Lexington Books
Pages: 344
•
Trim: 6½ x 9½
978-0-7391-6622-2 • Hardback • March 2012 • $142.00 • (£109.00)
978-0-7391-9066-1 • Paperback • December 2013 • $59.99 • (£46.00)
978-0-7391-6624-6 • eBook • March 2012 • $57.00 • (£44.00)
Mary Manjikian is assistant professor of international relations at the Robertson School of Government at Regent University.
Introduction
Section 1. Apocalypse as Prediction
Chapter 1. Apocalypse and National Security
Chapter 2. Catastrophe Novels and Prediction
Chapter 3. Utopian Novels and Forecasting
Chapter 4. The Romance of the World's End
Section 2. Apocalypse as Critique
Chapter 5. Apocalypse and Epistemology
Chapter 6. Exceptionality and Apocalypse
Chapter 7. Going Native
Chapter 8. The Traveler
Section 3. Apocalypse as Ethics
Chapter 9. Encountering the Other
Manjikian reads catastrophe fiction as a symptom of how great powers fear loss of status, and treats it as an arena for practicing humility. A timely analysis of a sub-genre of timely warnings to post-9/11 America.
— Iver Neumann, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
Apocalyptic literature offers a vantage point on our own world by making us powerless, vulnerable, and fearful. Manjikian shows how post-9.11 works in this genre suggest that the death of America, and indeed, of civilization, is less incomprehensible than its existence. These novels and films and her book inspire respect for values that we all too often take for granted.
— Richard Ned Lebow, King's College, London
Manjikian (Regent Univ.) aims to show that apocalyptic literature can have a beneficial political impact. While she distinguishes among catastrophic, utopian, and apocalyptic works, which have a conservative, liberal, and critical intention respectively, Manjikian clearly favors the latter. Apocalyptic writing done well is subversive in a good way; it can show the powerful what they are doing to the powerless and change their perception of the world. Manjikian's hope is that this literature could lead to a more harmonious world, especially in the realm of international relations. Manjikian provides strong evidence for the political power of words, and hers is an exemplary work on how to apply literary theory to the study of international politics. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections.
— Choice Reviews