Shape-Shifting: Images of Native Americans in Recent Popular FictionThis study of the Native American in the western, romance, detective, horror, and science fiction genres examines how even historically accurate representations distort and bias the Native American figure to fit European-based traditions and modern agendas. The authors provide critical approaches for evaluating the literature. They argue that while popular fiction conventions determine and limit authentic portraits of Native American cultures, successful popular fiction writers approach literary quality by fusing authentic Native American culture with the standard genre conventions. Approximately 200 books are discussed and evaluated, and true Native American stories and writings are contrasted with mainstream versions of Indian culture. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 79
... human beings — their predic- ament — is to maintain the link to the place of their origins by means of ritual and storytelling . First , as we have seen , humans needed to identify the essential patterns or maps of knowing that drew ...
... human strivings ; that they inhabit dark places , such as caves or forests , deep canyons , high mountains , or even beasts ; that they can possess people ; the idea that a constant balance must be maintained between spirit and human ...
... human beings have made only a recent purchase of a land of mystery and immense age . This stress on the brevity of human dominance fits perfectly with the theme of the uncertainty of perception : what we see as solid and unchanging is ...
Contents
Native Americans of the Imagination | 1 |
Accessing a Different | 21 |
The Enduring Creation Story | 45 |
Copyright | |
8 other sections not shown