The Comet
Book • 2001
W. E. B.
Du Bois's 'The Comet' is a 1920 short story blending apocalyptic and social realism to examine race, class, and human relations after a catastrophic event nearly wipes out New York City.
Through the experiences of a Black messenger and a white woman who survive the disaster together, Du Bois stages a moral and symbolic encounter that interrogates social hierarchies and imagines the possibility of a renewed humanity.
The narrative uses biblical and Edenic imagery alongside early science-fiction tropes to dramatize how large-scale catastrophe can expose and temporarily dissolve racial boundaries.
Du Bois employs the scenario to critique contemporary racism while also revealing the persistence of social prejudices even amid universal calamity.
The story is often read as an early example of Afrofuturism and remains notable for its melding of sociological insight with literary craft.
Du Bois's 'The Comet' is a 1920 short story blending apocalyptic and social realism to examine race, class, and human relations after a catastrophic event nearly wipes out New York City.
Through the experiences of a Black messenger and a white woman who survive the disaster together, Du Bois stages a moral and symbolic encounter that interrogates social hierarchies and imagines the possibility of a renewed humanity.
The narrative uses biblical and Edenic imagery alongside early science-fiction tropes to dramatize how large-scale catastrophe can expose and temporarily dissolve racial boundaries.
Du Bois employs the scenario to critique contemporary racism while also revealing the persistence of social prejudices even amid universal calamity.
The story is often read as an early example of Afrofuturism and remains notable for its melding of sociological insight with literary craft.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 0 episodes
Mentioned and read aloud by ![undefined]()
Margaret Kiljoy
CZM Book Club: The Comet, by W.E.B. Du Bois
