Sunday, January 2, 2011

Sith, Slayers, Stargates, + Cyborgs -- From Peter Lang

Sith, Slayers, Stargates, + Cyborgs: Modern Mythology in the New Millennium 
Whitt, David / Perlich, John (eds.)
Series: Popular Culture and Everyday Life - Volume 19
General Editor: Toby Miller

Year of Publication: 2008
New York, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, Oxford, Wien, 2008. X, 218 pp.
ISBN 978-1-4331-0095-6 hardback


Book synopsis
The beginning of the twenty-first century has already seen its fair share of modern myths with heroes such as Spider-Man, Superman, and Harry Potter. The authors in this volume deconstruct, discuss, engage, and interrogate the mythologies of the new millennium in science fiction fantasy texts. Using literary and rhetorical criticism - paired with philosophy, cultural studies, media arts, psychology, and communication studies - they illustrate the function, value, and role of new mythologies, and show that the universal appeal of these texts is their mythic power, drawing upon archetypes of the past which resonate with individuals and throughout culture. In this way they demonstrate how mythology is timeless and eternal.

Contents:
John Perlich/David Whitt: Prologue: Not so Long Ago -
John Perlich: «I've Got a Bad Feeling About This...»: Lucas Gets Lost on the Path of Mythos -
David Whitt: Booyahs, Sonic Cannons, and a 50,000-Watt Power Cell: Teen Titans' Cyborg and the Frankenstein Myth -
Robert L. Strain Jr.: Galactica's Gaze: Naturalistic Science Fiction and the 21st Century Frontier Myth -
Scott Simpson/Jessica Sheffield: Neocolonialism, Technology, and Myth in the Stargate Universe -
Michael Marek: Firefly: So Pretty It Could Not Die -
Andrew Wood: «Small World»: Alex Proyas' Dark City and Omnitopia -
Tanya R. Cochran/Jason A. Edwards: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Quest Story: Revising the Hero, Reshaping the Myth -
Stephanie Kelley-Romano: Makin' Whoopi: Race, Gender, and the Starship Enterprise -
Beth E. Bonnstetter: Of Structures, Stories, and Spaceballs: Parody as Criticism of Genre Film and Myth -
John Perlich/David Whitt: Epilogue: The Circle is Now [In]complete.


About the author(s)/editor(s)
The Editors: David Whitt is Assistant Professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
John Perlich is Associate Professor at Hastings College, Nebraska. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

More (Again) from McFarland

The Anatomy of Utopia: Narration, Estrangement and Ambiguity in More, Wells, Huxley and Clarke 
Karoly Pinter
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
Foreword by Patrick Parrinder

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4036-8
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available)
notes, bibliography, index
244pp. softcover 2010
Price: $38.00

Description
Since the early rise of the novel, utopian stories have held the public imagination. This critical text argues that though these books are commonly seen as social statements or ideological propaganda, they should be treated as literary texts, not as blueprints for a human community. Thomas More’s Utopia, H.G. Wells’s A Modern Utopia, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, and Arthur C. Clarke’s The City and the Stars are examined as texts representative of utopianism during specific historical periods. This thoughtful study is a vital addition to critical discussion of utopian literature.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      ix
Foreword by Patrick Parrinder      1
Introduction      3

1. Utopia the Protean Concept      11
2. Encounters with a Stranger      45
3. Glimpses of a Moving Picture      97
4. After Utopia? Anti-Utopia and Science Fiction in the 20th Century      136

Conclusion      192
Chapter Notes      197
Bibliography      215
Index      227


About the Author
Karoly Pinter is an university professor of American history at PPKE in Budapest, Hungary.
Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.



Science Fiction from Quebec: A Postcolonial Study 
Amy J. Ransom
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3824-2
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available)
appendix, notes, bibliography, index
275pp. softcover 2009
Price: $39.95

Description
This first book-length study of French-language science fiction from Canada provides an introduction to the subgenre known as "SFQ" (science fiction from Quebec). In addition, it offers in-depth analyses of SFQ sagas by Jacques Brossard, Esther Rochon, and Elisabeth Vonarburg. It demonstrates how these multivolume narratives of colonization and postcolonial societies exploit themes typical of postcolonial literatures, including the denunciation of oppressive colonial systems, the utopian hope for a better future, and the celebration of tolerant pluralistic societies. A bibliography of SFQ available in English translation is included.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments      1

INTRODUCTION. Articulations: Québec, Science Fiction, and the Postcolonial      5
ONE. SFQ: History and Themes      33
TWO. Alien Nations: Dominance and Oppression in the SFQ Saga      60
THREE. Utopia and New World Myth in Québec’s Science-Fiction Sagas      118
FOUR. Logiques métisses: Hybridity and Transculturalism      182
CONCLUSION      210

Appendix: A Selected Bibliography of French-Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy in English      213
Chapter Notes      223
Works Cited—Primary Sources      235
Works Cited—Secondary Sources      243
Index      257


About the Author
Amy J. Ransom teaches at Central Michigan University, specializing in Quebec studies. She earned the Science Fiction Research Association’s Pioneer Award in 2007 for her work on French-language Canadian science fiction. Her previous publications include a book about classic French fantastic stories, as well as essays on Quebec’s fantastic and horror literature and film, alternate history, and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century French literature.
Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.




The Animal Fable in Science Fiction and Fantasy 
Bruce Shaw
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
Foreword by Van Ikin

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4783-1
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available)
bibliography, index
268pp. softcover 2010
Price: $35.00

Description
Though animal stories and fables stretch back into the antiquity of ancient India, Persia, Greece and Rome, the reasons for writing them and their resonance for readers (and listeners) remain consistent to the present. This work argues that they were essential sources of amusement and instruction--and were also often profoundly unsettling. Such authors in the realm of the animal fable as Tolkien, Freud, Voltaire, Bakhtin, Cordwainer Smith, Karel Capek, Vladimir Propp, and many more are discussed.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Van Ikin      1
Preface      5
Introduction: Why Choose Animals?      9

1. The Beast Fable      15
2. Philosophies of Laughter      31
3. The Lineage of the Animal Fable      46
4. Recasting the Animal Fable: Short Stories      56
5. Recasting the Animal Fable: Novels and Novellas      76
6. Author Biographies: Private Experience and Societal Fears      96
7. Satire and the Carnivalesque 1: The Heart of a Dog      122
8. Satire and the Carnivalesque 2: War with the Newts      135
9. Companionate and Erotic Love 1: Sirius      148
10. Companionate and Erotic Love: 2: Wish      166
11. “It Had Been Such a Nice Rabbit!”: City      179
12. Crafted Tales: “The Dead Lady of Clown Town”      198
13. Good for Reading      217

Bibliography      223
Index      239


About the Author
Bruce Shaw did his early professional work in anthropology, compiling oral history of aboriginal Australians. Later, he took up English literature. He lives in Perth, Western Australia.
Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.




Writing and the Digital Generation: Essays on New Media Rhetoric 
Edited by Heather Urbanski

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3720-7
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available)
photo, notes, bibliographies, indexes
278pp. softcover 2010
Price: $35.00

Description
Is it true that, in this era of digitization and mass media, reading and writing are on the decline? In a thought-provoking collection of essays and profiles, 30 contributors explore what may instead be a rise in rhetorical activity, an upsurge due in part to the sudden blurring of the traditional roles of creator and audience in participatory media. This collection explores topics too often overlooked by traditional academic scholarship, though critical to an exploration of rhetoric and popular culture, including fan fiction, reality television, blogging, online role-playing games, and Fantasy Football. Both scholarly and engaging, this text draws rhetorical studies into the digital age.

