Science Fiction, Children's Literature, and Popular Culture: Coming of Age in Fantasyland

by Gary Westfahl

In a constantly changing world, individuals are forever growing to meet the challenges and developments that emerge around them. In contemporary society, technology is at the heart of change. Literature, too, reflects the evolution of culture and increasingly represents and considers technology. And as children become young adults, their reading helps shape their understanding of the world. This book examines representative works of science fiction, children's literature, and popular culture to show how these works reflect the process of growing up in a technological world.

The volume looks at the simple picture books and comic books that appeal to small children; the formulaic adventures that fascinate older children; the films and television programs that are watched by children and young adolescents; the music videos and programming that appeal to young adults; and the popular novels that interest older readers. Included are discussions of Superman, the Hardy Boys, Star Trek, science fiction films, and music videos. The book points to similarities among popular culture, science fiction, and children's literature and demonstrates the relevance of these works to contemporary society.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Voluminous, contrarian, methodical and learned, Gary Westfahl is a central figure in SF criticism.

His numerous articles and reviews have appeared in Science Fiction Studies, Extrapolation, Science Fiction Eye, SFRA Newsletter, Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, and Monad: Essays on Science Fiction, among others.

In the late 1990s, Westfahl became a regular columnist for Interzone, producing 36 columns. In 2001, he began to contribute film reviews and essays to the website Locus Online.

Recent books include The Other Side of the Sky: An Annotated Bibliography of Space Stations in Science Fiction, 1869-1993 (2009), The Spacesuit Film: A History, 1918-1969 (2012), and the author study William Gibson (2013).

Westfahl received the Pilgrim Award in 2003 for lifetime contributions to SF and fantasy scholarship.

Reviews

[Tijana]

Da citiram drugaricu, "postoje ti neki ljudi što ih je za sve Bog dao", e pa, Gari Vestfal spada u njih. Ovo je baš mučenje čitati. :|

[Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hi, I'm Gary Westfahl and everything from my childhood is good and everything happening in popular culture today is bad. I hate Mystery Science Theater 3000 despite never having seen it because I think This Island Earth is a great movie. Damn kids these days better stay off my lawn.