The Importance of Apocalypse: The Value of End-Of-The-World Politics While Advancing Ecocriticism

Abstract

This essay argues that successful ecocriticism must focus on the tangible political consequences of environmental policy that are undoubtedly destroying the planet. I begin with an overview of how some ecocritics use poststructuralist thought to minimize apocalyptic rhetoric and its subsequent call to arms. Afterwards I outline how ecocriticism can become effective in influencing people to abandon environmentally destructive practices in coalition with the thinkers I take issue with. They may do so by not giving up on images of collective omnicide. I conclude by showing how metaphors of apocalypse enable ecocriticism to forge a tethering principle of interconnectedness that overcomes the risk of co-optation. Embracing such interconnectedness goes beyond the idea of the individual self and awakens a sense of collective responsibility that can truly change our world.