Table of Contents

Preface      1
Introduction: Blurring Rhetorical Borders
HEATHER URBANSKI      3

I. React: Maintaining a Fan Community Essays
1. The Inter(Active) Soap Opera Viewer: Fantastic Practices and Mediated Communities
MELISSA AMES      19
2. Going Deep: What Online Sports Culture Teaches Us About the Rhetorical Future of Social Networks
MICHAEL R. TRICE      33
3. Spoiling Heroes, Enhancing Our Viewing Pleasure: NBC’s Heroes and the Re-Shaping of the Televisual Landscape
MARINA HASSAPOPOULOU      45
4. History, the Trace, and Fandom Wank
KAREN HELLEKSON      58
5. Writing Wonder Women: How Playful Resistance Leads to Sustained Authorial Participation at Sequential Tart
KIMBERLY DEVRIES      70

Profiles
6. What the Frell Happened? Rhetorical Strategies of the Farscape Community
SEAN MOREY      83
7. The Realtime Forum Fan
THOMAS B. CAVANAGH      86
8. “As Seen on The Colbert Report”: Or, Why I Love Reality TV
GEORGIANA O. MILLER      90

II. Re-Mix: Participating in Established Narratives Essays
9. Making Our Voices Heard: Young Adult Females Writing Participatory Fan Fiction
SUSANNA COLEMAN      95
10. Dungeons and Dragons for Jocks: Trash Talking and Viewing Habits of Fantasy Football League Participants
JULIE L. ROWSE      106
11. Alternate Universes on Video: Ficvid and the Future of Narrative
KIM MIDDLETON      117

Profiles
12. Dean, Mal and Snape Walk into a Bar: Lessons in Crossing Over
JULIE FLYNN      132
13. Stars of a Different Variety: Stealth Teaching Through Fanfic
KRISTINE LARSEN      135

III. Re-Create: Creating Narratives within Established Frames Essays
14. Writing and Rhetoric for a Ludic Democracy: YouTube, Fandom, and Participatory Pleasure
DIANE PENROD      141
15. World of Rhetcraft: Rhetorical Production and Raiding in World of Warcraft
CHRISTOPHER PAUL      152
16. Rekindling Rhetoric: Oratory and Marketplace Culture in Guild Wars
MATTHEW S. S. JOHNSON      162
17. Virtual Guerrillas and a World of Extras: Shooting Machinima in Second Life
MARK PEPPER      174
18. Remix, Play, and Remediation: Undertheorized Composing Practices
ANDRÉA DAVIS, SUZANNE WEBB, DUNDEE LACKEY, and DÀNIELLE NICOLE DEVOSS      186

Profiles
19. Conf(us)(ess)ions of a Videogame Role-Player
ZACH WAGGONER      198
20. Born Again in a Fictional Universe: A Participant Portrait of EVE Online
HARALD WARMELINK      201
21. A Place to Call Home: The Experience of One Guild Chat in World of Warcraft
WENDI JEWELL      204
22. Magic Canvas: Digital Building Blocks
CATHERINE MCDONALD      207

IV. Teaching the Digital Generation Essays
23. Encouraging Feedback: Responding to Fan Fiction at Different Colored Pens
JULI PARRISH      213
24. MetaSpace: Meatspace and Blogging Intersect
ELIZABETH KLEINFELD      226
25. Meeting the Digital Generation in the Classroom: A Reflection on the Obstacles
HEATHER URBANSKI      239

Profiles
26. Making Dorothy Parker My MySpace Friend: A Classroom Application for Social Networks
ASHLEY ANDREWS      252
27. Novel Cartographies, New Correspondences
JENTERY SAYERS      255

About the Contributors      259
Index      265

About the Author
Heather Urbanski is an assistant professor of English and director of composition at Central Connecticut State University, in New Britain, Connecticut.



Jerry Vermilye 

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3605-7
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available) 
76 photos, filmography, notes, bibliography, index
208pp. hardcover 2008

Buy Now!
Price: $49.95
Quantity:   

Available for immediate shipment
Description
Buster Crabbe’s chief claim to fame, aside from his Olympic gold medal (for the 400-meter freestyle event in 1932), rests in the trio of movie serials in which he played the popular science-fiction hero Flash Gordon. Crabbe was the only actor to play the roles of Tarzan (in one movie), Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers, the top three pulp action heroes of the 1930s. Crabbe carved out a career that would also include more than 100 B-movies and program Westerns, a television adventure series, and a successful physical fitness enterprise. All of this and more is detailed in this book, which includes a complete filmography providing cast and crew information for each of his 103 feature films and serials.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1
The Biography      3
The Films      49

(in order of release)

Good News      49
The Maker of Men      50
Huddle      50
The Most Dangerous Game      51
That’s My Boy      51
King of the Jungle      51
Man of the Forest      54
To the Last Man      55
Tarzan the Fearless      57
Sweetheart of Sigma Chi      59
The Thundering Herd      61
Search for Beauty      63
You’re Telling Me      66
Badge of Honor      67
We’re Rich Again      68
The Oil Raider      70
She Had to Choose      71
Hold ’Em Yale      72
The Wanderer of the Wasteland      74
Nevada      75
Drift Fence      77
Desert Gold      79
Flash Gordon      81
The Arizona Raiders      84
Lady Be Careful      86
Rose Bowl      88
Arizona Mahoney      89
King of Gamblers      91
Murder Goes to College      92
Forlorn River      94
Sophie Lang Goes West      95
Thrill of a Lifetime      97
Daughter of Shanghai      99
Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars      101
Tip-Off Girls      104
Hunted Men      105
Red Barry      107
Illegal Traffic      109
Unmarried      110
Million Dollar Legs      112
Buck Rogers      114
Colorado Sunset      116
Call a Messenger      118
Sailor’s Lady      119
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe      122
Jungle Man      124
Billy the Kid Wanted      126
Billy the Kid’s Round-Up      127
Billy the Kid Trapped      128
Billy the Kid’s Smoking Guns      130
Jungle Siren      131
Law and Order      133
Wildcat      134
Sheriff of Sage Valley      135
The Mysterious Rider      136
The Kid Rides Again      137
Queen of Broadway      137
Fugitive of the Plains      139
Western Cyclone      140
The Renegades      141
Cattle Stampede      142
Blazing Frontier      143
Devil Riders      144
Nabonga      145
Thundering Gun Slingers      146
Frontier Outlaws      147
Valley of Vengeance      149
The Contender      150
Fuzzy Settles Down      151
Rustlers’ Hideout      152
Wild Horse Phantom      153
Oath of Vengeance      153
The Drifter      154
His Brother’s Ghost      156
Shadows of Death      156
Gangster’s Den      157
Stagecoach Outlaws      158
Border Badmen      159
Fighting Bill Carson      159
Prairie Rustlers      160
Lightning Raiders      161
Gentlemen with Guns      162
Ghost of Hidden Valley      163
Prairie Badmen      164
Terrors on Horseback      165
Overland Riders      166
Swamp Fire      167
Outlaws of the Plains      168
Last of the Redmen      169
The Sea Hound      172
Caged Fury      174
Captive Girl      176
Pirates of the High Seas      178
King of the Congo      179
Gun Brothers      181
The Lawless Eighties      182
Badman’s Country      184
Gunfighters of Abilene      185
The Bounty Killer      186
Arizona Raiders      187
The Comeback Trail      189
The Alien Dead      190
Swim Team      191

Bibliography      193
Index      195


About the Author
Writer Jerry Vermilye is an actor and lives in New York City.


