종말서사 속 유토피아적 상상력의 가능성과 한계 —『스테이션 일레븐』을 중심으로
Post-Apocalyptic Narrative and Utopian Imagination in Station Eleven
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This paper aims to explore how utopian imagination is intertwined with the post-apocalyptic narrative in Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. The novel is praised by many critics for conveying an optimistic and hopeful vision of the post-apocalyptic world, particularly through the power of culture and art. This paper follows this thread of criticism, on one hand, by arguing that Station Eleven indeed embodies the impulse of articulating utopian thoughts, which is heralded not just by art but also by the effort to reclaim the idea of community. Contrary to the majority of criticism on the novel, however, this paper also attempts to show the ideological limitation of the utopian impulse manifested in Station Eleven. This is revealed foremost by the novel’s treatment of reality. By positing modern technology as normality and Shakespeare as the only legitimate gatekeeper of spirituality, Station Eleven presents the real world as the ultimate goal for the post-apocalyptic world to return to. In doing so, the sense of temporality becomes disrupted and the apocalypse turns into a historically contingent incident. By closely examining these ahistorical aspects, this article argues that the utopian imagination of the novel, however with good faith, functions to reconfirm a romanticized version of reality and thus an ideological perception of history.
Abstract
This paper aims to explore how utopian imagination is intertwined with the post-apocalyptic narrative in Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. The novel is praised by many critics for conveying an optimistic and hopeful vision of the post-apocalyptic world, particularly through the power of culture and art. This paper follows this thread of criticism, on one hand, by arguing that Station Eleven indeed embodies the impulse of articulating utopian thoughts, which is heralded not just by art but also by the effort to reclaim the idea of community. Contrary to the majority of criticism on the novel, however, this paper also attempts to show the ideological limitation of the utopian impulse manifested in Station Eleven. This is revealed foremost by the novel’s treatment of reality. By positing modern technology as normality and Shakespeare as the only legitimate gatekeeper of spirituality, Station Eleven presents the real world as the ultimate goal for the post-apocalyptic world to return to. In doing so, the sense of temporality becomes disrupted and the apocalypse turns into a historically contingent incident. By closely examining these ahistorical aspects, this article argues that the utopian imagination of the novel, however with good faith, functions to reconfirm a romanticized version of reality and thus an ideological perception of history.
참고문헌 (20)
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