"Armageddon Begins Here": Apocalypse in Alexis Wright's Carpentaris

Abstract

Alexis Wright's Carpentaria (2006) uses the biblical Apocalypse to argue for the significance of stories in creating futures. Stories from all cultures provide a means by which cultural memory can be shared and beliefs and knowledge can be disseminated to future generations. The apocalypse, or post-apocalypse, is also a metaphor for the creation of a new literary space in which the Australian novel can encompass both Indigenous and nonIndigenous cultural expression.