Katherine J. Weese 
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3615-6
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available) 
notes, bibliography, index
234pp. softcover 2008
Price: $35.00

Description
Women authors have explored fantasy fiction in ways that connect with feminist narrative theories, as examined here by Katherine J. Weese in seven modern novels. These include Margaret Atwood’s Lady Oracle, Iris Murdoch’s The Sea, the Sea, Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping, Carol Shields’s The Stone Diaries, Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Paradise.

The fantastic devices highlight various feminist narrative concerns such as the authority of the female voice, the implications of narrative form for gender construction, revisions to traditional genre conventions by women writers, and the recovery of alternative versions of stories suppressed by dominant historical narratives. Weese also frames the fantastic elements in the scope of traditional fictional structure.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      xi
Preface      1
Introduction: Theories of the Fantastic and Feminist Narrative Theory—An Intersection      5

PART I. GOTHIC FICTIONS AND THE FANTASTIC
1. The Novel Weapon: Gender and Genre in Iris Murdoch’s The Sea, the Sea      31
2. From “The Lady of Shalott” to “Lady Lazarus”: Margaret Atwood’s Lady Oracle      48

PART II. GHOSTLY NARRATORS AND NARRATIVE VOICE
3. Narration from Beyond the Grave in Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping      71
4. The “Invisible” Woman: Narrative Strategies in Carol Shields’s The Stone Diaries      87

PART III. THE HISTORICAL NOVEL AND THE FANTASTIC
5. “The Eyes in the Trees”: Transculturation and Magic Realism in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible      109
6. Telling Beloved’s Story      125
7. The Gospel According to Consolata: Alternative Christianities and Toni Morrison’s Paradise      146

Chapter Notes      175
Bibliography      203
Index      217


About the Author
Katherine J. Weese is an English professor at Hampden-Sydney College. Her articles on the fantastic and feminist fiction have appeared in Journal of Narrative Theory, Modern Fiction Studies, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts and Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction.
Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

More New/Recent from McFarland

Tech-Noir: The Fusion of Science Fiction and Film Noir 
Paul Meehan

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3325-4
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available)
64 photos, filmography, notes, bibliography, index
272pp. hardcover (7 x 10) 2008
Price: $55.00

Description
This critical study traces the common origins of film noir and science fiction films, identifying the many instances in which the two have merged to form a distinctive subgenre known as Tech-Noir. From the German Expressionist cinema of the late 1920s to the present-day cyberpunk movement, the book examines more than 100 films in which the common noir elements of crime, mystery, surrealism, and human perversity intersect with the high technology of science fiction. The author also details the hybrid subgenre’s considerable influences on contemporary music, fashion, and culture.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1

1. Things to Come Seen Through a Scanner Darkly: The World of Tech-Noir      3
2. Metropolis of the Homunculus: The German Silent and Early Sound Period, 1916–1932      19
3. Mad Doctors and Mobsters: American Sci-Fi/Horror Films, 1932–1949      47
4. Atom-Age Noir: Tech-Noir and Film Noir in the Atomic Fifties, 1950–1961      88
5. Eating Soylent Green in Alphaville: Genesis of a Subgenre, 1961–1979      115
6. Blade Runners, Terminators and Neuromancers: Cyberpunk Cinema, 1980–1989      150
7. Masters of the Matrix: The Triumph of Black Tech, 1990–2006      192

Conclusion
Genre Splice: Night and the Mega-City      235
Filmography      239
Chapter Notes      249
Bibliography      251
Index      253


About the Author
Paul Meehan has also written on UFOs in cinema, and is a contributor to the Noir City Sentinel, the journal of the Film Noir Foundation. He lives in San Francisco.



Cinema of the Psychic Realm: A Critical Survey 
Paul Meehan

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3966-9
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available)
68 photos, filmography, notes, bibliography, index
238pp. softcover 2009
Price: $39.95

Description
Cinema is ideally suited to the world of psychic phenomena. A technique as simple as a voice-over can simulate mental telepathy, while unusual lighting, set design, or creative digital manipulation can conjure clairvoyant visions, precognition, or even psychokinesis.

This book analyzes the depiction of paranormal powers in film, examining how movies like Star Wars, Independence Day, The Green Mile, and dozens of others both reflect and influence the way modern society thinks about psychic abilities. The theme is explored in nearly 100 films from a variety of genres including drama, comedy, horror, science fiction, crime melodrama, and children’s films, providing a concise review of the history and concepts of mainstream cinematic parapsychology.

Table of Contents

Preface      1

1. A Brief History of the Paranormal in Fact and Fiction      9
2. Early Paranormal Films      26
3. ESP in Drama, Comedy and Children’s Films      37
4. Paranormal Crime and Melodrama      59
5. The Dark Side of ESP: Horror and Fantasy      75
6. Alien ESP      106
7. Psi-Fi: Psychic Science Fiction Blockbusters      141
8. Remote Viewing, Black Psi-Ops and Paranoia      177

Conclusion      206
Filmography      211
Chapter Notes      219
Bibliography      221
Index      223


About the Author
Paul Meehan has also written on UFOs in cinema, and is a contributor to the Noir City Sentinel, the journal of the Film Noir Foundation. He lives in San Francisco.



Farah Mendlesohn 
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3503-6
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available) 
appendices, notes, bibliography, index
283pp. softcover 2009

Buy Now!
Price: $45.00

Description
Science fiction is often considered the genre of ideas and imagination, which would seem to make it ideal for juveniles and young adults; however, the ideas are often dispensed by adults. This book considers the development of science fiction for children and teens between 1950 and 2010, exploring why it differs from science fiction aimed at adults. In a broader sense, this critical examination of 400 texts sheds light on changing attitudes toward children and teenagers, toward science education, and toward the authors’ expectations and sociological views of their audience.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vii
Introduction      1

1. What Do We Mean When We Say “Science Fiction”?      9
2. Red Herrings and Living-Room Elephants: How We Understand Children and Children’s Reading      22
3. Science, Information Density and the SF Reader      49
4. Trajectories and Periodicity: Expectations of the Child in Science Fiction      83
5. Socialization and the Gendered (Future) Society      112
6. You Gotta Have a Theme; or, the Paucity of Plots      135
7. Best Practice Now      175

Appendix A. Index to Out of this World      199
Appendix B. The Survey Questionnaire      203
Appendix C. Analysis of the Survey, by Zara Baxter and Farah Mendlesohn      205
Appendix D. The Golden Age of Science Fiction Is Three: Science Fiction Picture Books      228
Chapter Notes      243
Bibliography      249
Index      263


About the Author
Farah Mendlesohn teaches science fiction and fantasy literature at Middlesex University in London.  Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.


Edited by Donald E. Morse and Kalman Matolcsy 
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
Foreword by Brian Aldiss

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4942-2
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available) 
index
[192]pp. softcover 2011
Price: $35.00

Not Yet Published, Available Spring/Summer 2011
Description
Robert Holdstock was a prolific writer whose oeuvre included horror, fantasy, mystery and the novelization of films, often published under pseudonyms. These twelve critical essays explore the varied output of Holdstock by displaying his works against the backdrop of folk and fairy tales, dissecting their spaciotemporal order, and examining them as psychic fantasies of our unconscious life or as exempla of the sublime. The individual novels of the Mythago Wood sequence are explored, as is Holdstock’s early science fiction and the Merlin Codex series.

