The History of Literature

694 Apocalyptic Literature (with Dorian Lynskey) | My Last Book with Charles Baxter

Apr 10, 2025
Dorian Lynskey, author of 'Everything Must Go,' dives into the cultural significance of apocalyptic literature and films, exploring humanity's obsession with doomsday prophecies. He discusses the evolution of these narratives from divine intervention to human responsibility and highlights how fears of catastrophe reflect contemporary anxieties. Additionally, Charles Baxter shares his choice for the last book he would ever read, tying in humor amidst existential themes. Together, they illuminate how storytelling can help us confront our fears.
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INSIGHT

Constant Doom

  • People constantly feel a sense of impending doom, believing their time is the worst.
  • This feeling stems from human nature, not just religion, and emphasizes the negative.
ANECDOTE

Generational Anxiety

  • Jack Wilson notes that past generations also felt apocalyptic anxieties.
  • Future generations will likely judge our anxieties similarly.
INSIGHT

Projecting Mortality

  • Humans project their own mortality onto the world, imagining its end.
  • This projection manifests in beliefs about declining times and the specialness of our era.
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