The Failings of the social mythology of Capitalism: From The Age of Lead to The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

Revista de estudios canadienses

ASAEC

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2011 p. 25 - 25

1851-4448

his paper will examine the particular way in which ´The Year of the Flood´ (2009) continues and further stresses the failings of the capitalist mythology, a metanarrative in its homogenizing effects, within the perspective of ecological sustainability as initially delineated in ´The Age of Lead´. Yet, it is my contention that though the environmental consequences of this social mythology are shown at their worst stage in this text, there is eventually an overall criticism of the construction of mythologies or metanarratives, which mystify reality and fall into the temptation of erasing diversity, difference and the contingent, given by the presence of a scientific and religious fundamentalism with ecocentric overtones.