介绍 :

Sciencefictionfilms,fromtheoriginalFrankensteinandTheFlytoBladeRunnerandTheTerminator,traditionallyhavebeenfilledwithaliens,spaceships,androids,cyborgs,andallsortsofroboticcreaturesalongwiththeirvariouscreators.Thepopularappealofthesecharactersisundeniable,butwhatisthemeaningofthisgenerationofcreatures?Whatistherelationshipofmadscientisttosubject,ofhumantoandroid,ofcreaturetocreator?Androids,Humanoids,andOtherFolkloreMonstersisaprofoundinvestigationofthispopularculturalform.Startinghisdiscussionwiththepossiblesourceofthesecreatures,anthropologistandwriterPerScheldeidentifiestheoriginofthesecrittersinthefolkloreofpastgenerations.Continuinginthetraditionofancientfolklore,contendsSchelde,sciencefictionfilmisafictionalaccountoftheongoingbattlebetweennatureandculture.Withtheadvanceofscience,thetrolls,dwarves,pixies,nixies,andhuldresthatrepresentedtheunknownnaturalforcesoftheworldwerevirtuallykilledoffbyever-increasingknowledgeandtechnology.Thenaturalforcesofthepastthatprovidedathreattohumanswerereplacedbythedangerofunknownscientificexperimentsanddisasters,asrepresentedbytheiroffspring:sciencefictionmonsters.Asthedevelopmentofgenetics,biomedicalengineering,andartificialintelligenceblurthelinesbetweenhumanandmachineintherealworld,thusinvadingthenaturallandscapewiththeproductsofman'stechno-culture,therepresentationofthisdevelopmentposesinterestingquestions.AsPerScheldeshows,itbecomesincreasinglydifficultinsciencefictionfilmtodefinethehumansfromtheircreations,andthusincreasinglydifficulttoidentifythemonster.Unlikesciencefictionliterature,sciencefictionfilmhasuntilnowbeenlargelyneglectedasagenreworthyofstudyandscholarship.Androids,Humanoids,andOtherFolkloreMonstersexploressciencefiction(sf)filmasthemodernincarnationoffolklore,emblematicofthestrugglebetweennatureandculture—butwithanewtwist.Scheldeexplainshow,asscienceconqueredtheforestsandmountainsofthewild,themythiccreaturesoftheserealms—trolls,elves,andogres—wererelegatedtocartoonsandchildren'sstories.Technologyandouterspacecametorepresentthemodernwild,andthisnewunknowncamealiveinthepopularimaginationwiththeembodimentsofourfearsofthatunknown:androids,cyborgs,genetics,andartificialintelligencegoneawry.Implicitinalloftheseisafear,andanindictment,ofthepowerofsciencetoinvadeourmindsandbodies,replacingtheindividualsoulwithamechanical,machine-madeone.Focusinghisanalysisonsixty-fivepopularfilms,fromFrankensteinandMetropolistoInvasionoftheBodySnatchers,TheTerminator,andBladeRunner,PerScheldebringshiscommandoftraditionalfolkloretothisseriousbuteminentlyreadablelookatSFmovies,decodingtheircuriousandoftenterrifyingimagesasexpressionsofmodernman'sangstinthefaceofarapidlyadvancingculturehecannotcontrol.Anyonewithaninterestinpopularculture,folklore,filmstudies,orsciencefictionwillenjoythisoriginalandcomprehensivestudy.

目录 :