WRLIT304 L: Post Apocalyptic Lit

Literary, commercial, and religious alike-storytellers can't resist the apocalypse. As long as people have told each other stories, many of the most ambitious thinkers, writers, filmmakers, and others have set their sights on what happens after the end of the world, in works that are as different and flawed as they are ambitious, provocative and entertaining. In this class, we will look at diverse post-apocalyptic texts in literature and film that are remarkable not only for their imaginative visions but for their willingness to experiment with technique, genre and language. Together we will explore the ways post-apocalyptic fictions promote innovative storytelling and also reveal the cultural and historical framework these fictions emerge from. Likely texts include novels by Saramago, McCarthy, and Atwood; films by Cuaron, Tarkovsky, and the Wachowskis; excerpts from Japanese manga, Muslim sci-fi, and Chinese post-nuke stories; and religious readings from the New Testament, the Koran ("Al Qiyamah"), and Buddha's "Sutra of the Annihilation of the Dharma."