On the threshold of death and beyond. The struggle for survival and aspects of (im-)mortality in post-apocalyptic American fiction

      Аннотация: The latest surge of interest in apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic narratives has resulted in the production of numerous novels, films and TV series set in a post-apocalyptic world, which gives rise to the common conception that the theme of Armageddon compels the human mind. In response to this trend, this book aims to analyze representations of the struggle for survival, mortality and its counterpart, immortality, within the desolated and ravaged landscape of the post-apocalyptic wasteland and examines whether there is an over-arching link between these three thematic elements in contemporary post-apocalyptic American fiction. The primary literature selected to accomplish this objective includes Cormac McCarthy’s "The Road", Stephen King’s "The Dark Tower", and Justin Cronin’s "The Passage".

Ключевые слова: American literature, Stephen King, post-apocalyptic literature, Justin Cronin, Cormac McCarthy, Struggle for Survival, Mortality, Immortality