First published in 1885, Richard Jefferies' After London can be seen the one of the most important early examples of "post-apocalyptic fiction". The story tells of how London passe the swampland after an unspecified natural disaster delivers England over to the mercy of nature.
Divided into two parts, "The Relapse into Barbarism" recounts the fall of civilization while the second longer section Entitled "England Wild" follows Felix Aquila, the male protagonist, the he builds a canoe and explores more of the world around him.