Station Eleven

Two plays by William Shakespeare—King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream—feature prominently in Station Eleven. Consider Mandel’s Shakespearean allusions, and their role in the text: what thematic and symbolic significance do they carry?

Mandel has questioned Station Eleven’s categorization as science fiction (@emilymandel. “@RonCharles Great piece. I actually don't think of Station Eleven as sci-fi, but am fully prepared to concede that I may be alone in this...” Twitter, 15 Oct. 2014, 7:25 a.m.). Although the novel does not feature any fictional technology, it does exhibit many characteristics of postapocalyptic fiction, which is usually considered a sub-genre of science fiction. How should Mandel’s novel be categorized? Can it be considered postapocalyptic without being science fiction? What are the implications for the reader?

In Station Eleven, characters’ stories are told non-chronologically. Why might Mandel have arranged the narrative as she did? What literary effects and meanings does this produce?