During the Cold War, the West typically represented socialism as a threat to genuine aesthetic achievement. Nonetheless, socialist cultures have produced a rich and varied body of creative works, and socialism continues to be a living force in China and in many regions of the Third World. The essays in this volume begin to reassess the legacy of socialist cultural production in such areas of the world, which were outside the specific scope of influence of either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.
The contributors give special attention to the strong...
During the Cold War, the West typically represented socialism as a threat to genuine aesthetic achievement. Nonetheless, socialist cultures have pr...
Science fiction series have remained a staple of American television from its inception: classic programs such as "The Twilight Zone," "The Outer Limits," and "Star Trek," along with recent and current series including "Babylon 5" and "Stargate SG-1," have been some of the most enduring and influential of all television shows. In this chronological survey, author M. Keith Booker examines this phenomenon and provides in-depth studies of the most important of these series. Science Fiction Television traces the development of the genre as a distinct cultural phenomenon within the context of...
Science fiction series have remained a staple of American television from its inception: classic programs such as "The Twilight Zone," "The Outer L...
For more than 50 years, science fiction films have been among the most important and successful products of American cinema, and are worthy of study for that reason alone. On a deeper level, the genre has reflected important themes, concerns and developments in American society, so that a history of science fiction film also serves as a cultural history of America over the past half century.
M. Keith Booker has selected fifteen of the most successful and innovative science fiction films of all time, and examined each of them at length--from cultural, technical and cinematic...
For more than 50 years, science fiction films have been among the most important and successful products of American cinema, and are worthy of stud...
Since late evening cartoons first aired in 1960, prime-time animated series have had a profound effect on American television and American culture at large. The characters and motifs from such shows as "The Flintstones" and "The Simpsons" are among the best-known images in world popular culture; and tellingly, even series that have not done well in prime time--series like "The Jetsons," for instance--have yielded similarly iconic images. The advent of cable and several new channels devoted exclusively to animated programming have brought old series back to life in syndication, while also...
Since late evening cartoons first aired in 1960, prime-time animated series have had a profound effect on American television and American culture ...
Given the complexity and expense of making and distributing a film, the process of filmmaking is by its very nature a political process. Moreover, given the power and persuasiveness of the cinema as a medium, film can be a powerful political tool. It should thus come as no surprise that film has had a long and extensive engagement with a variety of political topics, ranging from the actual mechanics of governance to electoral politics, to any number of specific political issues. Through a film-by-film examination of the movies explicitly concerned with American politics and American...
Given the complexity and expense of making and distributing a film, the process of filmmaking is by its very nature a political process. Moreover, ...
Since the first Superman film came to the screen in 1978, films adapted from comics have become increasingly important as a film form. But 1978 was also important because it was the year of release for Will Eisner's A Contract with God, and Other Stories, generally credited as the first long-form comic book to label itself a graphic novel. Since that time, advances in computer-generated special effects have significantly improved the ability of film to capture the style and action of comics, producing such hugely successful films as X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man...
Since the first Superman film came to the screen in 1978, films adapted from comics have become increasingly important as a film form. But 1...
Postmodernism is essential to American culture today. We can see its manifestations on billboards and on television; we can hear its tone on the radio and in everyday conversation; and we can even sense its outlook in how we live our lives. This volume presents an accessible and brief summary of postmodernism, especially as it pertains to American cinema-one of the central players and leading lights in the development of this cultural attitude. Four distinct sections investigate postmodernist fragmentation, musical use, and pastiches of previous television shows and cinematic genres in...
Postmodernism is essential to American culture today. We can see its manifestations on billboards and on television; we can hear its tone on the ra...
While literary utopias depict an ideal society and reflect an optimistic belief in the triumph of humanity and government, dystopias present a society marked by suffering caused by human and political evils. This book offers a detailed study of several literary dystopias and analyzes them as social criticism. The volume begins with a discussion of utopias, dystopias, and social criticism. By drawing upon the theories of Freud, Nietzsche, and others, Booker sets a firm theoretical foundation for the literary explorations that follow. The chapters that come next discuss Zamyatin's We,...
While literary utopias depict an ideal society and reflect an optimistic belief in the triumph of humanity and government, dystopias present a soci...
Dystopian literature is a potent vehicle for criticizing existing social conditions and political systems. While utopian literature portrays ideal worlds, dystopian literature depicts the flaws and failures of imaginative societies. Often these societies are related to utopias, and the dystopian writers have chosen to reveal shortcomings of those social systems previously considered ideal. This reference overviews dystopian theory and summarizes and analyzes numerous dystopian works.
By reviewing the critical thought of particular dystopian theorists, the beginning of the...
Dystopian literature is a potent vehicle for criticizing existing social conditions and political systems. While utopian literature portrays ideal ...
Unique in its scope of coverage, this reference work provides students and scholars interested in researching modern American leftist and working-class culture with a convenient starting place for examining American leftist and working-class novels of the past century. The book begins with a brief historical survey of the development of this cultural phenomenon. It then offers brief descriptions of selected critical, historical, and theoretical works that are a useful background to the novels. The bulk of the book comprises detailed alphabetically arranged discussions of more than 170...
Unique in its scope of coverage, this reference work provides students and scholars interested in researching modern American leftist and working-c...
