By examining important aspects of science fiction in the twentieth century, this book explains how the genre evolved to its current state. Close critical attention is given to topics including the art that has accompanied science fiction, the subgenres of space opera and hard science fiction, the rise of SF anthologies, and the burgeoning impact of the marketplace on authors.
Included are in-depth studies of key texts that contributed to science fiction’s growth, including Philip Francis Nowlan’s first Buck Rogers story, the first published stories of A. E. van Vogt, and the early juveniles of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein.
Author(s): Gary Westfahl
Edition: 1
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Year: 2019
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF
Pages: 312
Tags: Science Fiction, American: History And Criticism; American Fiction: 20th Century: History And Criticism
Cover
Half title
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I | The 1920s and Thereafter
1 | The Emergence of American Science Fiction and Its Impact on the World
2 | August 1928: Science Fiction’s Second Birthday
3 | Artists in Wonderland: Towards a True History of Science Fiction Art
Part II | The 1930s and Thereafter
4 | Pulp Science Fiction: A Student’s Guide
5 | Beyond Logic and Literacy: The Strange Case of Space Opera
6 | Five Ways to Conquer the Universe: The Forms of Space Opera
Part III | The 1940s and Thereafter
7 | The Tall Dark Stranger and the Boy Next Door: A. E. van Vogt and Robert A. Heinlein
8 | The Three Golden Ages of Science Fiction
9 | Assemblers of Infinity: The Early History of Science Fiction Anthologies
Part IV | The 1950s and Thereafter
10 | Invasion of the Saucer Men: How the Universe of Science Fiction Expanded in the 1950s
11 | Hard Science Fiction: An Overview
12 | The “Big Three” Approaches to Juvenile Science Fiction and Why One Worked and the Others Did Not
Epilog | The 1960s and Thereafter
13 | After Things Fell Apart: The Fragmentation of Science Fiction in the 1960s and 1970s
14 | Science Fiction Today: The Triumph of the Marketplace
Conclusion
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
