The Dialectics of Mobility: Capitalism and Apocalypse in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road
In the post-apocalyptic setting of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road (2006), a father and his son “push down the road a battered shopping cart, containing their bare provisions, on a thoroughly consumed earth” (Seltzer 189). Despite the fact that the novel seems to be situated in an indistinct no-man...
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| Language: | English |
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European Association for American Studies
2017-12-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/12296 |
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| author | Simon Schleusener |
| author_facet | Simon Schleusener |
| author_sort | Simon Schleusener |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the post-apocalyptic setting of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road (2006), a father and his son “push down the road a battered shopping cart, containing their bare provisions, on a thoroughly consumed earth” (Seltzer 189). Despite the fact that the novel seems to be situated in an indistinct no-man’s-land, marked by a curious absence of time and history, this essay argues that it is indeed worthwhile to historicize The Road. By placing the novel in the context of the new capitalism, the article explores the ways in which McCarthy’s treatment of mobility deviates from previous American road narratives, which typically celebrate the pleasures and possibilities of movement and flight. Concentrating on the novel’s dystopian “catastrophism,” the essay will further investigate its relation to temporality, history, and the future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-20a62f9d12604f71a4623a8bf1ec3f89 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-12-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-20a62f9d12604f71a4623a8bf1ec3f892025-01-06T09:09:16ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362017-12-0112310.4000/ejas.12296The Dialectics of Mobility: Capitalism and Apocalypse in Cormac McCarthy’s The RoadSimon SchleusenerIn the post-apocalyptic setting of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road (2006), a father and his son “push down the road a battered shopping cart, containing their bare provisions, on a thoroughly consumed earth” (Seltzer 189). Despite the fact that the novel seems to be situated in an indistinct no-man’s-land, marked by a curious absence of time and history, this essay argues that it is indeed worthwhile to historicize The Road. By placing the novel in the context of the new capitalism, the article explores the ways in which McCarthy’s treatment of mobility deviates from previous American road narratives, which typically celebrate the pleasures and possibilities of movement and flight. Concentrating on the novel’s dystopian “catastrophism,” the essay will further investigate its relation to temporality, history, and the future.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/12296MobilityCormac McCarthyCapitalismApocalypseDystopiaFuture |
| spellingShingle | Simon Schleusener The Dialectics of Mobility: Capitalism and Apocalypse in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road European Journal of American Studies Mobility Cormac McCarthy Capitalism Apocalypse Dystopia Future |
| title | The Dialectics of Mobility: Capitalism and Apocalypse in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road |
| title_full | The Dialectics of Mobility: Capitalism and Apocalypse in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road |
| title_fullStr | The Dialectics of Mobility: Capitalism and Apocalypse in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Dialectics of Mobility: Capitalism and Apocalypse in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road |
| title_short | The Dialectics of Mobility: Capitalism and Apocalypse in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road |
| title_sort | dialectics of mobility capitalism and apocalypse in cormac mccarthy s the road |
| topic | Mobility Cormac McCarthy Capitalism Apocalypse Dystopia Future |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/12296 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT simonschleusener thedialecticsofmobilitycapitalismandapocalypseincormacmccarthystheroad AT simonschleusener dialecticsofmobilitycapitalismandapocalypseincormacmccarthystheroad |