Apocalyptic Patterns in Twentieth-Century Fiction

by Leigh, David J.

• ISBN13: 9780268033804
• ISBN10: 0268033803
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-15
• Publisher: Univ of Notre Dame Pr

Summary

"David J. Leigh explores the innovative influences of the book of Revelation and ideas of an end time on fiction of the twentieth century, and probes philosophical, political, and theological issues raised by apocalyptic writers ranging from Walker Percy, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams to Doris Lessing, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo. Beyond the twenty novels closely analyzed, Leigh makes pertinent reference to many more as well as to reflections from theologians Jurgen Moltmann, Zachary Hayes, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and Paul Ricoeur. Both a guidebook and a critical assessment, Leigh's work brings theological concepts to bear on end-of-the-world fiction in an admirably clear and accessible manner."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

David Leigh is professor of English at Seattle University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Ultimate Issues in Apocalyptic Literature	p. 1
A Literary Reading of Revelation in a Postmillennial Age	p. 22
The Ultimate Journey: The Quest for Transcendence and Wholeness in the Apocalyptic Worlds of Walker Percy, Thomas Pynchon, and Don DeLillo	p. 37
The Ultimate Conflict: The Cosmic Battle in the Violent End-times of C. S. Lewis and Russell Hoban	p. 69
The Ultimate Union: Person, Community, and the Divine in Doris Lessing's Apocalyptic Fiction	p. 105
The Ultimate Cosmos: A New Heaven and a New Earth in Three Science Fiction Writers: Arthur C. Clarke, George Zebrowski, and Walter M. Miller, Jr.	p. 129
The Ultimate Self: Death and Dying in John Updike and Charles Williams	p. 151
The Ultimate Challenge: Apocalyptic Liberation and Transformation in African-American Writing: Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Ralph Ellison, and Toni Morrison	p. 184
The Ultimate Way: Apocalypse and Pluralism in the Postcolonial Fiction of Salman Rushdie and Shusaku Endo	p. 206
Conclusion	p. 225
Works Cited	p. 237
Index	p. 251
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