Science Fiction: a Very Short Introduction
1st Edition
Oxford University Press · Print & ebook · July 1, 2011
Science Fiction has proved notoriously difficult to define.
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- Who it’s for
- Explore science fiction through its changing forms, themes, and historical moments.
- Genres
- SF & Fantasy Criticism
- Published
- Oxford University Press, July 1, 2011
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Science Fiction has proved notoriously difficult to define. It has been explained as a combination of romance, science and prophecy; as a genre based on an imagined alternative to the reader's environment; and as a form of fantastic fiction and historical literature. It has also been argued that science fiction narratives are the most engaged, socially relevant, and responsive to the modern technological environment.
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This Very Short Introduction doesn't offer a history of science fiction, but instead ties examples of science fiction to different historical moments, in order to demonstrate how science fiction has evolved over time. David Seed looks not only at literature, but also at drama and poetry, as well as film. Examining recurrent themes in science fiction he looks at voyages into space, the concept of the alien and alternative social identities, the role of technology in science fiction, and its relation to time - in the past, present, and future.
Across the Genre
Explore science fiction through its changing forms, themes, and historical moments.
Come here for
- Science fiction across literature, drama, poetry, and film
- Genre debates anchored in historical change
Expect
- Space voyages, aliens, technology, and alternative social identities
- A look at science fiction’s changing relation to time
Where it sits
| SF & Fantasy Criticism | 100% |
|---|
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Literary Criticism
- Authors
- David Seed
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Published
- July 1, 2011
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Literary Criticism