these replicants venture into the indeterminate future, choosing to serve a good that includes and empowers others to struggle for their own liberation. The Blade Runner movies can be interpreted as an apology for moral formation by means of the production of grounding and redefining fictional spaces and content. To combat the global dynamics of dehumanization and ecological destruction they have generated and to which they have themselves become victim, humans must create fictional spaces in which they can remember and imagine authentic living. The desire to become human and act as a genuinely human and humane person forms the necessary precondition for and that which sustains the lifelong self-formation process that is human existence.

Światotwórcze funkcje rekwizytu. Collectibles w dylogii „The Last of Us” jako źródło wiedzy o przeszłości

The article concerns the functioning of selected collectibles in the post-apocalyptic dilogy of digital games The Last of Us (Naughty Dog, 2013–2020). The authors make a typology of collectibles and distinguish among them props that support the gameplay, characterize the characters and extend the storyworld, referring to the prop theory proposed by Kendal Walton. They are particularly interested in the last type of props, which include notes, diaries and letters left in various places of the world presented by anonymous members of the American community. The authors indicate that these props can be treated as specific artifacts of the past, which, although not important from the gameplay perspective, perform important world-creating functions. In this context, they describe collectibles as an element of historical culture (J. Rüsen) and a source of social memory (M. Golka), and discuss their allotopic potential (U. Eco, K.M. Maj). They refer to those props that shape the history and mythology of the post-apocalyptic world, and especially to the notes describing Outbreak Day, the apogee of the pandemic disease that decimated humanity in the game. Written sources are of a personal nature – they present an individual perspective on a breakthrough moment in the history of the depicted world. For this reason, the authors refer to them as ego-props, thus extending the concept of ego-document.

“What a Splendid World We Ruined”: the Precarious Presents and Posthuman Futures of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake and Dmitry Glukhovsky’s Metro 2033

“What a Splendid World We Ruined”: the Precarious Presents and Posthuman Futures of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake and Dmitry Glukhovsky’s Metro 2033

A New Expansion: Climate Change, Posthumanism, and the Utopian Dimension in Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl

ABSTRACT Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl (2009) is set in twenty-third-century Thailand, in a world in which climate change and the depletion of the oil supply have led to a collapse of the global economic system. Disease and famine are rampant. And yet, in this seemingly postapocalyptic world, there are numerous signs of hope. This text, in fact, contains strong utopian energies, driven partly by the motif of genetic engineering, which suggest the possibility of rebuilding the world in a way that overcomes many of the limitations of the past in terms of the politics of race, gender, and class, but also in terms of more enlightened attitudes toward the relationship between humans and the natural world.

Exploring the Fragile Relationship between Humans and Nature in Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road': An Ecocritical Analysis

In Cormac McCarthy's The Road, the natural world is a central theme that shapes the plot and characters of the novel. This paper examines the novel through the lens of ecocriticism, a critical and theoretical approach that focuses on the relationship between humans and the natural world. Through a close reading of the novel and analysis of secondary sources, this paper explores how The Road portrays the natural world as a vital force that sustains life, but also as a fragile system that is easily disrupted. The novel explores the impact of environmental degradation on human relationships, and suggests that the destruction of the environment can have a profound impact on the larger ecological balance of the planet. Ultimately, this paper argues that The Road is a powerful exploration of ecocritical themes and their significance in a post-apocalyptic world.

The End of the World as We Know It

The End of the World as We Know It

СОБЫТИЕ ГЛОБАЛЬНОЙ КАТАСТРОФЫ В «РАБОТЕ НОЧИ» ТОМАСА ГЛАВИНИЧА: К ПОЭТИКЕ РОМАНА БЕЗ ГЕРОЕВ

The study of the poetics of the novel without heroes seems to be very productive on the material of the post-apocalyptic novel by contemporary Austrian writer Thomas Glavinich “Night work” (2006). The paper proposes a study of the literary text in ideological terms, as well as from the point of view of thematic approach to the specifics of the artistic world of the novel, which is completely deserted, devoid of protagonists and excludes interpersonal communication. The only character in the novel turns out to be completely disconnected from any social communication, and his attempts to overcome his absolute loneliness give rise to another person, his “double”, Sleeping. However this image, generated by the “work of the night”, comes out to be inaccessible for dialogue. The use of comparative analysis of texts in this paper helped to draw necessary conclusions and to describe the narrative techniques in the “Night work”. The comparison of Thomas Glavinich’s novel with several other novels, especially written by such Austrian writers as Marlene Haushofer (“The Wall”, 1963) and Herbert Rosendorfer (“Grand Solo for Anton”, 1976) emphasizes the “lack of hero” in “Night work”, where the only protagonist turns into a phantom figure which is involved by the author in a test game. In the struggle with himself, with his fears and inability to be back to the field of communication, Jonas passes away, dissolving into the text of the book, the author of which also disappears from the fictitious world he has created. The artistic world created by the Austrian writer is saturated with objects and signs of the “real” world, however, due to the unreal narrative assumption – the causeless and traceless disappearance of the humanity that inhabited it – it acquires the features of a phantasmal world in which objects are deprived of relation with social realm. The novel without heroes by T. Glavinich in its value-ethical perspective is interpreted as a warning book, a book which “saves someone’s life” from desperate loneliness, from transformation of human habitation space into a post-apocalyptic world without people.

