| Anne McCaffrey: A Life with Dragons Contributor(s): Roberts, Robin (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 157806998X ISBN-13: 9781578069989 Publisher: University Press of Mississippi OUR PRICE: $25.20 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: August 2007 Annotation: The first woman to win the Hugo Award (given annually by the World Science Fiction convention) and the Nebula Award (given annually by the Science Fiction Writers of America), Anne McCaffrey has invented many worlds of science fiction. Her series The Dragonriders of Pern has become one of the most widely read in science fiction history. This is the first complete critical study of her work. It examines all of her novels to date, both individual and series, and reveals why she deserves the critical recognition her works have received. Roberts explores the range and complexity of her novels and the recurrent themes that have attracted so many young adults to her work: the heroine as outsider, the need for tolerance and the acceptance of difference, the importance of living harmoniously with nature, and the value of art and literature. McCaffrey's contributions to science fiction are many, including the creation of scientifically engineered dragons, brain ships, and scientifically explained mental powers such as telepathy and telekinesis. Roberts shows how McCaffrey's extrapolation of science raises social issues and causes us to think about the future. Each chapter in this study deals with an individual novel or series and features sections on genre, plot, theme, and character development. In addition, Roberts defines and applies a variety of theoretical approaches to the works to widen the reader's perspective. The study features a chapter on McCaffrey's life, including an interview with her, a chapter defining the science fiction genre and McCaffrey's place in it, and a complete bibliography of McCaffrey's fiction and of reviews and criticism. Because of her great popularity amongteenagers and adults, this study is a necessary purchase by secondary schools and public libraries. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | American - General - Literary Criticism | Science Fiction & Fantasy - Biography & Autobiography | Literary Figures |
| Dewey: B |
| LCCN: 2007003696 |
| Physical Information: 0.95" H x 6.37" W x 9.24" (1.34 lbs) 240 pages |
| Themes: - Sex & Gender - Feminine - Chronological Period - 20th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Anne McCaffrey: A Life with Dragons is the biography of a writer who vividly depicted alien creatures and new worlds. As the author of the Dragonriders of Pern series, McCaffrey (1926-2011) was one of the most significant writers of science fiction and fantasy. She was the first woman to win the Hugo and Nebula awards, and her 1978 novel The White Dragon was the first science-fiction novel to appear on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. This biography reveals a fascinating and complex figure, one who created and re-created her fiction by drawing on life experiences. At various stages, McCaffrey was a beautiful young girl who refused to fit into traditional gender roles in high school, a restless young mother who wanted to write, an American expatriate who became an Irish citizen, an animal lover who dreamed of fantasy worlds with perfect relationships between humans and beasts, and a wife trapped in an unhappy marriage just as the women's movement took hold. Author Robin Roberts conducted interviews with McCaffrey, her children, friends, and colleagues, and used archival correspondence and contemporary reviews and criticism. The biography examines how McCaffrey's early interests in theater, Slavonic languages and literature, and British history, mythology, and culture all shaped her science fiction. The book is a nuanced portrait of a writer whose appeal extends well beyond readers of her chosen genre. |
Contributor Bio(s): Roberts, Robin: - Robin Roberts is professor of English and gender studies at the University of Arkansas. She is author of several books on gender and popular culture, including Subversive Spirits: The Female Ghost in British and American Popular Culture, Anne McCaffrey: A Life with Dragons, and Ladies First: Women in Music Videos and coauthor (with Leslie A. Wade and Frank de Caro) of Downtown Mardi Gras: New Carnival Practices in Post-Katrina New Orleans, all published by University Press of Mississippi. |