Speculations about new medical advances have been a crucial
aspect of science fiction since its origins in the 19th century,
when such novels as "Frankenstein" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau"
provided powerful mythic images of doctors with godlike abilities
to create and transform human life. This book is the first
full-length study of the speculative literature of medicine, with
contributions by two science fiction novelists and several noted
scholars. Chapters examine how science fiction stories have
commented on and influenced the medical establishments of the past
and present. But the volume also considers the strangely
marginalized status of medical science fiction, concluding that the
doctor's traditional focus on maintaining the health of the human
body conflicts at a fundamental level with the genre's desire to
transcend the human body.
The first section provides broad surveys of the history of
medical science fiction, ranging from 19th-century classics to
major films of the 1990s. The second offers detailed examinations
of important texts and series, including Guy de Maupassant's "Le
Horla, " George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four, " James White's
Sector General stories, the "Alien" films, and the "Terminator"
films. A concluding bibliography lists more than 500 science
fiction and fantasy novels, stories, films, and television programs
involving disease and medicine as well as relevant nonfiction works
and critical studies.
General
Imprint: |
Praeger Publishers Inc
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy |
Release date: |
September 2002 |
First published: |
September 2002 |
Editors: |
Gary Westfahl
• George Slusser
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 19mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
192 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-313-31707-1 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
General
Books >
Medicine >
General
|
LSN: |
0-313-31707-0 |
Barcode: |
9780313317071 |
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