American Science Fiction TV: Star Trek, Stargate and BeyondFrom "The Next Generation" and "The X-Files", to "Farscape" and "Enterprise", sci-fi television series in the US have multiplied since the 1980s. Jan Johnson-Smith shows how, in line with national political upheavals, this vibrant and perplexing genre set about expanding the myth of the Western frontier into deep space. She looks at the "sense of wonder" or sublime that infuses much Frontier art and science fiction, and traces a possible historical precedent to the genre in the fabulous and heroic journeys of the Classical epic. She discusses narrative styles and their influences, from the overarching narrative of "Babylon 5" to the episodic formula of "The Outer Limits", considers how experimental series such as "Twin Peaks" challenge conventional structures, and how and why sci-fi television has adopted new technologies. She also explores the juxtaposition of arcane language and technological jargon in modern American sci-fi television, revealing the extraordinarily alien, yet curiously familiar arena it creates. |
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Page 17
... existence.11 Tzvetan Todorov also puts forward a compelling case against purely empirical research in genre theory in his structuralist study of The Fantastic (1975), suggesting that 'it is not the quantity of the observations, but the ...
... existence.11 Tzvetan Todorov also puts forward a compelling case against purely empirical research in genre theory in his structuralist study of The Fantastic (1975), suggesting that 'it is not the quantity of the observations, but the ...
Page 22
... existence at the same time as it conveys a meaning' and, according to Eagleton, can therefore be identified as 'the grandchild of the “estranged” language of the Formalists and Czech Structuralists, of the Jakobsonian poetic word which ...
... existence at the same time as it conveys a meaning' and, according to Eagleton, can therefore be identified as 'the grandchild of the “estranged” language of the Formalists and Czech Structuralists, of the Jakobsonian poetic word which ...
Page 56
... existence of certain genres in one society, their absence in another, are revelatory of that [society's] ideology and allow us to establish it more or less confidently. 65 The notion that the popularity of a genre holds clues 5 6 ...
... existence of certain genres in one society, their absence in another, are revelatory of that [society's] ideology and allow us to establish it more or less confidently. 65 The notion that the popularity of a genre holds clues 5 6 ...
Page 66
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Page 69
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action actually alien allows American ancient appears articulated associated audience Babylon become called Centauri challenge characters comes command concept concerns consider context continuity create crew cultural Dark Deep Space Delenn demonstrates diegesis Earth effect Enterprise epic episode equally established example existence experience exploration film final forces frontier future genre human idea identified ideology images individual issues John language later light lives London Maquis McQueen means military Minbari narrative nature Nine occurs offers original parallel past perhaps planet political potential present Press problem programmes question races reality reference remarkable says science fiction season sense Shadows Sheridan ship shows Sinclair Star Trek Stargate station story Sublime suggests television tells texts turn universe Vietnam visual Voyager Western whilst wormhole