▁was ▁the ▁cr ad le ▁of ▁the ▁second ▁cycle ▁of ▁western ▁European ▁civil ization . ▁ ▁Liter ary ▁expressions ▁ ▁Much ▁of ▁Post ▁Ap oc aly ptic ▁fiction ▁dep ict s ▁various ▁kinds ▁of ▁cy clic al ▁history , ▁with ▁dep ict ions ▁of ▁civil ization ▁col laps ing ▁and ▁being ▁slowly ▁built ▁up ▁again ▁to ▁collapse ▁again ▁and ▁so ▁on . ▁ ▁An ▁early ▁example ▁is ▁An ato le ▁France ' s ▁ 1 9 0 8 ▁sat ir ical ▁novel ▁) ▁( P engu in ▁Island ) ▁which ▁traces ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁P engu in ia ▁- ▁a ▁thin ly ▁dis gu ised ▁analog ue ▁of ▁France ▁- ▁from ▁medieval ▁times ▁to ▁the ▁modern ▁times ▁and ▁into ▁a ▁future ▁of ▁a ▁mon str ous ▁super - city ▁- ▁which ▁eventually ▁col laps es . ▁This ▁is ▁followed ▁by ▁a ▁renew ed ▁Fe ud al ism ▁and ▁agr arian ▁society , ▁and ▁a ▁grad ual ▁building ▁up ▁of ▁increasing ly ▁advanced ▁civil ization ▁- ▁cul min ating ▁with ▁a ▁new ▁ ▁mon str ous ▁super - city ▁which ▁would ▁eventually ▁collapse ▁again , ▁and ▁so ▁on . ▁▁ ▁A ▁later ▁example ▁is ▁Walter ▁M . ▁Miller ▁Jr .' s ▁A ▁Cant icle ▁for ▁Le ib ow itz , ▁which ▁begins ▁in ▁the ▁after math ▁of ▁a ▁dev ast ating ▁nuclear ▁war , ▁with ▁the ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁seeking ▁to ▁preserve ▁a ▁rem nant ▁of ▁old ▁texts ▁( as ▁it ▁did ▁in ▁the ▁historical ▁Early ▁Middle ▁A ges ), ▁and ▁ends ▁with ▁a ▁new