Creation and Apocalypse in Feminist Speculative Fiction.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McFarland, Lois W.

Series:

New Directions in Religion and Literature Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Feminist fiction.

Speculative fiction.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (248 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2026.

Summary:

Taking negative emotions such as rage, loneliness and disgust, this book explores how these emotions operate on and through fictional characters who cannot escape the pull of Eden or the push of apocalypse.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Series Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

List of Figures

Copyright notice

Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations

Introduction

Myth, re-vision and speculative fiction in a feminist context

Longing for Eden and fixating on apocalypse

Genesis 1-3 in more detail

Embracing Lilith

A return to Eden

Falling forwards into apocalypse

Affect theory, literature and the Bible

Haraway's trouble and Ahmed's sticky emotions

Chapter 1: The creator-destroyer goddess in Rhoda Lerman's Call Me Ishtar (1973)

The reception of Lerman's novel

Angel, queen, whore

Ishtar as creator

Anyone but Eve

Ishtar as destroyer

Conclusion to Chapter 1

Chapter 2: The techno-mythic Eve in Angela Carter's The Passion of New Eve (1977)

City and landscape as affective bodies

Carter's archetypal opposites

Evelyn's encounter with Mother

The cult of Zero

Transgender identity in the novel and in scholarship

Beginning or end?

Conclusion to Chapter 2

Chapter 3: Unearthing the mythical Lilith in Octavia Butler's Lilith's Brood trilogy (1987-9)

Why Lilith?

(Extra-)Biblical creation myths in the trilogy

Oankali sex, gender and sexuality

Lilith's literal brood

To apocalypse and back again

Manipulation of mind and body

Conclusion to Chapter 3

Chapter 4: Mad Adams and multiple Eves in Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy (2003-13)

The MaddAddam trilogy in scholarship and criticism

Whose apocalypse?

Jimmy/Snowman and Glenn/Crake

The Crakers and their 'Paradice'

God's Gardeners

Adam One

A garden of Eves

Two creation stories for the Crakers

Conclusion to Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Naomi Alderman's apocalyptic reboot in The Power (2016)

The novel in scholarship and criticism

The novel's apocalyptic narrative form.

Becoming 'Mother Eve'

Witnessing the power

Allie/Eve's descent into apocalyptic thinking

Conclusion to Chapter 5

Conclusion: More endings and beginnings

Looking backwards

Looking forward

References

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

Other Format:

Print version: McFarland, Lois W. Creation and Apocalypse in Feminist Speculative Fiction

ISBN:

9781350568952

OCLC:

1602013893