Post-apocalyptic narratives have become quite a popular genre in contemporary fiction and popular culture. In recent years, there has been no shortage of scenarios set in a more or less close or distant future, imagining humanity seriously decimated by various types of catastrophe – from climate change and atomic disasters to invasions by zombies, robots or aliens. In the nineteenth century, such fictional anticipations of the downfall of human society were far less frequent, but they nevertheless existed. This course offers a chance to encounter and analyse two of these early postapocalyptic novels: The Last Man (1826) by Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein; and After London; or Wild England (1885) by Richard Jefferies.
Both novels can be obtained from the university bookshop. They must be used only in the editions provided there: The Last Man in Oxford World’s Classics, ed. by Morton D. Paley; After London in the Edinburgh Critical Edition, ed. by Mark Frost.
The regular Prüfungsform for this course is “Referat mit Ausarbeitung”. All alternatives need to be agreed with me, please contact me early if zou have reason to seek such an alternative.