Mutant diseases.
Alien attacks.
Seems like humans have been trying to figure out how the world will end almost since its beginning. Fifty apocalyptic visions from pop culture are analyzed in this new book (published today) which has many of the usual (Welles's "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast and Dr. Strangelove) and several lesser-known exemplars.
I'm intrigued by Steve McGhee's painting "The Big Swallow" which portrays an enormous storm and whirlpool consuming Sydney harbour (I climbed that bridge, so I don't want it to disappear!) and a 1912 novella "The Scarlet Plague" by Jack London (read here free).
Ask for The End at your local library or independent bookstore and decide which movie, book, song, or artwork has it right. How do you think the world will end?
**kmm
Book info:The End: 50 Apocalyptic Visions from Pop Culture That You Should Know About...Before It's Too Late / Laura Barcella. Zest Books, 2012. [author's website] [publisher site]
My Recommendation: Climate catastrophe or zombies? Alien invasion or the Four
Horsemen on earth? People have long pondered how the world might end. Go behind
the scenes of fifty apocalyptic endings from the past five centuries of art,
film, theater, books, and music in this fascinating book.
Michaelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” and Durer’s 1498 “The
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” translate Biblical “end time” words into
stirring pictures. Sandow Bok’s 1995 painting “Course of Empire” shows Los
Angeles fractured by ultimate destruction of unknown origin.
“It’s The End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” by
R.E.M. is a spotlighted song, as is Barry McGuire’s performance of “The Eve of
Destruction”. The peppy tune of “99 Luftballons (99 Red Balloons)” by Nena
might hide this Cold War protest song’s strong lyrics from casual listeners.
Barcella highlights important early books The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster (1909)
and Earth Abides by George R. Stewart,
which Stephen King acknowledges as a huge influence on his work, like The Stand, discussed here as a
television miniseries. Alan Moore’s dystopian graphic novel series V for Vendetta and Watchmen are analyzed, as is Brian K. Vaughn’s 60-issue comic book
saga of Y: The Last Man.
Almost a third of the book covers movies from “12 Monkeys”
to “Waterworld,” with aliens, asteroids, melting ice caps, zombies, atomic war,
and other disasters leading to the end of life on earth. Quotes and Unforgettable
Moments from every play, book, and movie give the flavor of each one’s style.
The author consulted experts about “the Reality Factor” of The
End proposed by each movie, song, or book (almost all are quite improbable) and
also lists the impact of each creative work on subsequent popular culture.
