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Post Apocalyptic Fiction
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has been around for many generations,
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and includes literary works that are considered classics.
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Though the most prominent books in the genre feature men,
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more and more are putting women at the forefront.
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And while the typical female archetypes remain:
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MOTHER
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VIRGIN
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"WHORE,"
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modern fiction increasingly subverts these roles,
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while establishing new archetypes for women in the fictional canon
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that, unlike the works of decades past, have nothing to do with their reproductive and sexual status.
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These new archetypes are built upon grit and fortitude,
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intelligence and compassion,
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adaptibility and sisterhood.
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They include SURVIVORS,
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MATRIARCHS,
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DICTATORS,
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WARRIORS
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and REBELS.
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These are women who, in the absence of society and all the expectations society has saddled them with,
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forge their own paths through a collapsed world,
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and change the lives of those around them
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while retaining their femininity.
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...and kicking lots of ass.
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The academic paper I intend to write charts the subversion of tradition female archetypes in modern post-apocalyptic fiction, and the emergence of new ones in response to third wave feminist ideology. The post-apocalyptic landscape is an ideal place for authors to create edgy, strong, multifaceted women characters, as this landscape is by definition stripped of societal norms and constrictions.
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