Apocalypse Now? The End in English Literary Culture

(1 Credit Hour) · Undergraduate

In 1987, R.E.M sang that ‘it's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.' They weren't the first to warn that the Apocalypse was around the corner; writers have expressed similar concerns for millennia. Whether it's about destruction of the environment, global conflict, or the rise of Artificial Intelligence, the Apocalypse is invoked in film, literature, journalism, and policy-making to emphasize urgency. But what assumptions are behind historical and contemporary ideas of ‘Apocalypse' in English literature? In this course, we will explore what, exactly, an Apocalypse is. What does it look like? How have its meaning and use changed over the years? What does the concept evoke? Why has it had such cultural staying power? This is a course with a broad historical overview, spanning early Western Apocalypticism to the modern era. We will begin with early Jewish and Christian texts that lay the foundation for Western Apocalypticism, before discussing the apocalyptic fears of the medieval millennium. With 18th century writers like H.G. Wells and Samuel Butler, we will consider the relationship between Apocalypse and science fiction. Finally, we will explore modern subgenres of apocalypticism, including dystopian fiction like Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men, and comedy, like Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead, will also feature. Students are not required to have prior knowledge to enroll.