- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Greenwood Press (30 May 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0313251126
- ISBN-13: 978-0313251122
- Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.6 x 0.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,870,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Strange Constellations
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Product Description
Review
"These bibliographies alone make the book a must purchase for any library with serious holdings in either science fiction or Australian literature....Readers interested in nineteenth -century fantastic literature will find Strange Constellations particularly valuable....Strange Constellations is as good a work of literary history as one could wish for....[C]oncise, judicious in its appraisal of the writers under consideration...clearly written."-Science Fiction Studies
Product Description
Australia has long been thought of by Europeans as an exotic and mysterious land. During the nineteenth century, it was envisioned much as the moon and Mars are today: a distant and uncharted place with hidden possibilities for explorations and adventures. The continent captured the imagination of European writers in the 1800s, and with its settlement, Australia became the setting for tales of lost worlds and ancient civilizations. Australia has since developed a rich national literature, and perhaps because of its novelty and wilderness, it has inspired numerous science fiction writers. This book provides a critical survey of the history of Australian science fiction from its nineteenth century origins to the present.
The volume proceeds chronologically, with an introductory section on the origins of Australian science fiction before 1925. It then turns to the rise of traditional science fiction in Australia from 1926 to 1959, with discussions of such writers as James Morgan Walsh, Norma Hemming, and Wynne Whiteford. A section on the period from 1960 to 1974 examines the growing national recognition given to such Australian science fiction writers as David Rome and Jack Wodhams, while a section on science fiction between 1975 and 1984 reviews the rise of small presses and the growth of literary criticism of the genre in Australia. A final section addresses the maturation of Australian science fiction from 1985 to 1998 with attention to Aussiecon Two. Extensive bibliographic information concludes the volume.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
"Soon the ancient mystery of Africa will have vanished," H. Rider Haggard lamented, asking "[where will] the romance writers of future generations find a safe and secret place, unknown to the pestilent accuracy of the geographer, in which to lay their plots?"1 Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
"Soon the ancient mystery of Africa will have vanished," H. Rider Haggard lamented, asking "[where will] the romance writers of future generations find a safe and secret place, unknown to the pestilent accuracy of the geographer, in which to lay their plots?"1 Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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1 review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Elegant, enjoyable and expensive
13 Nov 2000
Format:Hardcover
'Strange Constellations' is one of my best reads for a long time. I may be exhibiting a little (healthy) Aussie bias but perhaps that would make me all the more critical if the product did not stand up. The academic style is totally appropriate, elevating objectivity and providing the keen reader with an opportunity to check sources and interpretations. Given the literary achievements of the authors, I expected a good read so this technical edge is a bonus.
The early focus on the romantic origins of science fiction in Australia is an eye-opener for me and I will be sure to review some classics, on the fringe of the genre, in a new light. The hard-nosed analysis of the booms and busts is, again, appropriate. In the second half, the book moves from analyses of periods to an author-by-author account. This does not seem quite as 'critical' as preceding chapters...
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