Space for Peace: Fragments of the Irish Troubles in the Science Fiction of Bob Shaw and James White

Author:   Richard Howard
Publisher:   Liverpool University Press
Volume:   68
ISBN:  

9781802073683


Pages:   312
Publication Date:   02 February 2024
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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Space for Peace: Fragments of the Irish Troubles in the Science Fiction of Bob Shaw and James White


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Overview

Science fiction might not be the first thing that springs to mind when we think of Irish literature. But in the post-war period in Belfast, two authors, Bob Shaw and James White, began producing science fiction stories, eventually selling them to international markets and gaining the respect of luminaries such as Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Aldiss and Stanley Kubrick. Although lauded in the international science fiction scene for their innovations in the genre, Shaw and White’s work has been relatively ignored within Irish Studies. This book connects the emergence of science fiction in Belfast with the position of the city as the locus of technological development on the island of Ireland, and the development of a corresponding technological imaginary. Breaking new ground in the study of Irish modernity, Richard Howard draws parallels between the narratives of Shaw and White and the persistent influence of historical narratives embodied by the two-traditions paradigm in the region, as well as exploring the figure of the alien both in science fiction and in the history of Northern Ireland. He also considers the works of Shaw and White as utopian gestures against the backdrop of the Irish Troubles, finding both repressive and redemptive elements therein. The book makes an important contribution to the growing conversation about Irish science fiction and our understanding of modernity in Ireland.

Full Product Details

Author:   Richard Howard
Publisher:   Liverpool University Press
Imprint:   Liverpool University Press
Volume:   68
ISBN:  

9781802073683


ISBN 10:   180207368
Pages:   312
Publication Date:   02 February 2024
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. A Proximity to Technology 2. Historical Continuity and Alternative Modernities 3. The Alien and the Other 4. Utopias, Repressive and Redemptive Conclusion

Reviews

'Howard’s Space for Peace is a valuable contribution to the dynamic body of work emerging at the intersections of Irish literary and sf studies... [Space for Peace] is to be welcomed for its embraided engagement with the overall scholarship in both fields... and, in particular, the lifetime work of Bob Shaw and James White.'Tom Moylan, Science Fiction Studies


Author Information

Richard Howard holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and lectures in Irish Studies for the Council on International Educational Exchange at Dublin City University.

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