The fantastic as a technique of redynamizing mimetic fiction -- Todorov's fantastic and Aguirre's numinous as the stages of an uncompleted rite of passage -- Gothic time and non-Euclidean spaces : temporal geometries of terror in the works of H.P. Lovecraft -- "People have a tendency to rationalize what they can, and forget what they can't" : on the ambivalence of the fantastic universe in Buffy the vampire slayer -- "He howl'd fearfully; said he was a wolf" : lycanthropy in English Renaissance tragedy and contemporary popular fiction -- The reinvention of lycanthropy in modern fantasy literature -- Robert E. Howard's Conan cycle as modern epic -- On the theories of kingship in George R.R. Martin's A song of ice and fire -- Allegorizing the fantastic : a Spenserian reading of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere -- Critical dystopia for young people : the freedom meme in American young adult dystopian science fiction -- Freaks of flesh and mind : (de)generation in the works of Clive Barker -- Staging the fantastic : Tolkien, Todorov, and theatricality in contemporary British drama.
Summary:
A unique collection of essays on selected aspects of science-fiction, fantasy and broadly understood fantastic literature, unified by a highly theoretical focus, this volume offers an overview of the most important theories pertaining to the field of the fantastic, such as Tzvetan Todorov's definition of the term itself, J.R.R. Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories," and the concept of "Gothic space". The composition and order of the chapters provide the reader with a systematic overview of major theoretical perspectives and serve as an accessible introduction to the topic of fantastic literature. The book combines reflection on various genres such as fantasy, science fiction, horror, Gothic writing, and even drama, offering a comprehensive overview of the fantastic across genealogical lines. The authors whose works are addressed by the volume's twelve chapters include some of the most popular household names in fantastic literature, such as H.P. Lovecraft, George R.R. Martin, Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman. In addition, the volume also includes readings of contemporary fantastic literature against the backdrop of world literature classics, such as Homeric poetry, Edmund Spenser and the drama of the English Renaissance. --Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.