Starring T. Rex!: Dinosaur Mythology and Popular Culture

by José Luis Sanz

Ever since the discovery of the first fossil remains in the 19th century, dinosaurs have captured the imaginations of scientists and inspired writers, artists, and filmmakers. Dinosaurs, and legends about them are firmly entrenched in popular culture, where scientific information and our interest in the life of the past most often meet. Starring T. Rex! considers dinosaurs as a cultural phenomenon, seen as the interaction of three factors -- paleontological discoveries, the cultural interest these discoveries awaken, and the possibilities they offer for commercial exploitation. Jose Luis Sanz explains that the knowledge generated by paleontologists enters popular culture at a mythological level and that the mass communication media (for example, science fiction literature, comic books, television, and movies) are the vehicles that link science and its reflection in culture. Sanz first analyzes the historical origins of the dinosaur myth in modern society. He then considers the manner in which information drawn from scientific study enters popular consciousness, discussing, among other things, the coexistence of men and dinosaurs, what dinosaurs looked like, extinction, the presence of dinosaurs in fantasy stories, and the relationship between dinosaurs and dragons.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Natural History

152 pages, Library Binding

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[L-ssar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imprescindible para cualquier dinoperturbado :)
José Luis Sanz consigue unir en un libro relativamente corto (140 p.) historia de la Paleontología de dinosaurios, su biología y el estudio del fenómeno social de la Dinomanía.
El original está escrito en castellano.

[Corey Milne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat little reference book. "Travelling to the past to harvest dinosaur meat" is a bigger genre than I could have guessed.