Apocalypse in Media, Literature, and Linguistics : Narratives of Despair and Hope

The book demonstrates how apocalyptic narratives actively shape public understanding of environmental crisis, alternately mobilizing action or breeding paralysis.

Apocalypse in Media, Literature and Linguistics: Narratives of Despair and Hope argues that apocalyptic stories are not merely genres or headlines; they are cultural technologies that construct environmental crises and channel public response. The volume shows how language and narrative—metaphors, frames, and plotlines—shape ecological identity, moral urgency, and policy choices across fiction, film, journalism, and community activism. Contributors trace how alarmist framings can heighten attention yet also induce paralysis or denial, and how hopeful, justice-oriented discourse can motivate stewardship and collective action. Case studies range from McCarthy’s The Road and Atwood’s climate fiction to Swahili-language media in Kenya, Brazilian news rhetoric, cinematic reception of The Day After Tomorrow, necropolitics in the Niger Delta, and critiques of anti-apocalyptic techno-optimism. Together, the chapters advance a clear claim: apocalyptic narratives do political work, distributing fear, responsibility, and possibility. The book offers practical analytic tools—drawn from ecolinguistics, critical discourse analysis, cultural studies, and media analysis—for diagnosing destructive framings and designing alternatives that inform without fatalism. It is a timely resource for scholars, educators, journalists, and advocates seeking language that moves audiences from dread to durable, justice-centered action.