A Rhetoric of the Unreal

A Rhetoric of the Unreal
Author: Christine Brooke-Rose
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 460
Release: 1981-10-15
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780521225618

This 1981 book is a study of wide range of fiction, from short stories to tales of horror, from fairy-tales and romances to science fiction, to which the rather loose term 'fantastic' has been applied. Cutting across this wide field, Professor Brooke-Rose examines in a clear and precise way the essential differences between these types of narrative against the background of realistic fiction. In doing so, she employs many of the methods of modern literary theory from Russian formalism to structuralism, while at the same time bringing to these approaches a sharp critical intuition and sound common sense of her own. The range of texts considered is broad: from Poe and James to Tolkien; from Flann O'Brien to the American postmodernism. This book should prove a source of stimulation to all teachers and students of modern literary theory and genre, as well as those interested in 'fantastic' literature.

Science Fiction

Science Fiction
Author: Adam Charles Roberts
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2006
Genre: Men in black (Motion picture)
ISBN: 9780415366687

'Science Fiction' offers a critical account of the phenomenon of science fiction, illustrating the critical terminology and following the contours of its continuing history. The impact of technological advances on the genre is discussed.

The Span of Mainstream and Science Fiction

The Span of Mainstream and Science Fiction
Author: Peter Brigg
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2015-09-16
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0786480297

From the 1960s (when the advent of what many call the postmodern style made establishing genres more difficult) to the present day, writers have been incorporating science--not only the commonly thought of science and technology but also the "soft" sciences such as psychology and sociology--into what was previously considered mainstream fiction. This book examines works by Thomas Pynchon, Doris Lessing, and others who incorporate science in fiction and exemplify the movement of mainstream fiction writers toward a new genre termed "span." It also examines works by some science fiction writers who are edging closer to the border of science fiction and slowly over into span. This book maps the boundaries of the new span genre of fiction and thus helps define texts that fall outside the realms of mainstream and science fiction. Diagrams are included and a bibliography and index.

A Companion to Science Fiction

A Companion to Science Fiction
Author: David Seed
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 631
Release: 2008-06-09
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0470797010

A Companion to Science Fiction assembles essays by an international range of scholars which discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers. This Companion conveys the scale and variety of science fiction. Shows how science fiction has been used as a means of debating cultural issues. Essays by an international range of scholars discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers. Addresses general topics, such as the history and origins of the genre, its engagement with science and gender, and national variations of science fiction around the English-speaking world. Maps out connections between science fiction, television, the cinema, virtual reality technology, and other aspects of the culture. Includes a section focusing on major figures, such as H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ursula Le Guin. Offers close readings of particular novels, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

Curriculum

Curriculum
Author: William Pinar
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2014-01-21
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135636583

This collection of essays by established writers in postmodern pedagogy stakes out new conceptual territories, redefines the field, and presents a complete review of contemporary curriculum practice and theory in a single volume Drawing upon contemporary research in political, feminist, theological, literary, and racial theory, this anthology reformulates the research methodologies of the discipline and creates a new paradigm for the study of curriculum into the next century. The contributors consider gender, identity, narrative and autobiography as vehicles for reviewing the current and future state of curriculum studies. Special Features Presents new essays by established writers in postmodern pedagogy, Reviews curriculum studies through the filters of race, gender, identity, nattative, and autobiography, Offers in a single, affordable volume a complete review of contemporary curriculum practice and theory.

Speculations on Speculation

Speculations on Speculation
Author: James E. Gunn
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 404
Release: 2005
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780810849020

Science fiction is a field of literature that has great interest and great controversy among its writers and critics. This book examines the roots, history, development, current status, and future directions of the field through articles contributed by well-respected science fiction writers, teachers, and critics. This book can be used as a textbook for courses in theory as well as courses in science fiction literature and science fiction writing.

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Literature

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Literature
Author: Brian M. Stableford
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 512
Release: 2004
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780810849389

This reference tracks the development of speculative fiction influenced by the advancement of science and the idea of progress from the eighteenth century to the present day. The major authors and publications of the genre and significant subgenres are covered. Additionally there are entries on fields of science and technology which have been particularly prolific in provoking such speculation. The list of acronyms and abbreviations, the chronology covering the literature from the 1700s through the present, the introductory essay, and the dictionary entries provide science fiction novices and enthusiasts as well as serious writers and critics with a wonderful foundation for understanding the realm of science fiction literature. The extensive bibliography that includes books, journals, fanzines, and websites demonstrates that science fiction literature commands a massive following.

Politics, Persuasion, and Pragmatism

Politics, Persuasion, and Pragmatism
Author: Ellen Susan Peel
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2002
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9780814209103

An addition to the Theory and Interpretation of Narrative series, Peel's book addresses how feminist utopian narratives attempt to persuade readers to adopt certain beliefs. Using three feminist utopian novels as her main examples, The Marriages between Zones Three, Four, and Five by Doris Lessing; The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin; and Les Guérillères by Monique Wittig, Peel examines how belief-bridging and protean metaphor in these works persuade readers. Literary persuasion, often dismissed as propaganda, in fact works in subtle and profound ways. The book presents major techniques by which narrative literature exercises this sophisticated influence on beliefs. Ultimately concluding that the pragmatic works better than the static in utopian feminism, Peel shows how, in novels such as those under discussion, the narrative techniques support pragmatism. Inquiring how narrative form can shape political belief by affecting readers' responses, the author integrates topics that are rarely combined. The book investigates three theoretical issues: utopian belief, distinguishing the perfectionism of the static from the vitality of the pragmatic and showing how the latter creates narrative energy; the persuasive process, tracing narrative form and asking how implied readers match real ones and how readers are swayed by belief-bridging and protean metaphor; and feminist belief, a nuanced definition that accounts both for what links feminists and what makes them diverse. Politics, Persuasion, and Pragmatism explores the rhetorical and ethical power of narrative literature.

Science Fiction

Science Fiction
Author: Adam Roberts
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 172
Release: 2006-06-19
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1134211783

Science Fiction is a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to one of the most popular areas of modern culture. This second edition reflects how the field is rapidly changing in both its practice and its critical reception. With an entirely new conclusion and all other chapters fully reworked and updated, this volume includes: a concise history of science fiction and the ways in which the genre has been used and defined explanations of key concepts in Science Fiction criticism and theory through chapters such as Gender, Race, Technology and Metaphor examines the interactions between Science Fiction and Science Fact anchors each chapter with a case study drawn from short story, book or film, from Frank Herbert’s Dune to Star Wars, from The Left Hand of Darkness to Neuromancer. Introducing the reader to nineteenth-century, Pulp, Golden Age, New Wave, Feminist and Cyberpunk science fictions, this is the essential contemporary guide to a major cultural movement.