![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
This happened because of someone on another site pointing me towards an anthology that was asking for, among other things, post-apocalyptic fiction. I immediately perked up, because post-apocalyptic fiction of various stripes is an interest of mine, and went to check out the link and read the details. However, the anthology is requesting post-apocalyptic fiction wherein civilization was destroyed via "natural" causes - climate, disease, meteors, that sort of thing. And I was turned off.
How can I enjoy this genre when I'm turned off immediately by so many of its possible causes? This is me trying to figure it out. And the preliminary conclusion that I've come to is this: I am a fan of post-apocalyptic fantasy, not necessarily post-apocalyptic fiction.
The difference is that post-apocalyptic fiction tends to be set after an apocalypse that is clearly defined, and that could possibly happen in real life. Post-apocalyptic fantasy, when it does have a clear and stated cause, tends to be more supernatural in nature. Or else, it takes place well after the apocalypse, which is possibly not clearly defined in the first place.
Here's the best example I can think of to demonstrate the dividing point. Here we have two different films, with a great deal of similarities between them - The Quiet Earth and I Am Legend. Both are of the "Last Man on Earth" trope, although neither protagonist ends up being the last man on Earth. Both involve protagonists who are trying to survive in a world where they are alone; they even do similar things in attempts to fill the void left by other humans and reach out to anyone else who might be out there. Both Zac Hobson and Robert Neville go into destructive and almost suicidal rages when the loneliness becomes too much. And both of them are, in some way, responsible for the apocalypse that destroyed their societies; both of them are atoners, trying their best to, if not repair society completely, then at least make sure that their creations do no more harm. This is not to say that there are not a great many differences, as well, but in their underlying theme the two films are very similar. Both have their strong suits; both have their flaws.
The Quiet Earth simply appeals to me more than I Am Legend. There is more than one reason why, but I think that the main one, for me, is the nature of the catastrophe. In I Am Legend, Neville was a virologist who was unable to prevent a genetically engineered virus from escaping and spreading; the virus had a high mortality rate, and caused most of the survivors to become bloodthirsty and territorial. Neville himself, and the other survivors he eventually meets, is one of the lucky ones - one of the few humans who is immune to the virus's effects, an immunity that he hopes to use to create a serum to cure or inoculate others. And the virus itself was originally engineered to attack cancer cells, but mutated, as viruses so often do. It's very much a scenario that feels like it could happen, if not tomorrow, then not terribly far in the future, given that research on viruses to do similar things is currently going on. (Minus the Hollywood monsters, perhaps.)
In contrast, in The Quiet Earth, Zac was also a scientist - I don't believe he ever mentions exactly what sort of scientist he is, to be honest, but he specifies that he is one. And he is partially responsible for what happened to the world - an event which involves an invisible energy grid that a corporation was trying to create worldwide, and which has little or no grounding in modern science. The film is less about the scenario that caused the apocalypse and more about the apocalypse itself - and how Hobson, and the others that he eventually meets, react to the disappearance of every other human and animal on Earth, best they can tell.
I think that's the key for me. When the apocalypse is something that could actually happen, I am turned off for two reasons. One, because it's something that could happen in the near future, and therefore I'm disturbed thinking too hard about it; I admit that this is squeamishness and paranoia, but I'm not going to overcome it by pretending it doesn't exist, and when I read or write fiction I'm doing it to enjoy fictional things, not try to resolve my issues with real things. And two, when the apocalypse is something that could actually happen in the real world, it seems to become very, very difficult for the story not to dwell on it, as a cautionary tale.
Cautionary tales have their place, but they're not what I enjoy post-apocalyptic fantasy for. I enjoy them for the way that the characters deal with their new reality. I enjoy them because I enjoy seeing these people - who might have once had a normal life, or who might have been born to this condition - working to create a new life. I want to see them trying to build a new society, and dealing with the difficulties and realities of how they now must live, especially when they're used to something else entirely. It's usually difficult, and should be, but it's still rewarding in places in the kinds of stories I like, because they are overcoming.
I'm not as interested in the apocalypse as I am in what comes after it. That, in my mind, is why they call it post-apocalyptic.
So, since I haven't found very much recently (or, honestly, had the chance to look for it) that really pings me in that regard, does anyone reading this have some recommendations?
Notes:
- Any type of media would be welcome.
- Video games: I have access to a PS3, a decent (if not brand new) gaming PC, a Gamecube, a PSP, a DS and a PS2, so as far as games go I can access a decent range.
- Books: Most likely I'll be able to pick up a book from the local library; eBooks are somewhat more problematic, but if you can think of a really good suggestion, feel free and I'll see what I can do.
- TV/Movies: Aside from possible DVD rentals, I can stream movies and TV episodes on Netflix, so if you know of anything there, let me know. I'm open to animated or live-action, from any country of origin.
- Fanworks: I'm all for post-apocalyptic interpretations of my various fandoms, or good fanworks of post-apocalyptic canons that deal with aspects of the canon that weren't considered very important by canon. Check out my AO3 profile; look at the list of fandoms in which I have works. Pretty much any one of those would be fair game, for starters!
