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The End of the World As We Know It: Faith, Fatalism, and Apocalypse in America Kindle Edition

by Daniel N Wojcik (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.7 5 ratings

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Examines contemporary apocalyptic beliefs and their origins

From religious tomes to current folk prophesies, recorded history reveals a plethora of narratives predicting or showcasing the end of the world. The incident at Waco, the subway bombing by the Japanese cult Aum Supreme Truth, and the tragedy at Jonestown are just a few examples of such apocalyptic scenarios. And these are not isolated incidents; millions of Americans today believe the end of the world is inevitable, either by a divinely ordained plan, nuclear catastrophe, extraterrestrial invasion, or gradual environmental decay.

Examining the doomsday scenarios and apocalyptic predictions of visionaries, televangelists, survivalists, and various other endtimes enthusiasts, as well as popular culture, film, music, fashion, and humor, Daniel Wojcik sheds new light on America's fascination with worldly destruction and transformation. He explores the origins of contemporary apocalyptic beliefs and compares religious and secular apocalyptic speculation, showing us the routes our belief systems have traveled over the centuries to arrive at the dawn of a new millennium. Included in his sweeping examination are premillennial prophecy traditions, prophecies associated with visions of the Virgin Mary, secular ideas about nuclear apocalypse, the transformation of apocalyptic prophecy in the post-Cold War era, and emerging apocalyptic ideas associated with UFOs and extraterrestrials.

Timely, yet of lasting importance, The End of the World as We Know It is a comprehensive cultural and historical portrait of an age-old phenomenon and a fascinating guide to contemporary apocalyptic fever.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A marvelous book, at once comprehensive and highly readable, a fascinating analysis of doomsday cults and apocalyptic anxiety." -- Michael Owen Jones,University of California, Los Angeles

"Fascinating [and] intelligent . . . should be required reading." ― Psychotronic

"The End of the World As We Know It makes accessible to both scholars and general readers the amazing panorama of millenarian scenarios abounding in America at the end of the millennium." -- Robert S. Ellwood,University of Southern California

"Will stand for some time as the best survey and analysis of the meaning and place of apocalypticism and millennialism in American culture." ― Religion and Literature

From the Back Cover

Advance praise for the book:

"Well-documented yet highly readable, THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT makes accessible to both scholars and general readers the amazing panorama of millenarian scenarios abounding in America at the end of the millennium. Wojcik is particularly impressive in showing how much apocalyptic anticipations coming from seemingly very diverse directions--Protestant fundamentalism, Catholic predictions, Marian apparitions, UFO-related scenarios, nuclear or ecological doomsaying in secular discourse, and more--fit into a basic pattern with deep roots in American history and American folk religion. In so doing, he indeed demonstrates that, as has been said, "apocalyptic is as American as the hot dog," and he teaches all of us more about ourselves." -- Robert S. Ellwood, Professor of Religion, University of Southern California

"A valuable and intriguing folklorist perspective on the amazing spectacle of apocalyptic concerns in contemporary America." -- Charles B. Strozier, Professor of History, City University of New York

"A masterful reading of contemporary millennialist and nihilist phenomena such as doomsday cults, the punk movement, and supernatural apparitions. Skillfully blending folklore and popular culture, Wojcik demonstrates the way the turn of the millennium is reviving ancient traditional beliefs and creating new ones in a post-industrial, postmodern era. His work is a fine example of the application of folkloristic methods to the contemporary world. A wealth of data, and keen, grounded analysis guided by cultural theory situated in ethnographic detail, written with clarity and style--we need more books like this one." -- Jack Santino, Professor of Folklore and Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004DULQJC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYU Press (May 1, 1999)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 1, 1999
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 8269 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 326 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,767,389 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #349 in History of New Age & Mythology
- #688 in Religious Studies - Sociology
- #1,712 in Folklore & Mythology

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Danny B Stewart

The Comet it coming..... the comet is coming!!!!

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2014

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I am getting my Graduate degree in folklore at the University of Oregon and Dr. Wojcik is one of my professors. This book is great! Informative and fun!!! Don't pass this one up!!!

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