Table Of ContentAwaiting Apocalypse
Also by Paul Corcoran
BEFORE MARX: Socialism and Communism in France, 1830–48
POLITICAL LANGUAGE AND RHETORIC
Awaiting Apocalypse
Paul Corcoran
Associate Professor of Politics
University of Adelaide
South Australia
First published in Great Britain 2000 by
MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London
Companies and representatives throughout the world
Acatalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-349-41003-3 ISBN 978-0-230-59731-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230597310
First published in the United States of America 2000 by
ST. MARTIN’S PRESS, INC.,
Scholarly and Reference Division,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Corcoran, Paul E., 1944–
Awaiting Apocalypse / Paul Corcoran.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
1. Apocalyptic literature—History and criticism. 2. End of the
world. I. Title.
BS646.C67 1999
001.9—dc21 99–39492
CIP
©Paul E. Corcoran 2000
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2000 978-0-333-74174-0
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made
without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written
permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright
Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P0LP.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to
criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained
forest sources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00
To the memory of
Robert Frasure
friend, fellow student, worker for peace
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Contents
Acknowledgments viii
Prologues to the End 1
Part I: Obsession with Time
1 Thinking about the End 11
2 Fatal Attractions 21
3 The Borders of Apocalypse 39
4 Smile: It’s Party Time! 49
Part II: Apocalypse and the Collapse of Time
5 The Meaning of Apocalypse 63
6 Historical Endings 67
7 Ordinary Time, Ordinary Endings 83
8 Endless History 93
Part III: Empires of Time
9 Identifying with Time 111
10 Signs of the Time 117
Part IV: Waiting for the End
11 A Metaphysics for the Mean Time 135
12 The Sense of Time 153
13 Freedom: Nothing Left to Lose 175
Notes 181
Index 209
vii
Acknowledgments
Over the fifteen years I have spent working on this book, I have
incurred many debts of gratitude. Several periods of study leave from
the University of Adelaide offered valuable time for reading and reflec-
tion. The most productive and memorable of these were research
residencies at the University of California, Berkeley; Clare Hall,
Cambridge University; the Groot Begijnhof at the University of
Leuven; and Duke University. I am indebted in large, small, and all-
important ways to my present and former colleagues at the University
of Adelaide for their enduring support. Suzanne Sheehan Corcoran
has given generously of her patience on the home front and has
offered the insights and encouragement of a valued colleague.
I also want to express my gratitude to many others spread around
the world and too numerous to mention by name – family, friends,
and academic colleagues – who have listened, helped, and encouraged
my efforts over a long period of years.
Finally, I acknowledge a special and happy indebtedness to my
former students who have given so generously, often unaware, of
what is most valuable not only in writing books but in all of life. I
refer, of course, to the spark of interest, the warmth of enthusiasm,
and the glow of inspiration.
Paul Corcoran
Adelaide, Australia
viii
Acknowledgements ix
The author gratefully acknowledges permission to quote brief excerpts
from the following works:
Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection, by Julia Kristeva, tr. Leon S.
Roudiez © 1982 Columbia University Press. Reprinted with the
permission of the publisher.
The Dangling Conversation– © 1966 Paul Simon. Used by permission of
the publisher: Paul Simon Music.
Me And Bobby Magee – K. Kristofferson/F. Foster © 1969 Combine
Music Corp. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
