9/11/14 Kaia Hayes

Of the several facets of post-catastrophe literature explored in Chad Harbach's "The End," I found  the visualization of human life after disaster to be especially intriguing. Through a brief history of the genre's development, Harbach contrasts the dystopian, ultra-modern societies of Brave New World and 1984 with the depictions of  a simplistic, primitive society in novels such as Jamestown and World Made by Hand. While both visions offer starkly different outcomes-- each presenting a different set of challenges and dangers to the individual-- connections can be drawn between the aspects of mankind that authors of either style believe will be affected by society's downfall.  I believe that the nature of the society portrayed is determined by the values most influential or relevant to the author; matters of personal rights and control pair nicely with a structured totalitarian environment, whereas the man-made bounds of civilization must be stripped away to address more primal topics of human nature and social relationships. Religion, social norms, law, politics-- identity as an individual-- these concepts have all held a primary role in the way we define society as we know it now. It makes sense, then, that in contemplating the future, authors manipulate these values as a way to explore the consequences of such a change.