Reading by Starlight: Postmodern Science FictionReading by Starlight explores the characteristics in the writing, marketing and reception of science fiction which distinguish it as a genre. Damien Broderick explores the postmodern self-referentiality of the sci-fi narrative, its intricate coded language and discursive `encyclopaedia'. He shows how, for perfect understanding, sci-fi readers must learn the codes of these imaginary worlds and vocabularies, all the time picking up references to texts by other writers. Reading by Starlight includes close readings of paradigmatic cyberpunk texts and writings by SF novelists and theorists including Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Aldiss, Patrick Parrinder, Kim Stanley Robinson, John Varley, Roger Zelazny, William Gibson, Fredric Jameson and Samuel R. Delaney. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 40
Page
... Dreams' (Autumn 1993). Southern Review: 'SF as a Modular Calculus' (Vol. 24, No. 1, March 1991). Science Fiction: A ... Dreams of Reason' (No. 19, March 1989); and 'Dreams of Unreason' (No. 22, Summer 1989). Introduction At this pivot of ...
... Dreams' (Autumn 1993). Southern Review: 'SF as a Modular Calculus' (Vol. 24, No. 1, March 1991). Science Fiction: A ... Dreams of Reason' (No. 19, March 1989); and 'Dreams of Unreason' (No. 22, Summer 1989). Introduction At this pivot of ...
Page viii
... DREAMS OF REASON AND UNREASON Out of the kindergarten Familiarising the estranged Monstrous dreams Cyberpunk Value - added trash Beyond satire 7 THE STARS MY DISSERTATION Learning the tropes Time's arrow , time's cycle Flaws in the ...
... DREAMS OF REASON AND UNREASON Out of the kindergarten Familiarising the estranged Monstrous dreams Cyberpunk Value - added trash Beyond satire 7 THE STARS MY DISSERTATION Learning the tropes Time's arrow , time's cycle Flaws in the ...
Page x
... Dreams ' ( Autumn 1993 ) . Southern Review : ' SF as a Modular Calculus ' ( Vol . 24 , No. 1 , March 1991 ) ... Dreams of Reason ' ( No. 19 , March 1989 ) ; and ' Dreams of Unreason ' ( No. 22 , Summer 1989 ) . INTRODUCTION At this pivot ...
... Dreams ' ( Autumn 1993 ) . Southern Review : ' SF as a Modular Calculus ' ( Vol . 24 , No. 1 , March 1991 ) ... Dreams of Reason ' ( No. 19 , March 1989 ) ; and ' Dreams of Unreason ' ( No. 22 , Summer 1989 ) . INTRODUCTION At this pivot ...
Page xii
... dreaming than to the methodologically speculative or cognitive . Several of these unwieldy but useful terms find their major sf - theoretic locus in the pioneering writings of Darko Suvin . In his Metamorphoses of Science Fiction , 2 ...
... dreaming than to the methodologically speculative or cognitive . Several of these unwieldy but useful terms find their major sf - theoretic locus in the pioneering writings of Darko Suvin . In his Metamorphoses of Science Fiction , 2 ...
Page 8
... dreams often express wishes and fears we would rather disown ( like the ' black arts ' of magic ) , science fiction is an outlet for what might be called ' black science ' . Dreams of omnipotence through abstract knowledge , hunger for ...
... dreams often express wishes and fears we would rather disown ( like the ' black arts ' of magic ) , science fiction is an outlet for what might be called ' black science ' . Dreams of omnipotence through abstract knowledge , hunger for ...
Contents
3 | |
GENERIC ENGINEERING | 21 |
GENRE OR MODE? | 38 |
THE USES OF OTHERNESS | 49 |
READING THE EPISTEME | 64 |
DREAMS OF REASON AND UNREASON | 75 |
THE STARS MY DISSERTATION | 89 |
MAKING UP WORLDS | 103 |
SF AS A MODULAR CALCULUS | 128 |
THE MULTIPLICITY OF WORLDS OF OTHERS | 137 |
THE AUTUMNAL CITY | 153 |
Notes | 159 |
Bibliography | 180 |
xi | 193 |
74 | 195 |
ALLOGRAPHY AND ALLEGORY | 117 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Aldiss alien allegory attempts attention become called Chapter character cited close codes cognitive common constituted constructed course critical culture death definition Delany Delany's detail developed discourse discussion dream early effect episteme especially example experience fantasy figure force future genre given human ibid icons images imagination important interesting Intersection invention Jameson John kind language late later least less limits linguistic literary literature Lobey Marxism means mega-text metaphor mode move myth narrative never notes novel object offers once perhaps play position possible postmodern precisely question reader reading reality recent reference relation remains science fiction scientific seems semiotic sense sf's signifiers social space specific Stars story Strange structure tell textual theory things thinking tropes true turn universe volume writing