Ecological Discourses in Margaret Atwood’s Novel Oryx and Crake

Cli-fi is an innovative genre of fiction that modernizes climate science into human stories. Writers of cli-fi discover, what it means to be human in a world that is influenced by warming temperature, powerful storms and rising seas. The cli-fi narratives arouse consciousness about the complex issues of climate change. The novel Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, published in 2003, is about a post-apocalyptic world which will be a reality in the future. The novel carries two distinct genres- a pre apocalyptic world and a post-apocalyptic world. The pre apocalyptic world is an exaggerated representation of the mid of twenty first century and the post-apocalyptic world is portrayed as the end of twenty first century. Oryx and Crake discusses a world that is completely destructed due to unscientific acts, war, global warming, climate change and diseases. The two genres narrate through the character Snowman who is the only survivor of the destruction. Oryx and Crake, towards the end, narrates the ruin of entire living organisms. Snowman enters the Compound and witnesses a number of changes there. The best example is about the pigoons. Once they were meant to help human beings but now, they are cruel creatures. Bio terrorism and the over use of scientific discoveries have changed the entire bio balance of the planet. Most of characters are not affectionate towards each other. The relationship between Oryx and Jimmy is an exception. This is the reason behind Jimmy’s forgiveness towards all the activities of Crake against nature. For Jimmy, Oryx is the beautiful part of nature and Snowman longs for the love and care he has once received from Oryx.

Bulletin Blue Ribbons 2022

Bulletin Blue Ribbons 2022 Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor We were lucky this year to see a sizeable increase in the diverse identities and ideas represented in literature for youth, and with that in mind, we couldn’t help but expand our own award list—there were just too many stellar examples of our field’s growing inclusivity. In nonfiction, you’ll find a healthy variety of formats and subjects, from a picture book walk through the Mexihcah’s process of creating amoxtin to a biography of Octavia Butler in evocative concrete poems. Fiction spans genres and settings, featuring separately a grim, post-apocalyptic world as the backdrop for exploring trans identity; an amusement park as the spark for a romance from multiple perspectives; and the Monterey Bay Aquarium as the aquatic background for a heartwarming animal tale. Community is the backbone of this year’s picture book list, with family and friends coming together to plant gardens and a neighborhood of animals overcoming their first impressions to make a warm, welcoming place for everyone. We conclude this year with a bonus of short story collections, a format we are always thrilled to see thrive. Happy reading! FICTION Albert, Melissa. Our Crooked Hearts. Flatiron. Gr. 9-12 This searing exploration of a toxic mother/daughter relationship and its connection to magic is haunting and beautiful, full of messy girls drunk on messier magic and told with electric prose brimming with sharp metaphors. (June) Applegate, Katherine. Odder; illus. by Charles Santoso. Feiwel. Gr. 2-4 Inspired by true events, Applegate’s third-person narrative in verse delivers the playful but heartfelt story of Odder, a sea otter cared for at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. (October) Callender, Kacen. Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution. Amulet/Abrams. Gr. 8-12 Lark must contend with the accidental revelation of Kasim’s love after he posts on their Twitter account; this rich world is peopled with loving and lovable characters, many of whom are Black and LGBTQIA+, and their voices respect the intensity with which teens consider racism, ableism, and transphobia. (September) Eagar, Lindsay. The Patron Thief of Bread. Candlewick. Gr. 5-8 To help her street gang survive on the streets of medieval France, chronically underestimated Duck apprentices to a blind baker to steal money but ends up warily reciprocating the baker’s care; this story of family and acceptance reaches a hopeful conclusion that is balanced by wry, but not bitter, complexity. (April) [End Page 171] Forest, Kristina. Zyla & Kai. Kokila. Gr 8-12 Zyla and Kai meet, date, and break up in this romance, which is elevated by Forest’s mastery of the narrative structure; she utilizes different tenses, points of view, and styles to demonstrate the unexpected ways human lives are interconnected. (June) Keller, Tae. Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone. Random House. Gr. 5-8 In this nuanced and compassionate book, seventh grader Mallory falls under the sway of queen bees and joins in their torment of Jennifer; a compelling author’s note illuminates the complicated motivations and devastating results of bullying. (April) Lamb, Sacha. When the Angels Left the Old Country. Levine Querido. Gr. 9-12 Steeped in both Jewish folklore and the Eastern European immigrant experience, this immersive story is carried equally by the propulsive plot and the winning trio at its center, as the demon Little Ash, the angel Uriel, and the firecracker of a human Rose leave Warsaw for the U.S. in the early twentieth century. (November) McCall, Guadalupe García. Echoes of Grace. Tu/Lee & Low. Gr. 10-12 Grace can experience “echoes” of past events, and a tragedy tips her into memories of a horrific sexual assault in this contemplative, haunting examination of internalized misogyny, victim-blaming, and the paralyzing ripples of trauma through generations. (June) Skinner, Nicola. Storm. HarperCollins. Gr. 5-8 This poignant story tackles grand themes of love, forgiveness, friendship, and even the meaning of life as readers meet twelve-year-old Frankie, who was killed in a tsunami and wakes up as a ghost to find her home has become a tourist spot. (February) Strong, Karen. Eden’s Everdark. Simon. Gr. 5-8 Grieving her mother’s death, Eden steps into a...

