Post-Apocalyptic Literature

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The Road belongs to a tradition known as post-apocalyptic literature. Post-apocalyptic narratives are set after some devastating event has occurred which has destroyed the fabric of society. This might be anything from nuclear war, terrorism, biological warfare or industrial disaster to disease, climate change or technological meltdown. In some cases the event which has brought about such devastation might never be specified. In some examples,
the whole of the narrative takes place after the apocalyptic event; in others, the narrative recounts the time before the disaster, the event itself and the period which follows.
Here are 10 observations on the features, themes and functions of post-apocalyptic fiction.

1. In pairs, read the observations in relation to your interpretation of The Road, ticking those which seem particularly to apply to, or in some way illuminate, McCarthy’s novel. Mark any which do not seem to be relevant with a cross. In each case, make a few notes explaining your decisions.
   
2. Share your ideas in class discussion.
   

1.	Protected bastions of humanity in a sea of inhospitable waste or wilderness or danger, such as enclosed cities, underground caverns, and bunkers.
2.	Marauding gangs of bandits.
3.	‘Apocalypse’ derives from the Greek word for ‘revelation’.
4.	Fall of civilization.
5.	Mythologizing of the past.
6.	The thoughts and actions of the survivors are what counts.
7.	Humanity has always imagined its own destruction. Each generation believes the end is somewhere round the corner, and our catastrophic fantasies are a good barometer of what’s currently troubling us.
8.	Post-apocalyptic novels are a dark, bleak and often illuminating genre.
9.	Punishment for our wicked overreaching.
10.	A chaotic dark age, in which robber bands, bizarre millenarian religious sects, nomads, hunters and foragers of all sorts are found. The remains of the industrial society – its rotting industrial plants, its collapsed cities – litter the landscape, archaeology rather than evidence of recent catastrophe.