Science Fiction and the Dismal Science

Despite the growing importance of economics in our lives, literary scholars have long been reluctant to consider economic issues as they examine key texts. This volume seeks to fill one of these conspicuous gaps in the critical literature by focusing on various connections between science fiction and economics, with some attention to related fields such as politics and government. