Abedalqader, Rahma Mohammad Ahmad
(2023)
Post-apocalyptic Dystopian Fiction:
A Comparative Study Of Messianic
Figures In Cormac Mccarthy’s The
Road And Ahmad Sadaawi’s
Frankenstein In Baghdad.
PhD thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Abstract
Recently, criticism of the messianic idea has begun to take another diverse
approach within literary and philosophical cultural theory. Apparently, the concept is
perceived as a return to or of religion due to the fact that religion currently influences
critical thinking. However, there is a shift to a messianic philosophical paradigm that
becomes a way of understanding the contemporary situation, even in religious
societies. This thesis investigates post-apocalyptic dystopian narratives that address
the identification of a unique world messiah for humanity. Throughout history, the
concept of a messiah who will bring peace and harmony to the world has been
present in a variety of religions and cultures, albeit under different names and with
varying interpretations. The concept of the Messiah is fundamental to the three
monotheistic religions. In Judaism, he is known as the Messiah, in Christianity as
Jesus, and in Islam as Isa Ibn Maryam (peace be upon him). The purpose of this
thesis is to explore how the messiah figure is portrayed in contemporary novels from
different philosophical messianic views and the post-apocalyptic theory. To achieve
this basic objective, a comparative cultural approach is followed to analyze Cormac
McCarthy’s The Road and Ahmad Sadaawi’s Frankenstein in Baghdad, employing
Walter Benjamin’s historical materialism theory and Jacques Derrida’s
poststructuralism philosophical views on indeterminate messianic figures and
messianic structures.
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