This week’s session was lead by Dr Florian Mussgnug

The summary of the discussion is written by Sara Karim

‘Station Eleven’ – Emily St. John Mandel

Dystopian novels that are deemed as apocalyptic fiction are not the usual books I prefer to read. My outlook on apocalyptic fiction and dystopian fiction transformed after reading and discussing Emily Mandel’s ‘Station Eleven’. The unfamiliarity of this fast paced and anxiety ridden novel launched me into being out of my reading comfort zone. During my reading journey of this novel I felt enlightened especially by the comical tone to the novel. These moments of spontaneous euphoria included August’s ability to seek out Poetry and TV Guides in abandoned, dilapidated houses. As well as the collective solidarity of the Symphony who had the conviction to perform Shakespeare even when times were bleak and uncertain. Indeed, during our discussion, there were parallels drawn between current times during the pandemic and the serious tone of the novel.

The most striking aspect of our discussion was when we thought about what may happen when there is a global demise of the Internet. One of the points raised which was thought-provoking was when it came to the realisation that it would only take a few shops to close down, a few street lamps to stutter and planes to no longer take passengers to classify this as an apparent world-ending point. But perhaps, as the author of the novel may suggest, there is more to humanity than global connectivity, even more so there is a strong desire to encourage solidarity and to reach out to those family, friends and dear ones whom we once thought we had lost, but now we have found again. The globalisation that features in this novel from ‘hearing no news from Beijing, then Moscow’ and then the isolated South Korean ships on the Malaysian Coast, struck a chord with our group. Here, the world is depicted as being so dependent on technology for business, travel, adoration, love, and memories of friendship and laughter that resonate in the protagonist, Jeevan. Surely, if the technology no longer prevails then perhaps, we can choose what we would want to rejuvenate into the next ‘new normal’ future?

The polyphonic nature of the novel including magazine captions and the interview scripts that explore Kirsten’s experiences show the powerful effects of Emily Mandel’s writing style. Not only does she deploy this to show the connectivity between the characters from all walks of life, she also may do this to exhibit that the ‘mourning‘ of Arthur has encouraged the characters to reflect on their own lives. This sense of reflection is even perhaps encouraged in ourselves as readers, as self-reflection can be especially powerful and humbling during a pandemic. As is the case with Arthur’s first wife, Miranda, she composed herself to ‘repent nothing’, in reality she also reflects on the sorrows and joys of her past. Furthermore, as a group we discussed that despite the Symphony’s initial grudges and petty dislikes against one another, they all poured their energies into performing a ‘Midsummer Night‘s Dream’ and they sought to value each member as one of their own. This novel made me realise that dystopian fiction novels are not just full of sadness and catastrophe, dystopian novels can also be remnants of hope that seek to provide an opportunity to self-reflect and empower us.

By Sara Karim