Dystopian future and borders of humanity Analyzing «The Road» (2006) by Cormac McCarthy and «Pomyrana» (2016) by Taras Antypovych

The article explores the artistic means of representation of the degradation of food practices in the post-apocalyptic literary discourse of contemporary writers. The study focuses on the strategies of food culture degradation in the post-humanist discourse of two novels — Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” and Taras Antypovych’s “Pomyrana”. Using interpretative and comparative methods, the article aims to concentrate on the existential issues of the novels and compare the artistic means of depicting the moral degradation of humanity and the decline of food culture in “The Road” and “Pomyrana”. The research results affirm that the portrayal of food not only highlights the struggle for survival but also carries symbolic and metaphorical significance. Both authors use the issue of food supply to reflect the collective anxieties of modern society and to link the issue of moral degradation and the survival of human beings. Food imagery is used to describe possible means of survival for the protagonists in the post-apocalyptic world, symbolizes the lost world (“The Road”) and reflects the inner moral state of a community (“Pomyrana”). The expression “you are what you eat” has a special significance in these texts — in Pomyrana the semi-robotized people eat inedible substances to satisfy their animalistic hunger, eventually turning to cannibalism, which reflects their deep moral degradation. In “The Road”, the protagonists continuously choose starvation over cannibalism, spending their time looking for pre-apocalyptic food and for a chance at survival. In this case, cannibalism is presented as a liminal food practice of “bad people”. The novelty of the article lies in the comparative approach to analyzing how food-related discourse is portrayed throughout the novels and what cannibalism reveals about both the characters and society as a whole. Thus, cannibalism serves as a means to construct the boundary between human and inhuman, defines categories of good and evil, and illustrates the moral orientations of the heroes in the analyzed novels.

The Role of Human Nature and Morality in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road

This paper has examined how human nature and morals play a role in humanity’s obsession with (post-) apocalyptic literature. Especially, it has analyzed The Road (2006) in light of Literary Darwinism, often known as Evolutionary Literary Study, which has evolutionary psychology as its theoretical foundation. This paper investigates The Road in the context of models of human nature and behavior by adopting a literary Darwinist approach and apocalyptic thought. It is demonstrated that (post-) apocalyptic authors examine human nature and morality when survival is at stake by exploiting both created (cultural) concerns and universal (natural) worries in their dystopian settings. Additionally, it has revealed how vitally evolved aspects of the human mind are to (post-)apocalyptic fiction. Since the creative scenes in these kinds of novels are works of human imagination, they ought to be able to tell us something about the brains behind them, as well as their ethos and motivations. The basic elements of human nature that McCarthy explores are also assessed in terms of how they align with or conflict with fundamental ideas about human nature and morality, though in ways that are constrained and channeled by the author's cultural context, personal needs, and the motivation behind writing about such a post-apocalyptic world. McCarthy’s ethics and ideals as well as the effect McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic world has on readers are examined. Based on the analysis presented in this paper, by emphasizing human nature and the cultural context of the time, as well as by drawing a distinction between culture and nature through the lens of Literary Darwinism, this paper has found that McCarthy’s The Road is profoundly influenced by moral characteristics, human nature, and universal human fears and needs.

The Representation of Feminist Ideology in the Emirati Science Fiction in Arabic

In comparison to Western science fiction, there is a lack in the publication of science fiction novels in Arabic. The absence of Arab women characters leads Nora Al Noman, an author from the United Arab Emirates, to write her novel Ajwan. The writer shows the significant role of this genre in dealing with issues related to Arab women. This article aims to examine the characterization of the major female lead, Ajwan, in an alternative world and how she represents the feminist ideas. It focuses on the reaction of the protagonist to the concept of gender in a patriarchal society. Feminism is used as a theoretical framework to analyze the subversion of gender roles. In a post-apocalyptic world, Ajwan, who belongs to the Havaiki, experiences otherness in Al Zafir, However, she challenges marginalization and misogynist thought. Consequently, the major female lead becomes the empowered woman in her Arab community