Science Fiction and American Culture » March 18th: Zone One, “Saturday”

March 18th: Zone One, “Saturday”

Plan for the Day

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and UNC Charlotte Resources

Before discussing some of the heavier themes in the book, please know that your health (mental and physical) is extremely important to me, your family, and the University. If you are experiencing anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, or any other mental health concerns, I highly encourage you to see a professional to help. The University has resources for those who want them. Please know the Christine F. Price Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides support for students. I do know they have after-hours phone counselors available by calling 704-687-0311. It’s never too early or late to get help, so please use the resources available.

Additionally, you can dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is available 24 hours.

Suicide References in Zone One

Towards the end of the novel, Mark Spitz references people who took their own lives early in the outbreak. His Lieutenant also commits suicide (p. 251).

Mark Spitz also refers to Mim as being “the healthiest relationship he ever had, and not because they had a lot in common” (p. 241). On pages 246-247, Mim and Mark Spitz discuss hope.

Why is the topic of suicide a major one towards the end of the novel?

YA vs Adult Literature

Many of you are familiar with Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and other YA series. What are some differences you notice between YA fiction and Zone One?

Planned Obsolescence

Early in the novel Mark Spitz mention’s his uncle’s place and all the cool things he has (p. 4). Planned obsolescence: the process of manufacturing goods that will eventually become outdated or “worn out” because of use, fashion, and/or updates. The “Conclusion” to my Video Games and American Culture book, asks “How does our unconscious acceptance of planned obsolescence contribute to the need to replace good technology for want of a newer model? And what of the environmental costs of more and more e-junk?” (p. 135). If you need a visual, here are two from Charlotte:

“Saturday” (pp. 129-271)

The epigraph for “Saturday,” “the age demanded an image of its accelerated grimace,” comes from Ezra Pound’s “Hugh Selwyn Mauberly.” Alan Williamson analyzes this entire poem and claims,

while ”accelerated” is hardly the word, every reader must feel that this current style reflects something in the national ethos, especially perhaps among young people: a kind of gentle, bland hopelessness, a feeling that the culture either doesn’t generate, or offers no purchase to, the big emotions–whether of love or of resistance, rage–that make us sure of who we are.
Williamson, Alan. “Three Poets.” The New York Times (on the web), 10 Oct 1982: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/00/07/09/specials/johnson-incognito.html

Your turn…how far did you get?

Next Class

Let’s finish up Zone One.