Science Fiction Before 1900: Imagination Discovers Technology (Studies in Literary Themes and Genres) - Hardcover

Alkon, Paul K.

3.67

21 ratings by Goodreads

9780805709520: Science Fiction Before 1900: Imagination Discovers Technology (Studies in Literary Themes and Genres)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805709525 ISBN 13: 9780805709520

Publisher: Twayne Pub, 1994

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In keeping with the editorial policy of the series, concentrates on several key works that mark the most significant phases in the early evolution of science fiction, among them: Frankenstein, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Looking Backward, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and The Time Machine. The author sets these works in the context of their time and place of origin, and discusses the genre in general and its relation to other kinds of literature. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

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About the Author:

Paul K. Alkon is Leo S. Bing Professor of English at the University of Southern California. His work Origins of Futuristic Fiction was the recipient of the Eaton Award for the year's best critical work on science fiction.

Review:

Anyone looking for a lively, impassioned, and knowledgeable survey of the early texts that helped shape and define . . . science fiction would be well served by seeking out Paul Alkon's informative volume Science Fiction Before 1900: Imagination Discovers Technology. . .Alkon is authoritative and passionate; clearly a lifelong love for SF has guided his research; that love, his excitement at unravelling the evolutive thread of SF's various tropes and shared ideas, and his deep and broad appreciation for the visionary writers who created the most influential early SF texts all combine to create an infectiously enthralling historical narrative. . .The bulk of the book is a cornucopia of SF history, painstakingly researched and vividly and lovingly brought to life - a thrilling and exciting read for those wanting to explore SF's origins.
–Claude Lalumi�re, Locus Magazine, June, 28

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