Literary critics and scholars have written extensively on the demise of the ?utopian spirit? in the modern novel. What has often been overlooked is the emergence of a new hybrid subgenre, particularly in science fiction and fantasy, which incorporates utopian strategies within the dystopian narrative, particularly in the feminist dystopias of the 1980s and 1990s. The author names this new subgenre ?transgressive utopian dystopias.? Suzette Haden Elgin's "Native Tongue" trilogy, Suzy McKee Charna's "Holdfast" series, and Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" are thoroughly analyzed within...

Women authors have explored fantasy fiction in ways that connect with feminist narrative theories, as examined here by Katherine J. Weese in seven modern novels. These include Margaret Atwood's Lady Oracle, Iris Murdoch's The Sea, the Sea, Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, Carol Shields's The Stone Diaries, Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, and Toni Morrison's Beloved and Paradise. The fantastic devices highlight various feminist narrative concerns such as the authority of the female voice, the implications of narrative form for gender construction, revisions to traditional genre...

At first emphasizing that science fiction is primarily one of many forms of storytelling, McConnell gradually recognizes science fiction as a modern expression of Gnosticism rejecting bodily concerns for an exclusive emphasis on spirituality.

Considers the development of science fiction for children and teens between 1950 and 2010, exploring why it differs from science fiction aimed at adults. This book sheds light on changing attitudes toward children and teenagers, toward science education, and toward the authors' expectations and sociological views of their audience.

The first book-length treatment of Le Guin's feminism, this text offers a career-spanning look at her engagement with modern gender theory and practice. During the 1970s, Le Guin experienced a paradigm shift to feminism, a change which had profound effects on her work. This critical examination explores the masculinist nature of her early writing and how her work changed both thematically and aesthetically as a result of her newfound feminism. Of particular interest is her later phase, wherein Le Guin transitions to a more inclusive post-feminism, privileging unity and balance over...

A collection of essays which provide an interpretive framework for understanding the continually developing forms and genres of television drama.

This text argues that utopian stories should be treated as literary texts, not as blueprints for a human community. Thomas More's Utopia, H.G. Well's A Modern Utopia, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and Arthur C. Clarke's The City and the Stars are examined as texts representative of utopianism during specific historical periods--Provided by publisher.

The 14 essays in this volume explore Stephenie Meyer's wildly popular Twilight series in the contexts of literature, religion, fairy tales, film, and the gothic. Several contributors examine Meyer's emphasis on abstinence, considering how, why, and if the author's Mormon faith has influenced the series' worldview. Others look at fan involvement in the Twilight world, focusing on how the series' avid following has led to an economic transformation in Forks, Washington, the real town where the fictional series is set. Other topics include Meyer's use of Quileute shape-shifting legends;...

Following the Second World War, the Fleuve Noir publishing house published popular American genre fiction in translation for a French audience. Anticipation was an imprint of Fleuve Noir, specializing in science fiction. This critical text examines in ideological terms eleven writers who published under the Anticipation imprint. Anticipation eschewed English-translation science fiction, preferring instead French work and thus making the imprint an important outlet for native French post-war ideas and aesthetics. Careful analysis reveals the way these writers criticized mid-century notions of...