An Alternate Interpretation of the Flat Earth Theory

Swarnambika Shiv

Mr. Leclaire

IB English HL 2

12 August 2018

An Alternate Interpretation of the Flat Earth Theory

The Age of Earthquakes by Basar, Coupland, and Obrist is the embodiment of an alternate interpretation of the flat earth theory. Rather than hypothesizing that the world has eternally been in a disk configuration, this novel-as exemplified by the flattened Earth cover illustration- theorizes that the Earth is figuratively quaking and transitioning into ideological oblateness for humanity.

Activities such as shopping and dating have succumbed to an online dictatorship. The authors utilize hyperbolism to take note of these absurdities to create a satire about a character named ‘J’: “If [‘J’] doesn’t feel intimate 24/7 then he feels dead.” Intimate moments are rare and unique. The fact that ‘J’ requires intimacy like air, is situationally ironic. The authors present an implicit commentary that love (and other values) are now flattened to tangible swipes on a screen.

Additionally, the novel’s unsystematic and melancholic nature mimics that of T.S. Eliot’s epic poem, “The Wasteland”. Both pieces chastise its audience and characters and utilize unknown narrators to communicate that humanity’s inactivity and mediocrity will eventually lead to its own destruction.

Furthermore, the novel presents a symbolic color scheme with its black, white, and gray pages. The black pages feature depressing material, such as “Being middle class was fun”. The white pages pose interrogative expressions addressing the reader, such as “How old are you?”. The gray pages are filled with hyperbolic statements, such as “Technology often favors horrible people.” This combination captures the essence of living in the age of earthquakes: an entropy of depression, questions, and exaggerations.

Holistically, The Age of Earthquakes is more a slap in the face than a pat on the back for humanity’s enslavement to technology. Though it’s a guide for the extreme present, readers will not require it for long as the Earth continually flattens while technology expands.

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Works Cited

Basar, Shumon, et al. The Age of Earthquakes: A Guide to the Extreme Present. Penguin Books, 2015.

Note: This pastiche would be page 257.