Last week, Jagilion suggested that part of the appeal of post-apocalyptic fiction is that it is a version of the frontier/western story, allowing the author and readers to explore frontier ideas without the dust, cows, and so on. I freely admit, I’d never thought of it that way, in part because in those few times I read that genre (post-apocalyptic), I tend to focus on characters and technology rather than the big pattern. I also read westerns for the setting, because I’m Odd, and an environmental historian.

You can debate which is the first western, although if “adventures on a land frontier” sets the foundation, then James Fenimore Cooper probably leads, followed by the pulp westerns, then The Virginian, then either the popular westerns of Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour or the more academic books by Vardis Fisher, Willa Cather, Rolveg (arguable in his case) and others. The idea of “man in new environment creating society” goes back farther, but let’s stick with what most people think of with the term “western.” All are set at the edge of civilization, in an environment that has not yet been domesticated (might be grazed but not farmed) and is somewhat hostile (dry, harsh neighbors, far from others who could assist the protagonist). The land might or might not be a character. The stories include elements of “man vs. nature” and “man vs man.”

So, what about post-apocalyptic fiction? Something happens, the world is turned inside out, and civilization at least in one place collapses, or starts to collapse. The environment is often hostile, either because of environmental conditions (all that nuclear war/nuclear winter stuff from the 1980s) or destruction of infrastructure (escape from ruined city), or people (zombies, evil gangs and dictators, what have you). The protagonist is trying to get somewhere, get out of somewhere, find or rebuild civilization, and survive. Not necessarily in that order, either. The story of Sodom and Gamorrah in Genesis might be considered post-apocalyptic, at least for Lot and his family. Plato’s tale of Atlantis certainly counts. Modern versions vary, although there are some intriguing ones from the late 1800s. The 1970s-80s seemed to have nuclear wars, accidental nuclear releases, chemical disasters, and the occasional natural disaster as trigger points. Zombies then took over in the 2000s, and “all of the above” in a few very thorough cases. “Colony planet isolated and struggling to survive” might also be considered part of the genre, if you use Jagilion’s idea.

So, what are the commonalities? As best I can tell, keeping in mind that I don’t read a lot of post-apoc fiction, man vs. man, hostile environment, and weak or absent civilization seem to be the big three. They allow the author and reader to speculate how people as small groups or individuals would deal with the situation when both the land and biota are opposed to the protagonist. Frontier is a key, which then leads to the question: what is a frontier?

Frontier generally is understood as “edge of settlement” or “edge of biota.” The ever-varying part of North America where tallgrass prairie replaces forest is a frontier, one that moved back and forth with rainfall and human activity (burning by Native Americans going back to the last Ice Age). Likewise where the farming economy fails without irrigation, and ranching/pastoralism is the predominate survival system. “Frontier” also means where cultures and lifeways meet, such as farming and herding, or Spanish and Anglo, or Steppe and Forest, a place where ideas and technology are exchanged as well as in conflict.

So, do westerns as well as post-apoc stories deal with the frontier? Hmmmm. This is where I am not certain. Westerns? Yes, with a few exceptions where setting is a character after settlement (The Time it Never Rained, for example). World War Z? Uh… Z is for Zachariah? Ah, I don’t think so? A Canticle for Liebowitz? Interesting questions, and I do not have a clear answer. It might depend on the book and the reader. Yes, they all have the element of a hostile world that the protagonist has to deal with, and address ideas of civilization. Frontier? I’m just not sure.

Your thoughts?