About the Author
Donald E. Morse is a professor at the University of Debrecen and is Emeritus professor at the University of Oakland in Michigan. He is the author of a dozen books and over 100 scholarly articles. Kalman Matolcsy is a translator, poet, composer, and also a professor at the University of Debrecen. He has written numerous scholarly articles on the literature of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.



Marek Oziewicz 
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
Foreword by Brian Attebery

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3135-9
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available) 
notes, bibliography, index
271pp. softcover 2008

Description
This work presents the genre of mythopoeic fantasy from a holistic perspective, arguing that this central genre of fantasy literature is largely misunderstood as a result of decades of incomplete and reductionist literary studies. The author asserts that mythopoeic fantasy is not only the most complete literary expression of a worldview based on the existence of supernatural or spiritual powers but that the genre is in a unique position to transform social consciousness with a renewed emphasis on anticipating the future. The author lays out theoretical foundations for his argument in the first four chapters and then demonstrates how the works of fantasy authors Ursula K. LeGuin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L’Engle, and Orson Scott Card exemplify his argument in the remaining four chapters.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      v
Foreword by Brian Attebery      1
Introduction      3

1. The Confusion over Fantasy and the Confusions of the Theoretical Era      13
2. Reductionist and Holistic Criticisms in a Battle of Worldviews      39
3. Mythopoeic Fantasy as a Modern Genre      65
4. Twentieth-Century Rehabilitation of Myth and the Search for a New Story      91
5. Rediscovering Harmony: Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Sequence (1964–2001)      118
6. Bridging the Past with the Future: Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles (1964–1973)      144
7. Integrating Science and Spirituality: Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quartet (1962–1986)      171
8. Reconnecting with Nature: Orson Scott Card’s Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003)      198

Conclusion      225
Chapter Notes      229
Works Cited      245
Index      259


About the Author
Marek Oziewicz is assistant professor of literature and director of the Center for Children’s and Young Adult Fiction at the Institute of English Studies, University of Wroclaw in Poland.
Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

 Award Winner 
Winner, Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies--The Mythopoeic Society


Deborah Painter 
Foreword by Joe Moe

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4884-5
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available) 
88 photos, appendix, bibliography, index
224pp. hardcover (7 x 10) 2011
Price: $45.00

Book Launch February 2011

Description
Forrest J Ackerman (1916-2008) was an author, archivist, agent, actor, promoter, and editor of the iconic fan magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland; a founder of science ction fandom; and one of the world’s foremost collectors of sci- , horror and fantasy lms, literature, and memorabilia. This biography begins with a foreword by Joe Moe, Ackerman’s caregiver and close friend since 1982. It documents Ackerman’s lifelong dedication to his work in both literature and lm; his interests, travels, relationships and associations with famous personalities; and his lasting impact on popular culture. Primary research material includes letters given by Ackerman to the author during their long friendship, and numerous reminiscences from Ackerman’s friends, fans and colleagues.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viii
Foreword: Marching to the Beast of a Different Dreamer by Joe Moe      1
Preface      5

1. Forry’s Background, Family and Early Years      11
2. “I Couldn’t Sleep with Marlene Dietrich!”      26
3. Sergeant Ack-Ack      41
4. The 1950s—Forry’s Rise to Fame      49
5. The 1960s—Forrest J Ackerman, Movie Actor      64
6. The 1970s—Colleges, Conventions and Creatures      86
7. The 1980s—The Best of Times, the Worst of Times      101
8. The 1990s—Pinnacles of Achievement      117
9. The 2000s—Documentarian and Octogenarian      151

Five Personal Reminiscences (Powell, Knight, Atkins, Hawk, Morrow)      181
Chapter Notes      201
A Brief Bio-Bibliography      203
Bibliography      207
Index      209


About the Author
Deborah Painter has written articles for such magazines as Filmfax and Horse and Horseman. She is an environmental services director for REMSA Incorporated and lives in Norfolk, Virginia.



Edited by John Perlich and David Whitt 

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4562-2
Ebook ISBN: (isbn not yet available) 
notes, bibliographies, index
212pp. softcover 2010

Buy Now!
Price: $39.95
Quantity:   

Available for immediate shipment
Description
Contemporary myths, particularly science fiction and fantasy texts, can provide commentary on who we are as a culture, what we have created, and where we are going. These nine essays from a variety of disciplines expand upon the writings of Joseph Campbell and the hero’s journey. Modern examples of myths from various sources such as Planet of the Apes, Wicked, Pan’s Labyrinth, and Spirited Away; the Harry Potter series; and Second Life are analyzed as creative mythology and a representation of contemporary culture and emerging technology.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii
Preface: “There and Back Again…”      1

Contrasting Colors
1. Sorting Heroic Choices: Green and Red in the Harry Potter Septology
(KIRSTIN CRONN-MILLS and JESSICA SAMENS)      5
2. The Complexity of Evil in Modern Mythology: The Evolution of the Wicked Witch of the West
(JASON EDWARDS and BRIAN KLOSA)      32
3. Polysemous Myth: Incongruity in Planet of the Apes
(RICHARD BESEL and RENEÉ SMITH BESEL)      51

New Champions
4. The Hero with the Thousand-and-First Face: Miyazaki’s Girl Quester in Spirited Away and Campbell’s Monomyth
(DEE GEORTZ)      67
5. The Odyssey of Madame Souza: A Heroine’s Quest in The Triplets of Belleville
(DAVID WHITT)      83
6. Rethinking the Monomyth: Pan’s Labyrinth and the Face of a New Hero(ine)
(JOHN PERLICH)      100

No Boundaries
7. Actors and Their Mythic Heroes: From the Doctor to Captain Kirk
(DJOYMI BAKER)      129
8. Running Free in Angelina Jolie’s Virtual Body: The Myth of the New Frontier and Gender Liberaton in Second Life
(ELLEN GORSEVSKI)      146
9. So Where Do I Go from Here? Ghost in the Shell and Imagining Cyborg Mythology for the New Millennium
(JAY SCOTT CHIPMAN)      167

Epilogue: “Always in Motion Is the Future…”      193
About the Contributors      197
Index      199


About the Author
John Perlich is a professor of communication studies at Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska. David Whitt is an associate professor of communication at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Being Human on SyFy

SyFy premieres the American version of BBC3's Being Human on Monday, 17 January. More deatils at its official website: http://www.syfy.com/beinghuman/index.php.

Monday, December 27, 2010

New from I. B. Tauris

The Cult TV Book 
Edited by: Stacey Abbott
Paperback | In Stock | £14.95

Imprint: I.B.Tauris
Publisher: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
Series: Investigating Cult TV Series

Paperback
ISBN: 9781848850262
Publication Date: 28 Feb 2010
Number of Pages: 288
Height: 234
Width: 156

Cult TV is a very exciting area of contemporary television. "The Cult TV Book" is the companion reference to this TV phenomenon, whose shows push the boundaries and offer biting commentaries on society today. Cult TV is also changing. Where being cult used to mean being marginal with a small, loyal fan base, cult TV is now key to the television industry, fandom is global and online, cult status for a show is fostered by the networks, and cult series are noted for their spectacular special effects and sumptuous visual style. So, what is cult TV today?

