The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds

by Mark J.P. Wolf (Editor)

This companion provides a definitive and cutting-edge guide to the study of imaginary and virtual worlds across a range of media, including literature, television, film, and games. From the Star Trek universe, Thomas More’s classic Utopia , and J. R. R. Tolkien’s Arda , to elaborate, user-created game worlds like Minecraft , contributors present interdisciplinary perspectives on authorship, world structure/design, and narrative. The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds offers new approaches to imaginary worlds as an art form and cultural phenomenon, explorations of the technical and creative dimensions of world-building, and studies of specific worlds and worldbuilders.

Genres: Writing

466 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2017

About the author

Mark J. P. Wolf is Professor in the Communication Department at Concordia University Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is super comprehensive. I suppose that for those who are working with imaginary worlds in their research this book would suffice to provide essential elements that should be considered in analysing imaginary worlds and related issues.

[Divia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a rather comprehensive and enjoyable book. It's an excellent place to begin if you're just interested in secondary world-building, crafting a fantasy or science fiction world for a book, or studying them. Each chapter was quite concise. The authors presented their ideas very well. There were some essays that I liked more than others but overall the book was insightful.