The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered the WorldFrom one of science fiction's most acclaimed novelists comes this engrossing journey through the books, movies, and television programs that have shaped our perspective of both the present and the future. In an uncompromising, often irreverent survey of the genre from Edgar Allan Poe to Philip K. Dick to Star Trek, Thomas M. Disch analyzes science fiction's impact on technological innovation, fashion, lifestyle, military strategy, the media, and much more. An illuminating look at the art of science fiction (with a practitioner's insight into craft), as well as a work of pointed literary and cultural criticism, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of reveals how this "pulp genre" has captured the popular imagination while transforming the physical and social world in which we live. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
THE RIGHT TO LIE | 15 |
POE OUR EMBARRASSING ANCESTOR | 32 |
FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOONIN 101 YEARS | 57 |
HOW SCIENCE FICTION DEFUSED THE BOMB | 78 |
STAR TREK OR THE FUTURE AS A LIFESTYLE | 97 |
CAN GIRLS PLAY TOO? FEMINIZING SCIENCE FICTION | 115 |
WHEN YOU WISH UPON A StarSCIENCE FICTION AS A RELIGION | 137 |
REPUBLICANS ON MARSSCIENCE FICTION AS MILITARY STRATEGY | 163 |
THE THIRD WORLD AND OTHER ALIEN NATIONS | 185 |
THE FUTURE OF AN ILLUSIONSCIENCE FICTION BEYOND THE | 208 |
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Common terms and phrases
abduction aliens American Asimov astronauts atomic audience Ballard become believe bomb Bradbury century culture cyberpunk death Dianetics Dick Dick's Disch Donnelly dream drugs Earth editor Eliot fandom fans fantasies Farnham's Freehold feminist feminist science fiction film future genre genre's Gingrich Guin's hero human Ibid imagine J. G. Ballard Jerry Jerry Pournelle Joanna Russ John liars literary living magazine male Mars Martians matter Mesmeric Revelation Michael Moorcock moon Moorcock NASA novelist outer space paperback planet Poe's political Pournelle psychic published pulp Ray Bradbury readers Robert Heinlein robots rocket ship Ron Hubbard science fiction Scientology sense sexual SF novel SF writers SF's simply space opera space program spaceships Star Trek Strieber success tale theme things tion ture Ursula Le Guin Verne Wells's Whitley Strieber women wonder written wrote York