Dystopian States of America: Apocalyptic Visions and Warnings in Literature and Film

(Hardback)

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Description

Dystopian States of America is a crucial resource that studies the impact of dystopian works on American societyincluding ways in which they reflect our deep and persistent fears about environmental calamities, authoritarian governments, invasive technologies, and human weakness. Dystopian States of America provides students and researchers with an illuminating resource for understanding the impact and relevance of dystopian and apocalyptic works in contemporary American culture. Through its wide survey of dystopian works in numerous forms and genres, the book encourages readers to connect with these works of fiction and understand how the catastrophically grim or disquieting worlds they portray offer insights into our own current situation. In addition to providing more than 150 encyclopedia articles on a large and representative sample of dystopian/apocalyptic narratives in fiction, film, television, and video games (including popular works that often escape critical inquiry), Dystopian States of America features a suite of critical essays on five themeswar, pandemics, totalitarianism, environmental calamity, and technological overreachthat serve as the foundation for most dystopian worlds of the imagination. These offerings complement one another, enabling readers to explore dystopian conceptions of America and the world from multiple perspectives and vantage points.

Reviews

This disturbing catalog of impending dystopia and apocalypse will be used heavily in academic libraries that support literature and film studies and in large public libraries. * Booklist *
Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates and general readers. * Choice *

Author Bio

Matthew B. Hill, PhD, is professor of English at Coppin State University in Baltimore, MD.