Leading scholars, writers and journalists redefine our understanding of cult TV, with new approaches to and case studies on: Cult TV aesthetics, History of cult TV, Cult TV & new media, The 'sub-cultural celebrity', Jane Espenson on how to write cult TV, Cult TV & the broadcast industry, Music, Innovation, Cult channels, Children's cult TV, Sex, Gender, Race, Cult audiences, Transgressive TV, Cult of cult TV, Nancy Holder on writing tie-ins, TV & Film Guide, Fan fiction, "Battlestar Galactica", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Doctor Who", "The Avengers", "The Prisoner", "Quatermass", "The Sopranos", "Masters of Horror", "The Twilight Zone", "Twin Peaks", "Grey's Anatomy", "Bagpuss", "South Park", "The X Files", "Da Ali G Show", "Trailer Park Boys" and "Angel". Contributors include: Stacey Abbott, Sergio Angelini, Jes Battis, Stan Beeler, Miles Booy, Simon Brown, Bronwen Calvert, Jane Espenson, Dick Fiddy, Lincoln Geraghty, Janet K. Halfyard, Matt Hills, Nancy Holder, Catherine Johnson, Lorna Jowett, Roz Kaveney, Roberta Pearson, Denzell Richards, Hillary Robson, David Simmons, Sharon Sutherland, Paul Sutton, Sarah Swan, Donato Totaro, Rhonda V. Wilcox and Tat Wood.

Contents (from BN.com)


Table of Contents
Acknowledgments x
About the Contributors xii
Introduction: 'Never Give Up-Never Surrender!': The Resilience of Cult Television Stacey Abbott 1
Part 1 Defining Cult TV: History, Aesthetics, Discourses
Chapter 1 Observations on Cult Television Roberta Pearson 7
Chapter 2 Members Only: Cult TV from Margins to Mainstream Sergio Angelini Miles Booy 19
Case Study: Twin Peaks-Miles Booy 28
Chapter 3 The Aesthetics of Cult Television Rhonda V. Wilcox 31
Chapter 4 Babylon 5 Sergio Angelini 41
Chapter 5 Playing Hard to ‘Get’-How to Write Cult TV Jane Espenson 45
Chapter 6 The Twilight Zone Stan Beeler 55
Part 2 Reading Cult TV: Texts and Contexts
Chapter 7 The Avengers/The New Avengers Paul Sutton 61
Chapter 8 Mainstream Cult Matt Hills 67
Case Study: Grey's Anatomy Hillary Robson 74
Chapter 9 Transgressive TV Jes Battis 77
Case Study: Trailer Park Boys Sharon Sutherland Sarah Swan 84
Case Study: Masters of Horror Donato Totaro 87
Chapter 10 Innovative TV Stacey Abbott 91
Case Study: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Stacey Abbott 100
Case Study: The Prisoner Sergio Angelini 103
Chapter 11 Representation: Exploring Issuses of Sex, Gender, and Race in Cult Television Lorna Jowett 107
Case Study: Angel Lorna Jowett 114
Case Study: Battlestar Galactica Bronwen Calvert 117
Chapter 12 Boldly Going: Music and Cult TV Jenet K. Halfyard 121
Part 3 Constructing Cult TV: The Broadcast Industry and Cult Television
Chapter 13 The Star Trek Franchise Lincoln Geraghty 131
Chapter 14 Cult TV and the Television Industry Catherine Johnson 135
Case Study: HBO and the Sopranos Catherine Johnson 148
Case Study: The Quatermass Serials Catherine Johnson 150
Chapter 15 Cult Channels: Showtime, FX, and Cult TV Simon Brown 155
Case Study: The X-Files Simon Brown 163
Chapter 16 Through the Oblong Window: The Regulated Duopoly and the Creation of a Cult Children's 'Canon' in Britain Tat Wood 167
Case Study: Bagpuss Tat Wood 175
Chapter 17 Cult TV and New Media Denzell Richards 179
Chapter 18 Doctor Who Miles Booy 189
Chapter 19 Writing Tie-ins Nancy Holder 191
Chapter 20 South Park David Simmons 199
Part 4 The Cult in Cult TV: Audiences, Fans, and Fandom
Chapter 21 Dark Shadows Stacey Abbott 205
Chapter 22 Television and the Cult Audience: A Primer Hillary Robson 209
Case Study: Da Ali G Show Hillary Robson 221
Chapter 23 The Cult of Cult TV? Dick Fiddy 225
Chapter 24 Subcultural Celebrity Matt Hills 233
Chapter 25 Sapphire & Steel Sergio Angelini 239
Chapter 26 Gen, Slash, OT3s, and Crossover-The Varieties of Fan Fiction Roz Kaveney 243
Works Cited 248
Television and Film Guide 260
Index 268



Author:

Senior Lecturer in Film and Television Studies, Roehampton University. She is the editor of 'Reading Angel' (Tauris, 2005), co-editor of 'Investigating Alias' (Tauris, 2007), and author of 'Celluloid Vampires' (2007). She is also Series Editor of Tauris' 'Investigating Cult TV Series'.




Battlestar Galactica: Investigating Flesh, Spirit and Steel 
Edited by: Roz Kaveney, Jennifer Stoy
Paperback | In Stock | £14.99

Imprint: I.B.Tauris
Publisher: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd
Series: Investigating Cult TV Series

Paperback
ISBN: 9781848853737
Publication Date: 02 Jul 2010
Number of Pages: 288
Height: 216
Width: 134


"The West Wing" or "Generation Kill" in Space? A show about God-fearing sex-obsessed robots? Or a complex meditation on fate, dreaming and eternal recurrence? Of all recent television science fiction series, the reimagined "Battlestar Galactica" is the most highly praised and consistently inventive and intelligent. Where the original show was a straightforward space opera, the new one is rich, strange and above all unpredictable. This book covers the new "Battlestar Galactica" from beginning to end, covering all of the show's principal themes from the depiction of sexuality in an era of artificial people and downloaded memories to what it means to be a member of a military organization when the stakes are not victory or defeat but survival. Like all the best shows about the future or the past - we are never sure when all this is supposed to be happening - "Battlestar Galactica" is a series about the present; chapters here cover its depiction of the post-9.11 world and such issues as abortion and worker's rights.

This definitive book on the full new "Battlestar Galactica" also includes an interview with Jane Espenson, co-executive producer of the show's last seasons and writer/director of the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel film "The Plan", with a complete episode guide.


Contents (from WorldCAT):

Of great zeitgeist and bad faith: an introduction to Battlestar Galactica / Jennifer Stoy --
Adama and (Mitochondial) Eve: a foundation myth for White folks / Geoff Ryman --
Frak Me: reproduction, gender, sexuality / Lorna Jowett --
Disco Galactica: futures past and present / Benjamin Halligan --
The military organism: rank, family and obedience in Battlestar Galactica / Roz Kaveney --
Real-imagining terror in Battlestar Galactica: negotiating real and fantasy in Battlestar Galactica's political metaphor / Steven Rawle --
Butch girls, brittle boys and sexy, sexless cylons: some gender problems in Battlestar Galactica / Matthew Jones --
Sci Fi ghettos: Battlestar Galactica and genre aesthetics / Sergio Dias Branco --
The luxury of being simply human: unwritten and rewritten queer histories in Battlestar Galactica / Karen K. Burrows --
Interrogating Galactica; an interview with Jane Espenson Jennifer Stoy and Roz Kaveney --
On the end, decline and fall of television shows / Roz Kaveney --
Appendix: Battlestar Galactica episode guide

Authors:

Roz Kaveney is editor of 'Reading the Vampire Slayer' and author of books 'Superheroes!', Teen Dreams and From Alien to The Matrix, all I.B.Tauris. Jennifer Stoy is a writer and editor on popular culture, based in the USA.

