The end of the world: unveiling dystopian apocalypse in Caryl Churchill’s far away
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Date
2025
Authors
Özçelik, Kaya
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Rumeliya
Abstract
Being a seminal work, Caryl Churchill’s Far Away delves deep into the layers of the end of the world by merging both dystopian and apocalyptic visions. Offering a fragmented narrative that reflects the disintegration of social, moral and natural orders of the world, Churchill’s play brings her reader/audience closer to face how the end of the world will be. The play’s structure and tone progressively immerse the audience in a world unravelling into chaos, where the boundaries between good and evil blur, and nature itself becomes embroiled in humanity’s conflicts. Through minimalist dialogue and surreal imagery, Churchill presents her reader/audience with a disturbing portrayal of a society where fear, violence, and moral ambiguity are the mere causes of the apocalypse. While the dystopian elements in the play are underlined through the depiction of authoritarian control, systemic violence, and the erasure of individual agency with Churchill’s chilling commentary on the fragility of democratic and ethical structures, themes such as the collapse of ecological and social harmony that eventually lead to an inevitable descent into global destruction form the backbone of apocalyptic discourse in Far Away. Endowing her play with postmodernist techniques such as fragmented storytelling and open-ended conclusion, Churchill invites the audience to grapple with the moral consequences of complicity and the pervasive impact of war and ecological crisis. This study examines how Far Away interweaves dystopian and apocalyptic elements to criticise contemporary sociopolitical and environmental issues. Exploring themes of dehumanization, systemic oppression, and environmental decay, the play compels its reader/audience to confront the urgent ethical dilemmas of the modern world. All in all, Churchill’s work offers a potent warning about the interconnected nature of societal collapse and ecological destruction, with a specific urge to enable humanity to reconsider its role in shaping a sustainable and near future.
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Keywords
Unveiling dystopian apocalypse , Caryl Churchill , Far away
Citation
Özçelik, K. (2025). The end of the world: unveiling dystopian apocalypse in Caryl Churchill’s far away. Y. Yılmaz (Ed.), 8th International Rumeli [Language, Literature and Translation Studies] Symposium içinde (17-17. ss.). İstanbul: Rumeliya.
