This thesis is an exploration of the type of protagonist that tends to appear in a particular sub-genre, a scholar who behaves in the role of the hero. It tries to serve as a wide-ranging analysis of the sub-genre as a whole, including multiple mediums, but pays particular attention to the texts A Canticle for Leibowtiz and Oryx and Crake. The thesis also addresses the cultural work performed by post-apocalyptic fiction, and contends that the sub-genre serves as a way of questioning what is considered valuable within a culture, and why.

This thesis is an exercise in creative writing exploring the first-person relationships between six main characters. With half born before the apocalypse and half born after, each bring to the table new perspectives on the purpose of life. Questions of religion, government, and free will are brought to the fore. In the end, there is no right answer to any of these questions. Readers will only discover more about themselves in finding which character they relate to most, or dislike the most. This will show readers what their own opinions on such issues are. The significance will be that readers will understand more about themselves, and how they see and value life itself.

Tony Tanner's book City of Words analyzes American literature from 1950-1970; in the chapter entitled "Everything Running Down" the theme of entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, is explored and revealed to be a common motif within many works of American literature. Tanner's analysis does not specifically address the presence of entropy within the genre of the American road narrative; when considering his analysis presented in "Everything Running Down" with Kris Lackey's analysis of American road narratives presented in his book RoadFrames, the presence of entropy and how it is applied within the American road narrative becomes apparent. Although Jack Kerouac's On the Road and Cormac McCarthy's The Road were published over sixty years apart from one another and are seemingly disparate texts, these two texts reveal the thematic use of entropy which connects them in an ongoing dialogue within the genre of the American road narrative.

Ten years after the outbreak of an aggressive, fast-acting virus that kills then reanimates those infected, the world has become a bleak, hostile place. Water and food are scarce, valuable commodities, and survivors cluster together for safety in isolated enclaves where life is cheap and debauchery is king. In the middle of this grim hell-on-earth, Huxley, a young boy, lives with his idealistic father. When the father is killed, Huxley falls in with Bracken, a rugged gun-forhire, a desperado in every sense of the word. Against his instincts, Bracken is compelled to deliver Huxley to safety, all the while being pursued by a ruthless warlord of the wasteland. Through their association, Bracken discovers that he still has the capacity for feeling, emotion, and empathy, something he thought long dead.

Though a new player in town, Amy isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. When she discovers a ruthless sadist named Angel is operating in her new home, Amy makes it her goal to stop Angel. Though Amy quickly finds her sense of justice is putting her at odds with her own survival when Angel takes her own interest in Amy.

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Résumé : Ce mémoire propose d’étudier les représentations de la masculinité dans les productions cinématographiques post-apocalyptiques. Il consiste plus précisément en une analyse qualitative de contenu qui cible six films et trois séries télévisées, tous réalisés depuis les événements du 11 septembre 2001. Partant du principe que la masculinité hégémonique peut être définie comme le modèle actuel de masculinité idéalisée et imposée, ce mémoire cherche à dégager quels traits de personnalité sont valorisés et lesquels sont dévalués. Les résultats montrent que les représentations de la masculinité sont encore conservatrices : les personnages masculins occupent des rôles plus importants que les personnages féminins et les leaders des groupes restreints sont généralement des hommes blancs, hétérosexuels et âgés de 35 à 44 ans. Cependant, les personnages masculins possèdent une grande variété de traits de personnalités, un changement considérable par rapport aux caractéristiques stéréotypées du Action Hero. / Abstract : The following study pursue an analysis of the various representations of masculinity in post-apocalyptic movies and TV-series. It consists more precisely of a qualitative content analysis, which focus on six movies and three TV-Series pilots, all produced since September 11th 2001. Assuming that hegemonic masculinity can be defined as the current model of imposed and idealized masculinity, this paper seeks to identify which personality traits are valued and which ones are devalued. The results show that the representations of masculinity are still conservative: the male characters occupy more important roles than female characters and leaders of small groups are usually white, heterosexual men aged 35 to 44 years. However, the male characters have a variety of personality traits, a considerable change from the stereotypical characteristics of the Action Hero.

The objective of this thesis is to explore the relationship between moralities and bioeconomies in post-apocalyptic dystopias from the Victorian era to contemporary Young Adult Fiction. In defining the terms bioeconomy and biopolitics, this works examines the ways in which literature uses food and energy systems to explore morality and immorality in social orders and systems, including capitalism and our modern techno-industrial landscapes. This work examines science fiction portrayals of apocalypses and dystopias, including After London: Or, Wild England and The Hunger Games, as well as their medieval and contextual influences. These works are analyzed in light of genre and contemporary influences, including the development of ecology and environmentalism. Ultimately, this thesis argues that authors are building a link between the types of behavior which are sustainable and morally acceptable and a person’s role in a bioeconomy; specifically, those who are moral in post-apocalyptic dystopias are providers of food and care, and do not seek to profit from aiding others. This work contends that the connection between morality and sustainable food and social systems are evidence of authorial belief that our current ways of life are damaging, and they must change in order to preserve our humanity and our world.

This essay is working on exploring what it is that motivates the man and the boy to survive despite the harsh reality they live in. The purpose of the essay is to show four main factors for motivation: morality, religion, society and paternal love. The first factor is the fundamental inner voice of morality which tells them why they should do something. In order to be able to productively discuss the topic of moral motivation I will introduce W.D. Ross's theory of Pluralistic Deontology as a means to find a framework in which to discuss this aspect of the novel. The second factor discussed is religion, which somewhat functions in the same way as morality does but seems to be more of a driving force, primarily for the man. The third factor is society in the sense of how it motivates one to take certain actions. I will use Thomas Hobbes’s idea of the state of nature, but also make it clear how, specifically, a postapocalyptic scenario affects the protagonists. The fourth factor and also the overarching factor discussed is paternal love. This factor is inter-located throughout the whole essay. Probably the most significant phrase from Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is “carrying the fire” (79). It is a central focal point in the man and the boy's overall interaction. The importance of the phrase cannot be stressed enough and does, without a doubt, carry a significant meaning for them both. However, we never really get an explanation to what the phrase really means, which inevitably invites the readers to draw their own conclusions as to what the phrase conveys. It remains ambiguous throughout the novel but in terms of motivation it has to do with surviving and/or the upholding of values remembered from the pre-apocalyptic society. As I address the phrase this meaning it also becomes possible to see that there are motivating factors for both the man and the boy that affect their morale to keep the fire going. This essay will investigate three possible motivating factors found in the novel, and, in addition to this, an overarching factor that can, arguably, function as connection between the other three factors.