Future As Catastrophe Imagining Disaster in the Modern Age

The Future as Catastrophe offers a novel critique of the fascination with disaster. Analyzing the catastrophic imaginary from its historical roots to the contemporary popularity of disaster fiction and end-of-the-world blockbusters, Eva Horn argues that apocalypse always haunts the modern idea of a future that can be anticipated and planned.

About the author

Eva Horn is professor of German literature and cultural history at the University of Vienna. She is the author of The Secret War: Treason, Espionage, and Modern Fiction (2013).

Summary

The Future as Catastrophe offers a novel critique of the fascination with disaster. Analyzing the catastrophic imaginary from its historical roots to the contemporary popularity of disaster fiction and end-of-the-world blockbusters, Eva Horn argues that apocalypse always haunts the modern idea of a future that can be anticipated and planned.

Additional text

The Future as Catastrophe is theoretically rich and its arguments are bolstered by the sheer breadth of
texts with which it engages...a valuable contribution to environmental studies.

Product details

• Authors: Eva Horn, Horn Eva
• Assisted by: Valentine Pakis (Translation)
• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Content: Book
• Product form: Hardback
• Publication date: 31.10.2018
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Art > Photography, film, video, TV
• EAN: 9780231188623
• ISBN: 978-0-231-18862-3
• Pages: 296
• Subjects: Fantasy, LITERARY CRITICISM / Comparative Literature, LITERARY CRITICISM / Science Fiction & Fantasy, Films, cinema, Literary studies: general, PERFORMING ARTS / Film / History & Criticism, Social impact of disasters, Social impact of disasters / accidents (natural or man-made), science fiction; fantasy