New from Baylor UP

Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television 
By Douglas E. Cowan

Paperback, 326 pages $24.95
Published: 15th August 2010
ISBN: 9781602582385
Format: 9in x 6in

Subjects: All Cultural Studies, All Literature, Media Studies, Religion & Literature, Religion & Popular Culture

As humans, it is our trust in something larger than ourselves that invests our lives with meaning and value. We hope that outside the boundaries of everyday living there lies something greater. As Doug Cowan argues, science fiction is the genre of possibility and hope, a principal canvas on which writers, artists, and filmmakers have sketched their visions of this transcendent potential for generations. In Sacred Space, he leads readers in a compelling exploration of how this transcendence is manifested in science-fiction cinema and television of today.

From the millennial dreams of a future bright with potential to the promise of evolution from some as-yet-undreamed engine of creation, science fiction’s visions of transcendence animate the pages of Sacred Space. Drawing on the most popular examples—Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, and Stargate SG-1—as well as the lesser known but no less important, Cowan reveals the multivalent religious ideas present in this media. Why do these themes that consistently appear in science fiction matter? What do they reveal about the often ambivalent relationship between outer space and our spirits? Cowan insightfully shows how these films and shows express and reinforce culturally constructed conceptions of transcendent hope, and along the way provides a provocative reflection on what this ultimately says about our culture’s worldviews, hopes, and fears.

CONTENTS

Preface

Part I.  Science Fiction and the Quest for Transcendence

1. The Brightness against the Black

2. Pinocchio’s Galaxy
    Science Fiction and the Question of Transcendence

3. First Contact
    Human Exceptionalism in the Calculus of Hope

4. “Intellects Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic”
    The War of the Worlds and the Transcendence of Modernity

Part II: Science Fiction and the Modes of Transcendence

5. Heeding the Prophet’s Call
    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

6. The von Däniken Paradox
    Stargate SG-1 

7. All Alone in the Night
    Babylon 5

8. So Say We All
    Battlestar Galactica

9. The Truth is Out There
    Transcendence and the Neverending Quest

Filmography

Bibliography

Index


Douglas E. Cowan is Professor of Religious Studies at Renison University College, University of Waterloo. His most recent publications include Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen; Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet; and Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario.

New from BBC America

I'm still catching up on things, but here are some updates from BBC America.

On Christmas Day, BBC America aired this year's Doctor Who Christmas special, "A Christmas Carol," putting the Doctor Who twist on Dickens's story in which a miser living on an alien world discovers the true meaning of the season thanks to the Eleventh Doctor.




And, coming January 1st, BBC America premieres season 4 of Primeval:

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

More Books from McFarland

Another batch of new and recent books from McFarland:


Dracula in Visual Media: Film, Television, Comic Book and Electronic Game Appearances, 1921-2010
John Edgar Browning and Caroline Joan (Kay) Picart
Foreword by Dacre Stoker; Afterword by Ian Holt

ISBN 978-0-7864-3365-0
55 photos, appendices, chronology, bibliography, index
312pp. softcover (7 x 10) 2011
Price: $45.00

Description

This is a comprehensive sourcebook on the world’s most famous vampire, with more than 700 citations of domestic and international Dracula films, television programs, documentaries, adult features, animated works, and video games, as well as nearly a thousand comic books and stage adaptations. While they vary in length, significance, quality, genre, moral character, country, and format, each of the cited works adopts some form of Bram Stoker’s original creation, and Dracula himself, or a recognizable vampiric semblance of Dracula, appears in each.

The book includes contributions from Dacre Stoker, David J. Skal, Laura Helen Marks, Dodd Alley, Mitch Frye, Ian Holt, Robert Eighteen-Bisang, and J. Gordon Melton.


Table of Contents

Foreword
DACRE STOKER      1
Preface and Acknowledgments      3

Part I. Dracula in Film, Television, Documentary, and Animation      9
Introduction—Dracula: Undead and Unseen
DAVID J. SKAL      11
Filmography      18

Part II. Dracula in Adult Film      191
Introduction—I Want to Suck Your...: Dracula in Pornographic Film
LAURA HELEN MARKS      193
Filmography      200

Part III. Dracula in Video Games      213
Introduction—Vampire Bytes and Digital Draculas
DODD ALLEY      215
Video Gameography      219

Part IV. Dracula in Comic Books      237
Introduction—The Darker Cape: Dracula, Vampires, and Superheroes in Comics
MITCH FRYE      239
Comics Listing      244
Japanese Manga      261

Afterword IAN HOLT      263
Appendix 1. Dracula in Print: A Checklist
ROBERT EIGHTEEN-BISANG and J. GORDON MELTON      265
Appendix 2. Film, Television, and Video Game Chronology      273
Appendix 3. Notable Dramatizations Featuring Dracula      284
Bibliography      289
About the Authors and Contributors      291
Index      293

About the Author
John Edgar Browning teaches composition and monster theory at Louisiana State University. A lifelong researcher of horror, the Gothic, Dracula and vampires, he lives in New Orleans. Caroline Joan (Kay) Picart is the author (or co-author) of 58 books and essays and 88 popular articles on monstrosity and film, philosophy, and critical theory. She is a J.D. candidate at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.


Edited by Susan Redington Bobby 
Foreword by Kate Bernheimer

ISBN 978-0-7864-4115-0 
notes, bibliographies, index
270pp. softcover 2009
Price: $35.00

Description

No mere escapist fantasies, the reimagined fairy tales of the late 20th and early 21st centuries reflect the social, political, and cultural truths of our age with insight, intelligence, and complexity. Sixteen essays consider fairy tales recreated through short stories, novels, poetry, and the graphic novel from both best-selling and lesser-known writers, applying a variety of theoretical perspectives, including postmodernism, psychoanalysis, Marxism, feminism, structuralism, queer theory, and gender studies.


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vii
Foreword: The Affect of Fairy Tales
KATE BERNHEIMER      1
Introduction: Authentic Voices in Contemporary Fairy Tales
SUSAN REDINGTON BOBBY      5

Redefining Gender and Sexuality
Queering the Fairy Tale Canon: Emma Donoghue’s Kissing the Witch
MARTINE HENNARD DUTHEIL DE LA ROCHÈRE      13
Contemporary Women Poets and the Fairy Tale
CHRISTA MASTRANGELO JOYCE      31
Struggling Sisters and Failing Spells: Re-engendering Fairy Tale Heroism in Peg Kerr’s The Wild Swans
BETHANY JOY BEAR      44
Found Girls: J.M. Barrie’s Peter & Wendy and Jane Yolen’s “Lost Girls”
JOANNE CAMPBELL TIDWELL      58
Inventions and Transformations: Imagining New Worlds in the Stories of Neil Gaiman
MATHILDA SLABBERT      68

Rewriting Narrative Forms
“And the Princess, Telling the Story”: A.S. Byatt’s Self-Reflexive Fairy Stories
JEFFREY K. GIBSON      85
Between Wake and Sleep: Robert Coover’s Briar Rose, A Playful Reawakening of The Sleeping Beauty
MARIE C. BOUCHET      98
Winterson’s Wonderland: The PowerBook as a Postmodern Re-Vision of Lewis Carroll’s Alice Books
MAUREEN TORPEY      111
“I Think You Are Not Telling Me All of This Story”: Storytelling, Fate, and Self-Determination in Robin McKinley’s Folktale Revisions
AMIE A. DOUGHTY      122

Remembering Trauma and Dystopia
The Complete Tales of Kate Bernheimer: Postmodern Fairytales in a Dystopian World
HELEN PILINOVSKY      137
The Fairy Tale as Allegory for the Holocaust: Representing the Unrepresentable in Yolen’s Briar Rose and Murphy’s Hansel and Gretel
MARGARETE J. LANDWEHR      153
“This Gospel of My Hell”: The Narration of Violence in Gaétan Soucy’s The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches
LAUREN CHOPLIN      168

Revolutionizing Culture and Politics
Negotiating Wartime Masculinity in Bill Willingham’s Fables
MARK C. HILL      181
Philip Pullman’s I Was a Rat! and the Fairy-Tale Retelling as Instrument of Social Criticism
VANESSA JOOSEN      196
The Wicked Witch of the West: Terrorist? Rewriting Evil in Gregory Maguire’s Wicked
CHRISTOPHER ROMAN      210
Embracing Equality: Class Reversals and Social Reform in Shannon Hale’s The Goose Girl and Princess Academy
SUSAN REDINGTON BOBBY      221

Comprehensive Bibliography      237
About the Contributors      247
Index      251


About the Author

Susan Redington Bobby, assistant professor of English at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware, teaches classic and contemporary fairy tales and adolescent literature. Bobby chaired the NEMLA panel "Fairy Tale Visions and (Re) Visions."


