
Science Fiction
A Critical Guide
Patrick Parrinder(Author)
Longman (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 23. April 1979
Book
Paperback/Softback
250 pages
978-0-582-48929-5 (ISBN)
Description
First published in 1979. What do we mean by Science Fiction? What does it do, and why do so many people read it? What are its characteristic values, attitudes and procedures? Is it a creative force in our society, or merely a pathological symptom? How much of it is worth the attention of the ordinary 'non-scientific' or 'non-addicted' reader?
That these questions are frequently asked is a consequence of Science Fiction's current status as a highly popular and fashionable art-form. They are not easy to answer because SF is a confused concept and a confused field, varying from formula-repetition and institutionalized self-congratulation on the one hand to the most profound imaginative achievements on the other. This Critical Guide attempts a composite portrait of science fiction as a form of creative literature: not, that is, as a disembodied current of notions and ideas (e.g. about technological progress), nor as a 'sub-literature' which may only one day hope to aspire to literary status.
That these questions are frequently asked is a consequence of Science Fiction's current status as a highly popular and fashionable art-form. They are not easy to answer because SF is a confused concept and a confused field, varying from formula-repetition and institutionalized self-congratulation on the one hand to the most profound imaginative achievements on the other. This Critical Guide attempts a composite portrait of science fiction as a form of creative literature: not, that is, as a disembodied current of notions and ideas (e.g. about technological progress), nor as a 'sub-literature' which may only one day hope to aspire to literary status.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
322 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-582-48929-5 (9780582489295)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
01/2017
1st Edition
Routledge
€215.41
Shipment within 10-20 days

E-Book
09/2014
1st Edition
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download

E-Book
09/2014
1st Edition
Routledge
€73.99
Available for download
Previous edition
Book
04/1979
Longman
€12.37
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Patrick Parrinder
Content
Part 1 Early landmarks: from the beginnings to 1900; Chapter 1 The literary background to science fiction, Mark R. Hillegas; Chapter 2 Jules Verne: the last happy utopianist, Marc Angenot; Chapter 3 The science fiction of H. G. Wells, John Huntington; Part 2 Two formative traditions; Chapter 4 Utopia and science fiction, Williams Raymond; Chapter 5 Science fiction and the scientific world-view, Patrick Parrinder; Part 3 Science fiction today: aspects of a contemporary literature; Chapter 6 The cold war in science fiction, 1940-1960, T. A. Shippey; Chapter 7 Science fiction, religion and transcendence, Tom Woodman; Chapter 8 Characterization in science fiction: Two approaches, Scott Sanders; Chapter 9 Characterization in science fiction: Two approaches, Patrick Parrinder; Chapter 10 American science fiction since 1960, J. A. Sutherland; Chapter 11 British science fiction, Christopher Priest; Chapter 12 European science fiction, Franz Rottensteiner.