Living with the Living Dead

The Wisdom of the Zombie Apocalypse

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Reference, Comparative Religion, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Popular Culture
Cover of the book Living with the Living Dead by Greg Garrett, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Greg Garrett ISBN: 9780190260477
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: May 1, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Greg Garrett
ISBN: 9780190260477
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: May 1, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

When humankind faces what it perceives as a threat to its very existence, a macabre thing happens in art, literature, and culture: corpses begin to stand up and walk around. The dead walked in the fourteenth century, when the Black Death and other catastrophes roiled Europe. They walked in images from World War I, when a generation died horribly in the trenches. They walked in art inspired by the Holocaust and by the atomic attacks on Japan. Now, in the early twenty-first century, the dead walk in stories of the zombie apocalypse, some of the most ubiquitous narratives of post-9/11 Western culture. Zombies appear in popular movies and television shows, comics and graphic novels, fiction, games, art, and in material culture including pinball machines, zombie runs, and lottery tickets. The zombie apocalypse, Greg Garrett shows us, has become an archetypal narrative for the contemporary world, in part because zombies can stand in for any of a variety of global threats, from terrorism to Ebola, from economic uncertainty to ecological destruction. But this zombie narrative also brings us emotional and spiritual comfort. These apocalyptic stories, in which the world has been turned upside down and protagonists face the prospect of an imminent and grisly death, can also offer us wisdom about living in a community, present us with real-world ethical solutions, and invite us into conversation about the value and costs of survival. We may indeed be living with the living dead these days, but through the stories we consume and the games we play, we are paradoxically learning what it means to be fully alive.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

When humankind faces what it perceives as a threat to its very existence, a macabre thing happens in art, literature, and culture: corpses begin to stand up and walk around. The dead walked in the fourteenth century, when the Black Death and other catastrophes roiled Europe. They walked in images from World War I, when a generation died horribly in the trenches. They walked in art inspired by the Holocaust and by the atomic attacks on Japan. Now, in the early twenty-first century, the dead walk in stories of the zombie apocalypse, some of the most ubiquitous narratives of post-9/11 Western culture. Zombies appear in popular movies and television shows, comics and graphic novels, fiction, games, art, and in material culture including pinball machines, zombie runs, and lottery tickets. The zombie apocalypse, Greg Garrett shows us, has become an archetypal narrative for the contemporary world, in part because zombies can stand in for any of a variety of global threats, from terrorism to Ebola, from economic uncertainty to ecological destruction. But this zombie narrative also brings us emotional and spiritual comfort. These apocalyptic stories, in which the world has been turned upside down and protagonists face the prospect of an imminent and grisly death, can also offer us wisdom about living in a community, present us with real-world ethical solutions, and invite us into conversation about the value and costs of survival. We may indeed be living with the living dead these days, but through the stories we consume and the games we play, we are paradoxically learning what it means to be fully alive.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Early Modern Spain: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Navigating Life with Epilepsy by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Hellenistic Literature: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book The Future of Foreign Intelligence by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Giving Women by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Dubliners by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Americanizing Britain by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book What Is Natural? by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Slavery, Law, and Politics by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Neuropsychological Aspects of Substance Use Disorders by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Papist Patriots by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Interpreting As a Discourse Process by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Intricate Ethics by Greg Garrett
Cover of the book Empowerment of Women for Promoting Health and Quality of Life by Greg Garrett
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy