The Fortean Influence on Science Fiction : Charles Fort and the Evolution of the Genre

Tanner F. Boyle

ISBN 10: 1476677409 / ISBN 13: 9781476677408

Published by Mcfarland, 2020

About this Item

nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - Charles Fort was an American researcher from the early twentieth century who cataloged reports of unexplained phenomena he found in newspapers and science journals. A minor bestseller with a cult appeal, Fort's work was posthumously republished in the pulp science fiction magazine Astounding Stories in 1934. His idiosyncratic books fascinated, scared, and entertained readers, many of them authors and editors of science fiction. Fort's work prophesied the paranormal mainstays of SF literature to come: UFOs, poltergeists, strange disappearances, cryptids, ancient mysteries, unexplained natural phenomena, and everything in between. Science fiction authors latched on to Fort's topics and hypotheses as perfect fodder for SF stories. Writers like Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, H.P. Lovecraft, and others are examined in this exploration of Fortean science fiction--a genre that borrows from the reports and ideas of Fort and others who saw the possible science-fictional nature of our reality.

Seller Inventory # 9781476677408

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Fortean Influence on Science Fiction : Charles Fort and the Evolution of the Genre
• Publisher: Mcfarland
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1476677409
• ISBN 13: 9781476677408
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 229W x 152H x 10D millimeters 229 millimeters width by 152 millimeters height by 10 millimeters depth
• Weight: 284 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Charles Fort was an American researcher from the early twentieth century who cataloged reports of unexplained phenomena he found in newspapers and science journals. A minor bestseller with a cult appeal, Fort's work was posthumously republished in the pulp science fiction magazine Astounding Stories in 1934. His idiosyncratic books fascinated, scared, and entertained readers, many of them authors and editors of science fiction. Fort's work prophesied the paranormal mainstays of SF literature to come: UFOs, poltergeists, strange disappearances, cryptids, ancient mysteries, unexplained natural phenomena, and everything in between. Science fiction authors latched on to Fort's topics and hypotheses as perfect fodder for SF stories. Writers like Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, H.P. Lovecraft, and others are examined in this exploration of Fortean science fiction--a genre that borrows from the reports and ideas of Fort and others who saw the possible science-fictional nature of our reality.

About the Authors

Tanner F. Boyle is a writer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania whose areas of research include science fiction, anomalistic literature, folklore, and religious literature.

Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University. He lives in Greenville, North Carolina.

C.W. Sullivan III is Distinguished Professor of arts and sciences at East Carolina University and a full member of the Welsh Academy. He is the author of numerous books and the on-line journal Celtic Cultural Studies.