Booker (English, U. of Arkansas) explores the science fiction novels and films of the 1950s, emphasizing their engagement with their social and cultural contexts, primarily scientific developments and
?Mario Vargas Llosa is one of the world's most respected and widely read living writers.? His work is marked by technical sophistication and by its alliance with a variety of trends in modern culture.
From Blood Simple and Raising Arizona to Inside Llewyn Davis and Hail, Caesar!, the films of Joel and Ethan Coen represent a sort of alternate reality of America. The author explores how the settings&
This book looks at how the original Star Trek became a cultural phenomenon, generating numerous spin-offs and feature films and inspiring multiple series, films, books, etc. In addition to the show&rs
Focusing on the intersection of literature and politics since the beginning of the 20th century, this book examines authors, historical figures, major literary and political works, national literature
This dictionary covers the history of Science Fiction in literature through a chronology, an introductory essay, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced ent
The Historical Dictionary of American Cinema provides broad coverage of the people, films, companies, techniques, themes, and genres that have made American cinema such a vital part of world cinema. T
The Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Cinema provides broad coverage of the people, films, companies, techniques, themes, and subgenres that have made science fiction cinema such a vital part o
Supernatural and superhuman elements have been prominent in American culture from the time of the New England Puritans’ intense emphasis on religion. Superpower surveys the appearance of supernatural
Prolific author M. Keith Booker investigates the hidden truths of some of America's most popular movies and tv shows -- including Buffy, Heroes, and Harry Potter -- and thus illuminates the changing
Given the complexity and expense of making and distributing a film, the process of filmmaking is by its very nature a political process. Moreover, given the power and persuasiveness of the cinema as a
Since late evening cartoons first aired in 1960, prime-time animated series have had a profound effect on American television and American culture at large. The characters and motifs from such shows
For more than 50 years, science fiction films have been among the most important and successful products of American cinema, and are worthy of study for that reason alone. On a deeper level, the genre
James Joyce has emerged as one of the most significant writers of the twentieth century, and his writings continue to invite enormous amounts of scholarly attention. This volume offers a careful readi
British leftist novels are best understood as part of a cultural phenomenon that reacts against the mainstream tradition of British literature but also establishes and draws upon traditions of its own
African novels are not easy reading. The African novel differs from European and American novels in its social and historical background and in its aesthetics. African novelists make important use of
A uniquely accessible guide to a difficult subject, A Practical Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism introduces students to the major trends in contemporary literary theory. Offering the brea
Booker (English, U. of Arkansas) offers a reading of Irish author O'Brien's major works within the context of the carnivalesque ambivalence of Menippean satire and of Mikhail Bakhtin's work in general
While literary utopias depict an ideal society and reflect an optimistic belief in the triumph of humanity and government, dystopias present a society marked by suffering caused by human and political
Employing thc theoretical resources provided by cultural critics such as Adorno, Jameson, Althusser, and Foucault, M. Keith Booker examines the treatment of issues of power and domination in modern li
A wide-ranging survey of American children's film that provides detailed analysis of the political implications of these films, as well as a discussion of how movies intended for children have come t
Since the first Superman film came to the screen in 1978, films adapted from comics have become increasingly important as a film form. M. Keith Booker surveys this development in film history, tracki
In America, the long 1950s were marked by an intense skepticism toward utopian alternatives to the existing capitalist order. This skepticism was closely related to the climate of the Cold War, in whi
Dystopian literature is specifically that literature which situates itself in direct opposition to utopian thought, while at the same time more generally constituting a critique of existing social con
