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In 15 all-new essays, this volume explores how science fiction and fantasy draw on materials from ancient Greece and Rome, 'displacing' them from their original settings-in time and space, in points of origins and genre-and encouraging readers to consider similar 'displacements' in the modern world. Modern examples from a wide range of media and genres-including Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and the novels of Helen Oyeyemi, the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, and the role-playing games Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer 40K-are brought alongside episodes from ancient myth, important moments from history, and more. All together, these multifaceted studies add to our understanding of how science fiction and fantasy form important areas of classical reception, not only transmitting but also transmuting images of antiquity. The volume concludes with an inspiring personal reflection from the New York Times-bestselling author of speculative fiction, Catherynne M. Valente, offering her perspective on the limitless potential of the classical world to resonate with experience today.
E-Book Content
ONCE AND FUTURE ANTIQUITIES IN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY i Bloomsbury Studies in Classical Reception Bloomsbury Studies in Classical Reception presents scholarly monographs offering new and innovative research and debate to students and scholars in the reception of Classical Studies. Each volume will explore the appropriation, reconceptualization and recontextualization of various aspects of the Graeco-Roman world and its culture, looking at the impact of the ancient world on modernity. Research will also cover reception within antiquity, the theory and practice of translation, and reception theory. Also available in the series: ANCIENT MAGIC AND THE SUPERNATURAL IN THE MODERN VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS edited by Filippo Carlà and Irene Berti ANCIENT GREEK MYTH IN WORLD FICTION SINCE 1989 edited by Justine McConnell and Edith Hall CLASSICS IN EXTREMIS by Edmund Richardson FRANKENSTEIN AND ITS CLASSICS edited by Jesse Weiner, Benjamin Eldon Stevens and Brett M. Rogers GREEK AND ROMAN CLASSICS IN THE BRITISH STRUGGLE FOR SOCIAL REFORM edited by Henry Stead and Edith Hall HOMER’S ILIAD AND THE TROJAN WAR : DIALOGUES ON TRADITION Jan Haywood and Naoíse Mac Sweeney IMAGINING XERXES Emma Bridges JULIUS CAESAR’S SELF -CREATED IMAGE AND ITS DRAMATIC AFTERLIFE Miryana Dimitrova OVID’S MYTH OF PYGMALION ON SCREEN Paula James THE CODEX FORI MUSSOLINI Han Lamers and Bettina Reitz-Joosse THE GENTLE , JEALOUS GOD Simon Perris VICTORIAN CLASSICAL BURLESQUES Laura Monrós-Gaspar VICTORIAN EPIC BURLESQUES Rachel Bryant Davies ii ONCE AND FUTURE ANTIQUITIES IN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY Edited by Brett M. Rogers and Benjamin Eldon Stevens iii BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC 1B 3DP , UK 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA BLOOMSBURY , BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2019 Copyright © Brett M. Rogers, Benjamin Eldon Stevens & Contributors, 2019 Brett M. Rogers and Benjamin Eldon Stevens have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Editors of this work. Cover image: Cadmus drawing his sword rushes at the monstrous dragon, Edmund Dulac illustration from Tanglewood Tales, AF Fotografie/Alamy Stock Photo All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for, any third-party websites referred to or in th