N. Awad Annotated Bibliography

1. Gailor, Denis. “”Wells’s War of the Worlds”, the ‘Invasion Story’ and Victorian Moralism.” Critical Survey 8.3 (1996): 270-76.

Gailor argues that War of the Worlds fits into the schema of the “invasion story”, which is focused primarily, not on the invasion itself, but rather on the moral decline of the nation that is conquered. This is then meant to explain the way in which Wells portrays the British and also express his opinions of Victorian moralism. This analysis downplays the importance of the invasion itself which seems to serve two purposes. On the one hand, it is a vehicle for self reflection on the part of the British empire, whose history consists of invading a multitude of nations. It also depicts British anxieties of reverse colonization.

2. Kilgore, De Witt Douglas. “Difference Engine: Aliens, Robots, and Other Racial Matters in the History of Science Fiction.” Science Fiction Studies37.1 (2010): 16-22.

Kilgore argues that contemporary studies of science fiction are informed by race as an influential component of society and politics. He mentions how, even in earlier works of the genre, race has been a prevalent issue. He believes this is manifested in War of the Worlds through Wells’ description of the Martian invaders as unsympathetic, browned-skinned killers. This helps my argument how depictions of extraterrestrial races in science fiction are informed by race-relations between humans.

3. Stover, Leon E. “Anthropology and Science Fiction.” Current Anthropology14.4 (1973): 471-474. Web.

Stover talks about the ways that science fiction is influenced by and encompasses anthropological subject matter. This is scene in the science fiction theme of discovering and exploring different cultures. I wish to argue in compliance with this notion, and that it speaks to how the interactions between cultures in science fiction novels mirrors real-life cultural interactions.

4. Grewell, Greg. “Colonizing the Universe: Science Fictions Then, Now, and in the (Imagined) Future.” Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature 55.2 (2001): 25-47.

Grewell makes the claim that there is a correlation between early colonial literature and certain types of science fiction narratives. Many science fiction narratives depict the exploration of a hostile alien world or species in the same way that some colonial literature depicts interactions with native peoples. This argument further helps to support my paper’s thesis of the relation between Science Fiction and racial dynamics.

5. Samuels, David. ““These Are the Stories That the Dogs Tell”: Discourses of Identity and Difference in Ethnography and Science Fiction.” Cultural Anthropology 11.1 (1996): 88-118. Web.

In this paper, Samuels investigates common themes of naturalization, denaturalization, and identity that are present in both ethnography and science fiction. Samuels argues that this relationship is causal. Both ethnography and science fiction can find root in colonialism. The exploration of this causal relation should help to support my thesis.

6. Attebery, Brian. “Aboriginality in Science Fiction.” Science Fiction Studies32.3 (2005): 385-404. JSTOR. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

Attebery claims that many of the themes in science fiction novels reflect interactions with indigenous peoples. He argues that although science fiction may have a basis in fantasy, the genre, more often times than not, has some historical weight, which is rooted in the meshing and conflict of cultures during western expansion. This argument helps me with my case regarding the theme of the treatment and representation of native peoples in The Coming Race and At the Mountains of Madness.

7. Joshi, S. T. “In Defense of Lovecraft.” Science Fiction Studies 7.1 (1980): 111-12. JSTOR. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

In this article, Joshi responds to critics of HP Lovecraft, specifically those who believe that Lovecraft’s racism is overtly present in his works and detracts from them. Joshi argues that though Lovecraft was horribly racist, that it was a result of the time in which he lived and that it shouldn’t be considered as an influencing factor regarding his work. Though I agree that Lovecraft’s politics shouldn’t detract from his stories, the fact of the matter is that these attitudes had an influence on the way he created his monsters. Specifically I believe that his monsters in At the Mountains of Madness reflects attitudes towards indigenous peoples.

8. Wagner, Geoffrey. “A Forgotten Satire: Bulwer-Lytton’s The Coming Race.”Nineteenth-Century Fiction 19.4 (1965): 379-85. JSTOR. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

Here, Wagner argues that the relationship between the narrator and the Vril-ya represents the relationship between Britain and the United States. The home of the Vril-ya supposedly represents America and its apparent idealistic government. I would argue and say that it’s an allegory for the relationship between American/British Colonists and Native Americans.

Skip to toolbar