Reading Richard Matheson

. Ed(s): Mathews, Cheyenne; Haedicke, Janet V.

ISBN 10: 1442234652 / ISBN 13: 9781442234659

Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 2014

About this Item

Editor(s): Mathews, Cheyenne; Haedicke, Janet V. Num Pages: 262 pages. BIC Classification: 1KBB; 2AB; DSBH; DSK. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 236 x 162 x 23. Weight in Grams: 538. . 2014. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9781442234659

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Reading Richard Matheson
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1442234652
• ISBN 13: 9781442234659
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Richard Matheson (1926–2013) was a prolific author and screenwriter whose career helped shape the horror and fantasy genres in literature, film, and television for over sixty years. Matheson authored more than ninety short stories and dozens of novels, many of which―including I Am Legend, A Stir of Echoes, What Dreams May Come, The Shrinking Man, Hell House, and Bid Time Return―have been adapted into feature films. Despite his extensive body of work and influence, however, Matheson has remained largely outside the scope of academic scrutiny.

The essays in Reading Richard Matheson: A Critical Survey provide the first critical overview of Matheson’s texts, covering seven of Matheson’s novels, a sampling of short stories, and several adaptations for both film and television. The essays are arranged thematically and address the sociopolitical anxieties reflected in Matheson’s oeuvre; consider his precursors and successors; and situate him within narrative traditions of mythology, cinema, genre, and memory studies.

By providing an overview of his career, Reading Richard Matheson illustrates how a commercial writer can contribute to academic discourses of literature and film. Though the essays use a variety of theoretical frameworks, the crossover nature of the collection reflects the broad range of Matheson’s output. As such, this volume will appeal to fans of Matheson’s work in general as well as scholars of literature, film studies, cultural studies, genre studies, media studies, memory studies, and popular culture.

About the Author

Cheyenne Mathews is a Ph.D. student in modern British literature at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her research interests include espionage fiction, film, and popular culture.

Janet V. Haedicke, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of English at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She has served as editor of the Tennessee Williams Literary Journal, president of the David Mamet Society, and performance review editor of the David Mamet Newsletter.