Utopia forms a major aspect of human desire, one that is as important as religion. Understanding utopia and the ways in which it can collapse into dystopia is crucial in many disciplines. Fantastic literature (including science fiction and fantasy) is the only form of literature that takes utopia/dystopia seriously. Therefore, analysis of these works provides a basis for serious experimentation in social science.
Author(s): Martha A. Bartter
Series: Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Publisher: Praeger
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 166
1. Not So Blind Hope: An Introduction Thomas J. Morrissey......Page 10
2. Dark Shadows and Bright Lights: Generators and Maintainers of Utopias and Dystopias Roger C. Schlobin......Page 20
3. Mapping Utopia: Spatial and Temporal Sites of Meaning John C. Hawley......Page 26
4. We Are Marching to Utopia: Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano Donald E. Morse......Page 32
5. David Mamet’s The Water Engine: The Utopian Ideal as Social Control Jeanne Beckwith......Page 42
6. Kim Stanley Robinson’s Martian Vision Carl Swidorski......Page 52
7. Women and Mad Science: Women as Witnesses to the Scientific Re-creation of Humanity Cherilyn Lacy......Page 66
8. Digital Ambivalence: Utopia, Dystopia, and the Digital Cosmos Dennis M. Weiss......Page 76
9. Apprehending Identity in the Alldera Novels of Suzy McKee Charnas Bill Clemente......Page 90
10. You Can’t Go Home Again: Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick Lynn F. Williams and Martha Bartter......Page 100
11. “Momutes”: Momentary Utopias in Tepper’s Trilogies Robin Anne Reid......Page 110
12. Of Dystopias and Icons: Brin’s The Postman and Butler’s Parable of the Sower Oscar De Los Santos......Page 118
13. Beyond Personal Introspection: Classroom Response to Sherri Tepper’s The Gate to Women’s Country Tamara Wilson......Page 132
14. The Nature of “Outsider Dystopias”: Atwood, Starhawk, and Abbey Sharon Stevenson......Page 138
15. News from Somewhere: A Case for Romance-Tradition Fantasy’s Reformist Poetic Kelly Searsmith......Page 146
Index......Page 160
About the Contributors......Page 164