Sarah Lynne Bowman 
ISBN 978-0-7864-4710-7 
appendix, notes, bibliography, index
216pp. softcover 2010
Price: $35.00

Description

This study takes an analytical approach to the world of role-playing games, providing a theoretical framework for understanding their psychological and sociological functions. Sometimes dismissed as escapist and potentially dangerous, role-playing actually encourages creativity, self-awareness, group cohesion and "out-of-the-box" thinking. The book also offers a detailed participant-observer ethnography on role-playing games, featuring insightful interviews with 19 participants of table-top, live action and virtual games.


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      v
Preface      1
Introduction      7

1. Historical Evolution and Cultural Permutations      11
2. Role-Playing in Communal Contexts      33
3. Interactional Dynamics in Role-Playing Games      55
4. Role-Playing as Scenario Building and Problem Solving      80
5. Tactical and Social Problem Solving      104
6. Role-Playing as Alteration of Identity      127
7. Character Evolution and Types of Identity Alteration      155

Conclusion      179
Appendix: Interview Questionnaire      183
Chapter Notes      185
Bibliography      197
Index      203


About the Author

Sarah Lynne Bowman is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, Richland College, Ashford University, and Brookhaven College. Her current research focus emphasizes character development and social dynamics in role-playing games.


Jennifer Grouling Cover 
ISBN 978-0-7864-4451-9 
appendix, notes, bibliography, index
215pp. softcover 2010
Price: $35.00

Description

Despite the rise of computer gaming, millions of adults still play face to face role playing games, which rely in part on social interaction to create stories. This work explores tabletop role playing game (TRPG) as a genre separate from computer role playing games. The relationship of TRPGs to other games is examined, as well as the interaction among the tabletop module, computer game, and novel versions of Dungeons & Dragons. Given particular attention are the narrative and linguistic structures of the gaming session, and the ways that players and gamemasters work together to construct narratives. The text also explores wider cultural influences that surround tabletop gamers.


Table of Contents

Abbreviations, Terms, and Transcription Symbols      ix
Preface and Acknowledgments      1
Introduction: Defining the Tabletop Role-Playing Game      5

1. Early Models of Interactive Narrative      21
2. Role-Playing Game Genres      38
3. A Transmedia Tale—The Temple of Elemental Evil      54
4. The Reconciliation of Narrative and Game      72
5. Frames of Narrativity in the TRPG      88
6. Immersion in the TRPG      106
7. Levels of Authorship—How Gamers Interact with Texts and Create Their Own      124
8. The Culture of TRPG Fans      148
9. Conclusions, Definitions, Implications, and Limitations      165

Appendix: The Orc Adventure at Blaze Arrow      179
Chapter Notes      191
References      197
Index      201


About the Author

Jennifer Grouling Cover is a PhD candidate in rhetoric and writing at Virginia Tech. She teaches writing and lives in Christiansburg, Virginia.



A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series, 2d ed. 
David Kalat
ISBN 978-0-7864-4749-7
notes, bibliography, index
286pp. hardcover (7 x 10) 2010
Price: $55.00

Description

This thoroughly updated and revised critical account of the Godzilla movie franchise explores the fascinating story behind Japan’s most famous movie monster and its development from black-and-white arthouse allegory to international commercial juggernaut. Reviled by critics but boasting a dedicated cult following, the films of the Godzilla franchise provide a unique window into the national identities of both Japan and the United States. This work focuses on how differences in American and Japanese culture, as well as differences in their respective film industries, underlie the discrepancies between the American and Japanese versions of the films. It features detailed filmographic data for both the American and Japanese versions of each film, including plot synopses, cast, credits, and detailed production notes.


Table of Contents

Preface to the New Edition      1
Introduction      3
A Note on the Text      9

PART ONE: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1954–1963)      11
1. G for Giant      13
2. Gojira      20
3. Godzilla Conquers America (and America Conquers Godzilla)      25
4. Godzilla, King of the Monsters!      31
5. Godzilla Raids Again      34
6. Rodan      41
7. Varan the Unbelievable      46
8. Mothra      51
9. King Kong vs. Godzilla      55
10. Tsuburaya Enterprises      60

PART TWO: Monsterland (1964–1969)      65
11. Mothra vs. Godzilla      67
12. Ghidrah, The Three- Headed Monster      72
13. Invasion of Astro- Monster      82
14. Monsters Inc.      88
15. Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster      94
16. Son of Godzilla      98
17. Destroy All Monsters      103
18. All Monsters Attack      106

PART THREE: Something Funny’s Going On (1970–1975)      111
19. Survival of the Silliest      113
20. Godzilla vs. Hedorah      117
21. Godzilla vs. Gigan      123
22. Godzilla vs. Ultraman      128
23. Godzilla vs. Megalon      132
24. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla      136
25. Terror of Mechagodzilla      140
26. The Crook, the Geek, the Reporter, and His Lover      146

PART FOUR: The Return of Godzilla (1977–1995)      149
27. Waiting for Godzilla      151
28. The Return of Godzilla      156
29. Godzilla 1985      162
30. Godzilla vs. Biollante      169
31. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah      179
32. Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth      184
33. Godzilla vs. the Gryphon      191
34. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II      197
35. Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla      202
36. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah      210

PART FIVE: The Godzilla Millennium (1998–2005)      215
37. Godzilla vs. Godzilla      217
38. Godzilla      225
39. Godzilla 2000      230
40. Godzilla x. Megaguirus      235
41. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All- Out Attack      238
42. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla      243
43. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.      247
44. Godzilla Final Wars      249

Epilogue      257
Chapter Notes      259
Bibliography      269
Index      273


About the Author

David Kalat is a film historian and writes for Video Watchdog, Turner Classic Movies Online, and other publications. He lives in La Grange Park, Illinois.



Star Trek as Myth: Essays on Symbol and Archetype at the Final Frontier 
Edited by Matthew Wilhelm Kapell
ISBN 978-0-7864-4724-4
notes, bibliographies, index
239pp. softcover 2010
Price: $39.95

Description

In the past, the examination of myth has traditionally been the study of the "Primitive" or the "Other." More recently, myth has been increasingly employed in movies and in television productions. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Star Trek television and movie franchise. This collection of essays on Star Trek brings together perspectives from scholars in fields including film, anthropology, history, American studies and biblical scholarship. Together the essays examine the symbolism, religious implications, heroic and gender archetypes, and lasting effects of the Star Trek "mythscape."


