The Utopian Fantastic: Selected Essays from the Twentieth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy)

Utopia forms a major aspect of human desire, one that is as important as religion. Understanding utopia and the ways in which it can collapse into dystopia is crucial in many disciplines. Fantastic literature (including science fiction and fantasy) is the only form of literature that takes utopia/dystopia seriously. Therefore, analysis of these works provides a basis for serious experimentation in social science. In this volume, critics analyze contemporary literary thought experiments such as 1984 and We . They show how utopian experiments can easily slide into dystopia. Exploring these fictional sociocultural, political experiments gives us new ways to think about our lives and culture. While literature, history, and political science professors may find this book useful, it can also serve as a call to arms to anyone dedicated to maintaining freedom and humane living in the world today. 1. Not So Blind Hope: An Introduction Thomas J. Morrissey......Page 10 2. Dark Shadows and Bright Lights: Generators and Maintainers of Utopias and Dystopias Roger C. Schlobin......Page 20 3. Mapping Utopia: Spatial and Temporal Sites of Meaning John C. Hawley......Page 26 4. We Are Marching to Utopia: Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano Donald E. Morse......Page 32 5. David Mamet’s The Water Engine: The Utopian Ideal as Social Control Jeanne Beckwith......Page 42 6. Kim Stanley Robinson’s Martian Vision Carl Swidorski......Page 52 7. Women and Mad Science: Women as Witnesses to the Scientific Re-creation of Humanity Cherilyn Lacy......Page 66 8. Digital Ambivalence: Utopia, Dystopia, and the Digital Cosmos Dennis M. Weiss......Page 76 9. Apprehending Identity in the Alldera Novels of Suzy McKee Charnas Bill Clemente......Page 90 10. You Can’t Go Home Again: Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick Lynn F. Williams and Martha Bartter......Page 100 11. “Momutes”: Momentary Utopias in Tepper’s Trilogies Robin Anne Reid......Page 110 12. Of Dystopias and Icons: Brin’s The Postman and Butler’s Parable of the Sower Oscar De Los Santos......Page 118 13. Beyond Personal Introspection: Classroom Response to Sherri Tepper’s The Gate to Women’s Country Tamara Wilson......Page 132 14. The Nature of “Outsider Dystopias”: Atwood, Starhawk, and Abbey Sharon Stevenson......Page 138 15. News from Somewhere: A Case for Romance-Tradition Fantasy’s Reformist Poetic Kelly Searsmith......Page 146 Index......Page 160 About the Contributors......Page 164 ISBN-13: 9780313316357 1. Not So Blind Hope: An Introduction Thomas J. Morrissey 10 2. Dark Shadows and Bright Lights: Generators and Maintainers of Utopias and Dystopias Roger C. Schlobin 20 3. Mapping Utopia: Spatial and Temporal Sites of Meaning John C. Hawley 26 4. We Are Marching to Utopia: Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano Donald E. Morse 32 5. David Mamet’s The Water Engine: The Utopian Ideal as Social Control Jeanne Beckwith 42 6. Kim Stanley Robinson’s Martian Vision Carl Swidorski 52 7. Women and Mad Science: Women as Witnesses to the Scientific Re-creation of Humanity Cherilyn Lacy 66 8. Digital Ambivalence: Utopia, Dystopia, and the Digital Cosmos Dennis M. Weiss 76 9. Apprehending Identity in the Alldera Novels of Suzy McKee Charnas Bill Clemente 90 10. You Can’t Go Home Again: Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick Lynn F. Williams and Martha Bartter 100 11. “Momutes”: Momentary Utopias in Tepper’s Trilogies Robin Anne Reid 110 12. Of Dystopias and Icons: Brin’s The Postman and Butler’s Parable of the Sower Oscar De Los Santos 118 13. Beyond Personal Introspection: Classroom Response to Sherri Tepper’s The Gate to Women’s Country Tamara Wilson 132 14. The Nature of “Outsider Dystopias”: Atwood, Starhawk, and Abbey Sharon Stevenson 138 15. News from Somewhere: A Case for Romance-Tradition Fantasy’s Reformist Poetic Kelly Searsmith 146 Index 160 About the Contributors 164 Praeger,Publishers Utopia forms a major aspect of human desire, one that is as important as religion. Understanding utopia and the ways in which it can collapse into dystopia is crucial in many disciplines. Fantastic literature (including science fiction and fantasy) is the only form of literature that takes utopia/dystopia seriously. Therefore, analysis of these works provides a basis for serious experimentation in social science. In this volume, critics analyze contemporary literary thought experiments such as "1984" and "We." They show how utopian experiments can easily slide into dystopia. Exploring these fictional sociocultural, political experiments gives us new ways to think about our lives and culture. While literature, history, and political science professors may find this book useful, it can also serve as a call to arms to anyone dedicated to maintaining freedom and humane living in the world today. "September 11," "Al Qaeda," "Osama bin Laden," "anthrax," "Iraq," "weapons of mass destruction": these are terms that either have become familiar or have taken on new meaning since attendees at the Twentieth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts explored utopia in 1999.