October 20, 2025Open Access

A Malthusian Reading of the Pandemic in Dan Brown’s Inferno

Key Points

The research reveals that the narrative connects overpopulation with environmental crises, emphasizing urgency.
Key findings show that Bertrand Zobrist's actions reflect the consequences of unchecked population growth.
The method involves a critical reading of the text through Malthusian and ecocritical lenses for deeper insight.
The study suggests a need for awareness about population dynamics and its implications for future generations.

Abstract

This study examines Dan Brown’s fictional work Inferno (2013) from a Malthusian perspective. It investigates the factors behind the presence of an apocalyptic postmodern condition reflected in the novel by focusing on the issue of overpopulation as the main problem facing humanity. The research interprets the attempts of Bertrand Zobrist as an antagonist/protagonist character who decides to stop the population growth by developing a pandemic that brings about sterility to all those who come in touch with it. The study employs the Marxist and ecocritical approach to highlight the impending dangers of overpopulation on nature and the environment. The more population grows, the stronger class struggle becomes between the powerful and the less powerful sorts of human beings. This research aims first to raise modern man’s awareness against the existing issue of population surge and second to warn humanity about the imbalance between population growth and natural resources which is now an urgent crisis facing the coming generations.

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