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Expert Discusses Attraction to Apocalyptic Themes in Culture, Film
Contact: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu; Michael Ryan, 765-494-2681, ryan6@purdue.edu;
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Nov. 10 /Standard Newswire/ -- Anticipating the end of the world has been a recurring theme for many cultures, especially when times are tough, says a Purdue University historian.
"Destruction of the world is a universally fascinating interest for many people," says Michael A. Ryan, an assistant professor of history who studies apocalyptic themes in the Middle Ages. "Every culture has a myth of destruction, just as they have a myth of creation. These myths of destruction tend to surface during times of crisis."
Two films, "2012" and "The Road," that focus on the end of the world will be released this month. "2012" is based on an often misunderstood Mayan calendar prediction that the world will end, and "The Road" focuses on a family trying to survive after an apocalypse.
"There really are no new apocalyptic reckonings. People continue to tap into preexisting traditions, and this has been occurring for centuries," Ryan says. "In the 14th century there was a resurgence in apocalyptic predictions fueled by the plague that killed about a third of Europe's population. Today's current economic climate also is a state of crisis for many people who are worried about 401Ks or if they can afford to feed themselves."
Ryan wants to remind people that, despite the topic, these films are entertainment.
"There are people who are genuinely nervous about 2012 being the end of time as we know it, but I hope people remember not to panic," he says. "This is just entertainment, and some people really enjoy the special effects, such as a tsunami slamming an aircraft carrier into the White House."
Ryan, assistant director of Purdue's Medieval and Renaissance Studies program, and Karolyn Kinane, an assistant professor of English and director of the Medieval and Renaissance Forum at Plymouth State University, edited the book "End of Days: Essays on the Apocalypse from Antiquity to Modernity." The book was published by McFarland & Company Inc., this summer.