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vii
Introduction: The Significance of the Star Trek Mythos
(Matthew Wilhelm Kapell)      1

PART ONE: A PARTIAL CANON OF STAR TREK MYTH CRITICISM
1. Star Trek as Myth and Television as Mythmaker
(Wm. Blake Tyrell)      19
2. A Structuralist Appreciation of Star Trek
(Peter J. Claus)      29
3. Some Implications of the Mythology in Star Trek
(C. Scott Littleton)      44
4. Star Trek: American Dream, Myth and Reality
(Ace G. Pilkington)      54
5. Speakers for the Dead: Star Trek, the Holocaust, and the Representation of Atrocity
(Matthew Wilhelm Kapell)      67
6. “Every Old Trick Is New Again”: Myth in Quotations and the Star Trek Franchise
(Djoymi Baker)      80

PART TWO: BOLDLY GOING FORWARD: NEW FRONTIERS OF MYTHIC STAR TREK ANALYSIS
7. Star Trek as American Monomyth
(John Shelton Lawrence)      93
8. The Sisko, the Christ: A Comparison of Messiah Figures in the Star Trek Universe and the New Testament
(Jeffery S. Lamp)      112
9. Course in Federation Linguistics
(Richard R. Jones)      129
10. Evocations and Evasions of Archetypal Lesbian Love in Star Trek: Voyager
(Roger Kaufman)      144
11. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Surak: Star Trek: Enterprise, Anti-Catholicism and the Vulcan Reformation
(Jennifer E. Porter)      163
12. A Vision of a Time and Place: Spiritual Humanism and the Utopian Impulse
(Bruce Isaacs)      182
13. The Kirk Doctrine: The Care and Repair of Archetypal Heroic Leadership in J.J Abrams’ Star Trek
(Stephen McVeigh)      197
14. Conclusion: The Hero with a Thousand Red Shirts
(Matthew Wilhelm Kapell)      213

About the Contributors      221
Index      225


About the Author

Matthew Wilhelm Kapell works in the Department of Political and Cultural Studies at Swansea University in Wales.



The Anticipation Novelists of 1950s French Science Fiction: Stepchildren of Voltaire
Bradford Lyau
Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
Foreword by George Slusser

ISBN 978-0-7864-5857-8
notes, bibliography, index
248pp. softcover 2011
Price: $55.00

Description

Following World War II, the Fleuve Noir publishing house published popular American genre fiction in translation for a French audience. Their imprint Anticipation specialized in science fiction, but mostly eschewed translations from English, preferring instead French work, thus making the imprint an important outlet for native French postwar ideas and aesthetics. This critical text examines in ideological terms eleven writers who published under the Anticipation imprint, revealing the way these writers criticized midcentury notions of progress while adapting and reworking American genre formats.


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      ix
Foreword by George Slusser      1
Introduction      7

One. Background      11

Two. The Moderates      31
F. Richard-Bessière      31
M.A. Rayjean      59
Kemmel      73
Chapter Summary      75

Three. The Extremist      76
Jimmy Guieu      76

Four. The Conservatives      94
Stefan Wul      94
Maurice Limat      115
Peter Randa      126
Kurt Steiner      132
Chapter Summary      139

Five. The Radicals      140
Jean-Gaston Vandel      140
B.R. Bruss      169
Chapter Summary      182

Six. A Last Word      183
Gilles D’argyre      184

Seven. Conclusion      193

Chapter Notes      199
Bibliography      211
Index      225


About the Author

Bradford Lyau has taught at various universities in California and Europe. He has published several academic articles analyzing science fiction and is a lifelong traveler to historical sites. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.




Frank McConnell Edited by Gary Westfahl. Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
Foreword by Neil Gaiman

ISBN 978-0-7864-3722-1 
notes, bibliographies, index
232pp. softcover 2009
Price: $35.00

Description

A member of the Pulitzer Prize jury, the late Frank McConnell helped science fiction gain standing as serious literature. His 16 essays herein were first presented as papers at the prestigious Eaton Conferences. Initially believing that science fiction is primarily one of many forms of storytelling, McConnell gradually recognized science fiction as a modern expression of Gnosticism, rejecting bodily concerns for an emphasis on spirituality.


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vii
Foreword by Neil Gaiman      1
Introduction by Gary Westfahl      5

I. Frank McConnell B.C.E. (Before Coming to Eaton)      9
1. Born in Fire: The Ontology of the Monster      11
2. Song of Innocence: The Creature from the Black Lagoon      18
3. H.G. Wells: Utopia and Doomsday      29
4. Realist of the Fantastic: H.G. Wells about/in/on the Movies      37

II. Slouching Toward Bedlam: The Early Eaton Essays      47
5. Sturgeon’s Law: First Corollary      48
6. Boring Dates: Reflections on the Apocalypse Game      57
7. Frames in Search of a Genre      63
8. From Astarte to Barbie and Beyond: The Serious History of Dolls      74
9. The Playing Fields of Eden      82
10. It’s Only a Paper Moon: Fantasy and the Professors      91
11. “Turn That Shit Down!” Or, How to Market an Underground      102

III. Gnostic Lunch: The Later Eaton Essays      111
12. Alimentary, My Dear Watson: Food and Eating in Scientific and Mystery Fiction      112
13. You Bet Your Life: Death and the Storyteller      124
14. Seven Types of Chopped Liver: My Adventures in the Genre Wars      132
15. The Missionary Physician, from Asclepius to Kervorkian      146
16. The Science of Fiction and the Fiction of Science: A Storytelling Animal in an Inhospitable World      155

Epilogue: Memories of Frank      164
Paul Alkon      164
Gregory Benford      166
Harold Bloom      167
Sheila Finch      167
Carl Freedman      168
Howard V. Hendrix      169
Bruce Kawin      172
Joseph D. Miller      173
Eric S. Rabkin      175
Mark Rose      177
George Slusser      178

Chapter Notes      181
A Bibliography of the Works of Frank McConnell      187
A Bibliography of Primary and Secondary Works Cited in the Text      201
Index      213


About the Author

Frank McConnell (1942-1999) was a professor of English at Northwestern University and the University of California, Santa Barbara. He wrote a regular column on the media for Commonweal magazine, and his voluminous body of work included four detective novels and a number of academic books. Gary Westfahl teaches at the University of California, Riverside. A prolific writer and editor, he earned the Science Fiction Research Association’s Pilgrim Award for his lifetime contributions to science fiction and fantasy scholarship. Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He lives in Greenville. C.W. Sullivan III is in the English department at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.


NOW IN PAPERBACK:
Charles P. Mitchell 
ISBN 978-0-7864-4699-5 
photos, filmography, appendices, index
344pp. softcover (7 x 10) 2010 [2002]
Price: $45.00

Description

The Devil has been represented in many film genres, including horror, comedy, the musical, fantasy, satire, drama, and the religious epic, and in these works has assumed many shapes and forms. This book begins with a discussion of how the devil has been portrayed on stage, how that portrayal carried over to the big screen, and what are the standard elements of a satanic plot. Each entry in the filmography includes year of production, running time, writer, editor, cinematographer, producer, and director, evaluative rating, annotated cast list, plot synopsis, overall appraisal, and a spotlight on the actor playing Satan.


Table of Contents

Acknowledgments      vi
Introduction      1

The Films      7

Appendix One: Lost, Obscure, and Arcane Devil Films      305
Appendix Two: Television Devils      309
Index      313


About the Author

The late Charles P. Mitchell was a librarian in Millinocket, Maine. He wrote on film for numerous periodicals and on music for several more and hosted radio shows about classical music in New York City and Portland, Maine.