- General: If at all possible, I'd really, really like narratives that prominently feature characters other than the standard Straight White Guys going out and saving the world. I'd like to see plots where various sorts of minorities are allowed to be awesome, please.
Thanks in advance, everyone.
How can I enjoy this genre when I'm turned off immediately by so many of its possible causes? This is me trying to figure it out. And the preliminary conclusion that I've come to is this: I am a fan of post-apocalyptic fantasy, not necessarily post-apocalyptic fiction.
The difference is that post-apocalyptic fiction tends to be set after an apocalypse that is clearly defined, and that could possibly happen in real life. Post-apocalyptic fantasy, when it does have a clear and stated cause, tends to be more supernatural in nature. Or else, it takes place well after the apocalypse, which is possibly not clearly defined in the first place.
Here's the best example I can think of to demonstrate the dividing point. Here we have two different films, with a great deal of similarities between them - The Quiet Earth and I Am Legend. Both are of the "Last Man on Earth" trope, although neither protagonist ends up being the last man on Earth. Both involve protagonists who are trying to survive in a world where they are alone; they even do similar things in attempts to fill the void left by other humans and reach out to anyone else who might be out there. Both Zac Hobson and Robert Neville go into destructive and almost suicidal rages when the loneliness becomes too much. And both of them are, in some way, responsible for the apocalypse that destroyed their societies; both of them are atoners, trying their best to, if not repair society completely, then at least make sure that their creations do no more harm. This is not to say that there are not a great many differences, as well, but in their underlying theme the two films are very similar. Both have their strong suits; both have their flaws.
The Quiet Earth simply appeals to me more than I Am Legend. There is more than one reason why, but I think that the main one, for me, is the nature of the catastrophe. In I Am Legend, Neville was a virologist who was unable to prevent a genetically engineered virus from escaping and spreading; the virus had a high mortality rate, and caused most of the survivors to become bloodthirsty and territorial. Neville himself, and the other survivors he eventually meets, is one of the lucky ones - one of the few humans who is immune to the virus's effects, an immunity that he hopes to use to create a serum to cure or inoculate others. And the virus itself was originally engineered to attack cancer cells, but mutated, as viruses so often do. It's very much a scenario that feels like it could happen, if not tomorrow, then not terribly far in the future, given that research on viruses to do similar things is currently going on. (Minus the Hollywood monsters, perhaps.)
In contrast, in The Quiet Earth, Zac was also a scientist - I don't believe he ever mentions exactly what sort of scientist he is, to be honest, but he specifies that he is one. And he is partially responsible for what happened to the world - an event which involves an invisible energy grid that a corporation was trying to create worldwide, and which has little or no grounding in modern science. The film is less about the scenario that caused the apocalypse and more about the apocalypse itself - and how Hobson, and the others that he eventually meets, react to the disappearance of every other human and animal on Earth, best they can tell.
I think that's the key for me. When the apocalypse is something that could actually happen, I am turned off for two reasons. One, because it's something that could happen in the near future, and therefore I'm disturbed thinking too hard about it; I admit that this is squeamishness and paranoia, but I'm not going to overcome it by pretending it doesn't exist, and when I read or write fiction I'm doing it to enjoy fictional things, not try to resolve my issues with real things. And two, when the apocalypse is something that could actually happen in the real world, it seems to become very, very difficult for the story not to dwell on it, as a cautionary tale.
Cautionary tales have their place, but they're not what I enjoy post-apocalyptic fantasy for. I enjoy them for the way that the characters deal with their new reality. I enjoy them because I enjoy seeing these people - who might have once had a normal life, or who might have been born to this condition - working to create a new life. I want to see them trying to build a new society, and dealing with the difficulties and realities of how they now must live, especially when they're used to something else entirely. It's usually difficult, and should be, but it's still rewarding in places in the kinds of stories I like, because they are overcoming.
I'm not as interested in the apocalypse as I am in what comes after it. That, in my mind, is why they call it post-apocalyptic.
So, since I haven't found very much recently (or, honestly, had the chance to look for it) that really pings me in that regard, does anyone reading this have some recommendations?
Notes:
- Any type of media would be welcome.
- Video games: I have access to a PS3, a decent (if not brand new) gaming PC, a Gamecube, a PSP, a DS and a PS2, so as far as games go I can access a decent range.
- Books: Most likely I'll be able to pick up a book from the local library; eBooks are somewhat more problematic, but if you can think of a really good suggestion, feel free and I'll see what I can do.
- TV/Movies: Aside from possible DVD rentals, I can stream movies and TV episodes on Netflix, so if you know of anything there, let me know. I'm open to animated or live-action, from any country of origin.
- Fanworks: I'm all for post-apocalyptic interpretations of my various fandoms, or good fanworks of post-apocalyptic canons that deal with aspects of the canon that weren't considered very important by canon. Check out my AO3 profile; look at the list of fandoms in which I have works. Pretty much any one of those would be fair game, for starters!
- General: If at all possible, I'd really, really like narratives that prominently feature characters other than the standard Straight White Guys going out and saving the world. I'd like to see plots where various sorts of minorities are allowed to be awesome, please.
Thanks in advance, everyone.
