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. |
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Page i
Postmodern Science Fiction Damien Broderick. READING BY STARLIGHT Science fiction's impact on popular culture has been striking . Yet sf's imaginative texts often baffle or dismay readers trained to enjoy only the literary or ' canonical ...
Postmodern Science Fiction Damien Broderick. READING BY STARLIGHT Science fiction's impact on popular culture has been striking . Yet sf's imaginative texts often baffle or dismay readers trained to enjoy only the literary or ' canonical ...
Page iv
... postmodern science fiction / Damien Broderick p . cm . ( Popular fiction series ) 1. Science fiction , American ... Postmodernism ( Literature ) 5. Semiotics and literature . 6. Narration - ( Rhetoric ) 7. Literary form . I. Title . II ...
... postmodern science fiction / Damien Broderick p . cm . ( Popular fiction series ) 1. Science fiction , American ... Postmodernism ( Literature ) 5. Semiotics and literature . 6. Narration - ( Rhetoric ) 7. Literary form . I. Title . II ...
Page viii
... Postmodern science fiction 8 MAKING UP WORLDS What is the postmodern ? Mapping utopia Jameson's postmodern and sf Screen test A new dominant 49 50 5D FODORE POF ** DRE 51 53 55 56 57 59 61 64 65 67 69 70 74 75 76 77 78 80 82 85 89 90 91 ...
... Postmodern science fiction 8 MAKING UP WORLDS What is the postmodern ? Mapping utopia Jameson's postmodern and sf Screen test A new dominant 49 50 5D FODORE POF ** DRE 51 53 55 56 57 59 61 64 65 67 69 70 74 75 76 77 78 80 82 85 89 90 91 ...
Page ix
Postmodern Science Fiction Damien Broderick. 9 ALLOGRAPHY AND ALLEGORY Sf as allegory of reading Difference Remaking myth Myth re - complicated The music of words The interpretative context 10 SF AS A MODULAR CALCULUS A mirror for ...
Postmodern Science Fiction Damien Broderick. 9 ALLOGRAPHY AND ALLEGORY Sf as allegory of reading Difference Remaking myth Myth re - complicated The music of words The interpretative context 10 SF AS A MODULAR CALCULUS A mirror for ...
Page xvi
Postmodern Science Fiction Damien Broderick. admittedly , in many texts by such poststructuralists as Lacan , Foucault , Derrida and Baudrillard ) . 15 The newly dimensioned space required to replenish writing and thinking , Grosz ...
Postmodern Science Fiction Damien Broderick. admittedly , in many texts by such poststructuralists as Lacan , Foucault , Derrida and Baudrillard ) . 15 The newly dimensioned space required to replenish writing and thinking , Grosz ...
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 |
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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