Contemporary Women’s Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Susan Watkins is a Professor of Women’s Writing at Leeds Beckett University. Her key publications include Twentieth-Century Women Novelists: Feminist Theory into Practice (2001), Doris Lessing (2010) and (as co-editor) Scandalous Fictions: The Twentieth-Century Novel in the Public Sphere (2006), Doris Lessing: Border Crossings (2009) and The History of British Women’s Writing Vol 9: 1945–1975 (2017).

• 1. Introduction: Rewriting and Transforming Traditions.- 2. Science, Nature and Matter.- 3. The Posthuman Body.- 4. The Maternal Imagination.- 5. Time, Narrative and History.- 6. Literature and the Word.- Conclusion: The Postsecular.

“The lucidity of Watkins’s prose and the obvious care taken to summarize a variety of feminist theoretical contexts ensure that her study will be immediately useful to undergraduate and graduate students and serve as a foundational assessment for anyone interested in women’s speculative writing today.” (Jennifer A. Wagner-Lawlor, MFS Modern Fiction Studies, Vol. 68 (3), 2022)“Watkins' book is a meticulously researched work … . One of its compelling aspects is that Watkins develops a multi-faceted interdisciplinary approach and seamlessly weaves textual analyses with various critical theories. Her insightful reading of so wide a range of contemporary women's post-apocalyptic fiction from multiple perspectives is very impressive. … Undoubtedly, this book leaves readers with a strong desire to delve into the fullness and richness of contemporary women's s post-apocalyptic fiction.” (Aihua Chen, Soundings, Vol. 105 (1), 2022)“Watkins’s thoughtful, well-written analysis of UK and North American post-2000 post-apocalypse … . Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy is discussed in most of the chapters, making this a very useful text in Atwood scholarship. … these texts embrace ambiguity, the feminine, the subaltern, layered narratives, and multiple points of view. … Her enjoyable book gave me a gift—many more books to add to my nightstand. ” (Margaret Atwood Studies Journal, Vol. 15, January, 2022)“A necessary and timely contribution to the debates surrounding the diversity of cognate subgenres that envision humanity’s precarious, possibly even doubtful future. … Watkins’s insight into the conceptual intricacy of the representation of women’s subjectivity in these fictions is prodigious and is sure to encourage further serious attention from scholars in the field.” (Ana-Karina Schneider, American, British and Canadian Studies, Vol 37 (1), December, 2021)“Susan Watkins’s book masterfully showcases expertly performed analyses of post-apocalyptic fiction written by women authors and beautifully demonstrates how these works have broadly innovated the genre.” (Alina Preda, Gender Studies, Vol. 20 (1), 2021)“Contemporary Women's Post-Apocalyptic Fiction fills an important gap … . Readers will appreciate the opportunity to focus either on readings of particular novels … or particular thematic concerns, such as maternity, science, and literary production. … Watkins's book is a far-ranging analysis that looks at a broad swath of contemporary novels in relation to an equally wide range of theoretical approaches. It is a useful place for any scholar to begin their own exploration of these rich and compelling novels.” (Claire P. Curtis, TSWL Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature, Vol.40 (2), 2021)“Contemporary Women’s Post-Apocalyptic Fiction is a well-researched, astute and exciting intervention in both contemporary women’s writing and SF scholarship. … Watkins’ book is a masterclass in how to write an interdisciplinary academic text that is both engaging and easy to follow. I have no doubt that scholars researching contemporary women’s writing, feminist theory, posthumanism, SF or twenty-first century fiction, will benefit greatly from reading Watkins’ monograph.” (Jade Hinchliffe, C21 Literature: Journal of 21st-century Writings, Vol. 9 (1), 2021)“Contemporary Women’s Post-Apocalyptic Fiction is a rich new resource for scholars interested in the ever-expanding corpus of twenty-first-century apocalyptic literature. … Watkins has produced a significant contribution to scholarship on post-apocalyptic literature, one that will greatly benefit scholars of the field moving forward.” (Heather Hicks, Contemporary Women’s Writing, February 23, 2021)