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authorJoe Carstairs <me@joeac.net>2026-07-20 16:45:47 +0100
committerJoe Carstairs <me@joeac.net>2026-07-20 16:45:47 +0100
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@@ -26,10 +26,22 @@ language. This conclusion rests on two key premises: one, that apocalyptic
language is catastrophic in the same way which leads to fatalism, conservatism
and post-politics as described in the previous chapter; and two, that
catastrophe is the dominant effective symbol associated with apocalyptic
-language. In what remains of this chapter, I will argue against both of these
-premises, using the Apocalypse of St John as a model of apocalyptic language.
-
-What of the criticisms enumerated in the previous chapter, namely, that
+language.
+
+In what remains of this chapter, I will argue that were these criticisms to be
+levelled against the model of apocalyptic language in the West,
+namely, the Apocalypse of St John, the Apocalypse would resist the force of
+these criticisms. Reading from the perspective of John's original audiences,
+the Apocalypse does not promote fatalism, conservatism or post-politics, but
+works against these responses. Later in the chapter, I'll explore three
+further key apocalyptic features of the Apocalypse which John uses towards
+his rhetorical ends, demonstrating how apocalyptic rhetoric may have worked
+effectively in probably the most influential representative of the genre.
+Then, in chapter 4, I'll extend this argument to the case of contemporary
+green rhetoric, and show how these features of John's ancient rhetoric could
+be reproduced effectively in a contemporary context.
+
+So, what of the criticisms enumerated in the previous chapter, namely, that
catastrophic language promotes fatalism, conservatism and post-politics? The
first thing to observe here is that, whereas green rhetors typically position
the catastrophe as an impending event over which the audience has some measure