The influence of psychedelics and toxicity in J.G. Ballard and Tom Wolfe’s representations of petroculture
Studia Neophilologica May 4, 2021 S. Ahlberg
A reading of J.G. Ballard's short story 'Dream Cargoes' finds a post-growth imaginary focused on a species-wide change of pace amid future nano- and biotech waste. Comparing this to Tom Wolfe's account of the Merry Pranksters during the 1960s and 1970s Great Acceleration, the essay argues that Ballard suggests time—with its associations of extinction, renewability, and futurity—has become a central human concern. Literary representations of toxicity awaken readers to the limits of consumer culture, offering insight and motivation to seek alternatives to petroculture.