American Cities in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction,

Author

Yeates; Robert

Year

2021

Publisher

UCL Press

Language

English

Pages

ISBN

978-1-80008-099-7

Link

Last Update

16-Nov-2025

Keywords

Cultural Studies ; Language & Literature ; American Studies ; Communication Studies

Description

Modern American cities have inspired imaginings of ruin since their inception. In all forms of fiction, across print, visual, audio and digital media, there are texts depicting American cities in varying stages of post-apocalyptic deterioration, their familiar skylines and recognizable landmarks bearing the effects of any number of potential apocalypses, both natural and human-made. These depictions seem to transcend traditional boundaries, with post-apocalyptic urban spaces appearing in popular and ‘literary’ works of fiction, in texts with a range of tones from the sombre to the comedic, and intended for wide audiences, from adults to young children. Despite the number of...