"Survival is insufficient": The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven

Postapocalyptic narratives proliferate in contemporary fiction and cinema. A convincing and successful representative of the genre, Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven (2014) can nevertheless be distinguished from other postapocalyptic texts, such as Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006), Margaret...

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Main Author: Maximilian Feldner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institute of English Studies 2018-10-01
Series:Anglica. An International Journal of English Studies
Online Access:http://www.anglica.ia.uw.edu.pl/images/pdf/27-1-articles/Anglica-27-1-12-Feldner.pdf
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author Maximilian Feldner
author_facet Maximilian Feldner
author_sort Maximilian Feldner
collection DOAJ
description Postapocalyptic narratives proliferate in contemporary fiction and cinema. A convincing and successful representative of the genre, Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven (2014) can nevertheless be distinguished from other postapocalyptic texts, such as Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006), Margaret Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy, and the television series The Walking Dead (2010–). The novel does not focus on survival, struggle, and conflict but rather examines the possibility and necessity of cultural expression in a postapocalyptic setting, demonstrating the importance and value of art and memory even in strained circumstances. As a result, it presents an unusually optimistic and hopeful vision of an otherwise bleak future.
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spelling doaj-art-13e0610a5c934e2bb69460ef2ffe89712025-08-20T02:57:55ZengInstitute of English StudiesAnglica. An International Journal of English Studies0860-57340860-57342018-10-01271165179"Survival is insufficient": The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station ElevenMaximilian Feldner0University of GrazPostapocalyptic narratives proliferate in contemporary fiction and cinema. A convincing and successful representative of the genre, Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven (2014) can nevertheless be distinguished from other postapocalyptic texts, such as Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2006), Margaret Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy, and the television series The Walking Dead (2010–). The novel does not focus on survival, struggle, and conflict but rather examines the possibility and necessity of cultural expression in a postapocalyptic setting, demonstrating the importance and value of art and memory even in strained circumstances. As a result, it presents an unusually optimistic and hopeful vision of an otherwise bleak future.http://www.anglica.ia.uw.edu.pl/images/pdf/27-1-articles/Anglica-27-1-12-Feldner.pdf
spellingShingle Maximilian Feldner
"Survival is insufficient": The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven
Anglica. An International Journal of English Studies
title "Survival is insufficient": The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven
title_full "Survival is insufficient": The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven
title_fullStr "Survival is insufficient": The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven
title_full_unstemmed "Survival is insufficient": The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven
title_short "Survival is insufficient": The Postapocalyptic Imagination of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven
title_sort survival is insufficient the postapocalyptic imagination of emily st john mandel s station eleven
url http://www.anglica.ia.uw.edu.pl/images/pdf/27-1-articles/Anglica-27-1-12-Feldner.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT maximilianfeldner survivalisinsufficientthepostapocalypticimaginationofemilystjohnmandelsstationeleven