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 v
... Questions of genre Creating worlds Formalism and Realism Defamiliarisation and estrangement The novum Postmodernism Metalinguistics and neologisms Themes The Gothic and the Sublime 25 29 30 34 36 Two 39 41 Histories: The American West ...
... Questions of genre Creating worlds Formalism and Realism Defamiliarisation and estrangement The novum Postmodernism Metalinguistics and neologisms Themes The Gothic and the Sublime 25 29 30 34 36 Two 39 41 Histories: The American West ...
Page 6
... question; bizarrely, in film and television – also visual media – it is still the action-narrative with which we are primarily concerned. Cinema offers spectacular mise-en-scène, but as we gaze mesmerised at that massive silver screen ...
... question; bizarrely, in film and television – also visual media – it is still the action-narrative with which we are primarily concerned. Cinema offers spectacular mise-en-scène, but as we gaze mesmerised at that massive silver screen ...
Page 8
... question of our future and of untapped human potential is a continual fascination for us. We need not leave the earth to explore this area and there has long been a fascination with 'super' powers. Series like The New Adventures of ...
... question of our future and of untapped human potential is a continual fascination for us. We need not leave the earth to explore this area and there has long been a fascination with 'super' powers. Series like The New Adventures of ...
Page 9
... question of difference is therefore highlighted both internally and externally to the story. The question of difference is considered most fully through the intense and enigmatic character of Lt. Colonel T.C. McQueen in Space: Above and ...
... question of difference is therefore highlighted both internally and externally to the story. The question of difference is considered most fully through the intense and enigmatic character of Lt. Colonel T.C. McQueen in Space: Above and ...
Page 17
... QUESTIONS OF GENRE So the question remains – what do we actually mean when we call something 'sf'? The problem lies with genre theory in general, and in how we group texts together, whether capriciously or with empirical pragmatism ...
... QUESTIONS OF GENRE So the question remains – what do we actually mean when we call something 'sf'? The problem lies with genre theory in general, and in how we group texts together, whether capriciously or with empirical pragmatism ...
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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