Something from the speech that surprised me was how many readers of the book compared the novel to The Walking Dead a story about the surviving humans of a zombie apocalypse and how they change and survived. I hadn’t made the connection myself while reading, but hearing the professor deliver the idea made me connect the two pieces. Within the discussion, one of the professors commented on how the connection of mercy and interaction is the imagination. We are more likely to be merciful if we understand the feelings and actions that person is experiencing. The Q&A was also very intriguing. Emily St. John Mandel opened up with a brief explanation of her book then opened it up for questions. She created her post apocalyptic world by making it all up and researching social trends in post apocalypse lifestyle. Mandel stated that she uses the non-linear plot in everyone of her novels. Following this point, the books are never written with plot maps or plans on how to structuralize the events. In all I was most surprised by her dismissal of mercy, being it was such a declared and invested theme that we studied in class. Mandel focused the mercy question and formed it so she could see Miranda and Clark as merciful during the book, as well as stating they were her favorite characters where I agreed and felt more connected to the author and book.
Stations Eleven was an intriguing and adventurous novel. Having the privilege to listen to the author