Masculinity in Contemporary Science Fiction by Men
No Plans for the Future
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Liverpool University Press
Publishing:28th Aug '25
£115.00
This title is due to be published on 28th August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Masculinity in Contemporary Science Fiction by Men: No Plans for the Future is the first comprehensive study of the self-representation of men in SF novels published in the twenty-first century by male authors. Exploring a broad selection of writers and works, the fourteen chapters present a panoramic overview of men’s contributions to current SF and explore their slow but noticeable progress in the representation of gender. The impact of feminism and gender studies, and the demands of readers, have profoundly transformed men’s SF, which now presents far more caring and vulnerable male characters. The old stereotypes are being replaced by a collective reflection on how men and masculinity are changing, though the lack of a common agenda results in novels that, while exciting and often challenging, sometimes miss the chance to imagine a better, anti-patriarchal, pro-feminist future for men and for all human beings. The authors analysed include Robert Charles Wilson, Geoff Ryman, Samuel R. Delany, Richard K. Morgan, John Scalzi, Iain M. Banks, Ernest Cline, James S.A. Corey, Colson Whitehead, Andy Weir, Daniel H. Wilson, Ian McDonald, Yoon Ha Lee, Tade Thompson, Neal Stephenson and Kim Stanley Robinson.
‘A crucial and timely addition to masculinity studies, No Plans for the Future, in surveying male-authored speculative fiction, illuminates how such writers have inadequately challenged the patriarchal elements of the genre. Martín delivers a call for male writers that is informed by the current global political landscape: imagine better, anti-fascist worlds and use the tools of science fiction to resist authoritarianism.’ - Michael Pitts, author of Alternative Masculinities in Feminist Speculative Fiction: A New Man
‘A breath of academic fresh air, and a much needed fresh angle of approach. In her critique of male SF, Sara Martín takes the path less travelled by, and we are all the better for it. Rather than any smug blanket criticism of maleness, what Martín offers here is an enthusiastic curiosity about what the men are doing and a principled but impassioned engagement with why.’ - Richard K. Morgan
‘In a manner somewhat similar to Fredric Jameson’s The Political Unconscious, this work explores the “Gender Unconscious” in the science fiction of many recent writers, showing how their texts, in obvious or hidden ways, reveal themselves as statements in the rapidly changing (or not) world of contemporary masculinities. Extremely thought-provoking; it will send you back to the books with new eyes.’ - Kim Stanley Robinson
ISBN: 9781836245704
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages