Apocalypse à l’américaine: un exceptionnalisme blessé
Apocalypse à l’américaine: un exceptionnalisme blessé

Summary/Abstract: This paper is a presentation of a particularism that shows the representation of the Apocalypse as defined by the American standards. The experience of virtue is at the core of America’s national identity. And the expression of moral responsibility as well as a Manichean tradition solidify this idea. This particular brand of virtue was imported in North America by Puritans, missionaries who came to erect “city upon a hill“, early symbol of American exceptionalism. From this perspective, the apocalyptic genre takes on a new meaning when it is seen through an American lens. That takes into account whether 1) religiosity still remains prevalent in contemporary American society, and in that case 2) the meanings that we can attach to the various representations of the Apocalypse. Through the unmasking of biblical undertones on the screen, the attempt to determine whether or no the human race would be punished for their sins in order to recover their original virtue comes into the spotlight.

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