They’re Heading West: (Post) Apocalyptic Visions on the Road

Authors

  • José Duarte

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18485/bells.2015.7.4

Keywords:

Journey, road movies, (post) apocalyptic cinema, Sci-fi

Abstract

‘Hitting the road’ has always been a significant act in the American culture, since it represents the opportunity for a new life. In most road movies, the road is often depicted either in a positive way or, in contrast, as the escape route for outlaws. Nevertheless, the road can similarly represent a place of violence and destruction, functioning ‘either as a utopian fantasy of homogeneity and national coherence, or as a dystopic nightmare’ (Cohan and Hark 1997: 3). The aim of this article is to analyze (post) apocalyptic road movies as critical dystopian narratives that present a horrific future while simultaneously functioning as a metaphor for the present, by pointing to dreadful, but possible alternative realities that, nonetheless, are not devoid of hope.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2015-11-25

How to Cite

Duarte, J. (2015). They’re Heading West: (Post) Apocalyptic Visions on the Road. Belgrade English Language and Literature Studies, 7(1), 75–92. https://doi.org/10.18485/bells.2015.7.4

Issue

Section

LITERARY AND CULTURAL STUDIES