Literary Review of Sexuality and Gender in Science Fiction Literature

Literary Review

My argument is that SF literature offers a utopian hope for the future where individual differences are no longer criticized. To conduct this literature review I used multiple information sources to examine issues of gender and sexuality within science fiction literature. None of these sources claim to have produced a conclusive work on the interpretation of gender and sexuality in SF. Some of what I have read seems to be a general overview while some is more focused, but everything clearly references other theorists, studies and texts to back up the arguments made.

The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction- Edward James

This book combines essays by academics and writers of SF, which examine the genre from diverse perspectives. It inspects the beginnings of SF from Thomas More to the present day, and presents significant critical approaches such as Marxism, feminism and queer theory. There is an overlap of themes throughout which provides a chance to read about interrelated subjects from different angles written by numerous authors, which makes the work stronger.

In ‘Gender in science fiction’ Helen Merrick explores the depictions of masculinity and femininity. She illustrates how SF is proficient in examining gender issues, noting texts that have assisted in going against standard sociocultural norms. This chapter is only a brief discussion of the pioneering work of feminist SF writers (particularly the emergence of female SF writers), however, Veronica Hollinger deliberates the topic further in ‘Feminist theory in science fiction’. In Merrick’s chapter her overall point is that the SF genre is a means for investigating gender and humanity and ridding the mind from the austerity of standard norms. What thi...

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...iscuss both similar and dissimilar topics, some of which overlap or go deeper in the discussion. It is clear that in applying the theories and arguments made above, that there certainly is an opportunity to use SF literature as a means for understanding gender, sexuality and utopia in a way that is relevant to actuality.

References

Attebery, B (2002). Decoding Gender in Science Fiction. New York: Routledge.

Gordon, J, Hollinger, V & Pearson, W, (2008). Queer Universes Sexualities in Science Fiction. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.

Hollinger, V. Merrick, H. Pearson, W. (2003). The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction. London: Cambridge University Press.

Jameson, F (2007). Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions. London: Verso.

Larbalestier, J (2002). Battle of the Sexes. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.