779. Zamora, Lois Parkinson, ed., The Apocalyptic Vision in America: Interdisciplinary Essays on Myth and Culture. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green Univ. Popular Press, 1982.
A collection of essays from a variety of perspectives on the importance of apocalyptic thinking in American life. Zamora observes in the introduction that at present the idea is nearly completely catastrophic in tone, where previously it was optimistic. [I find room to argue with this conclusion; it seems pretty clear that at least in New Age thought optimism remains strong: cf. Eliade, 1967: item 235 and Zaleski, item 778.] In any case, the basic ambiguity of the idea permits either tone to emerge from it in practice.
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