“David Leigh has made a major contribution to our understanding of the apocalyptic tradition in 20th century fiction. Along the way, Leigh introduces us to a remarkable array of fiction—from science fiction to literature of death, to specific African American works like Frederick Douglass’s Narrative, Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man, and to examples from Post-Colonial fiction like Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children and Shusaku Endo’s Deep River. Leigh’s work is required reading for students interested in connections between religion and literature.” —John L. Mahoney, Rattigan Professor of English, Boston College

“Conducting readings of twenty major 20th century novels and two autobiographies in the English language, Leigh proposes to examine two fundamental questions: the innovative ways in which modern texts have used the apocalyptic tradition as found in the biblical Book of Revelation and other classic works dealing with the end of the world and the ways these literary apocalypses raise issues that call for philosophical and theological reflection.” —Reference & Research Book News

“Leigh aims in this very learned monograph to discern how selected modern novels have ‘used the Apocalyptic tradition as found in the book of Revelation and other classic works,’ and issues raised by these novels that ‘call for theological and philosophical reflection.’ . . . This authoritative literary criticism is recommended to academic libraries supporting graduate programs in literature.” —Catholic Library World

“David Leigh has written Apocalyptic Patterns in Twentieth-Century Fiction on something of the sweeping scale of apocalyptic literature itself. Concentrating on the century just ended, it explores 21 novels and two autobiographies, examines American, African American, British, and postcolonial literature, includes modernist and postmodernist texts, and embraces genres that range from personal narrative to speculative fiction. Leigh’s readings place literature and theology in a dialogue that he himself is now in an excellent position to develop.” —Theological Studies

“. . . Leigh succeeds in providing his readers with a general survey of twentieth-century novels that retrieve the thematic and formal elements of premodern apocalyptic literature. The primary accomplishment of this book lies in its demonstration of how extensively and deeply apocalyptic elements are woven into the fabric of twentieth-century fiction. . . . [T]he reading methodology of this book is worthy of the attention of scholars and students interested in the interrelation and interaction of religion and literature.” —Journal of Religion