Science Fiction: A Very Short Introduction Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Frankenstein, The Time Machine, Star Trek, Dune, 1984, Blade Runner--science fiction 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. In this Very Short Introduction, David Seed doesn't offer a history of science fiction, but instead attempts to tie examples of science fiction to different historical moments, in order to demonstrate how science fiction has evolved over time, especially the emergence of science fiction as a popular genre in the 20th century. 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.About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (July 14, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0199557454
ISBN-13: 978-0199557455
Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.5 x 4.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #135,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #76 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Genres & Styles > Science Fiction & Fantasy #85 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > History & Criticism #813 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Hard Science Fiction
This outstanding brief introduction to science fiction (henceforth, SF) fills a real need for a short survey of the subject. There are many other excellent surveys of SF. I have in my library a number of very fine books on SF, all of which complement one another by looking at the subject from slightly different angles, including Brian Aldiss's Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction, Darko Suvin's Metamorphoses of Science Fiction, Adam Roberts's The History of Science Fiction (Palgrave Histories of Literature), Thomas M. Disch's The DREAMS OUR STUFF IS MADE OF: How Science Fiction Conquered the World, and Edward James and Farah Menlesohn's The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (Cambridge Companions to Literature), and a much older but classic survey, New Maps of Hell.
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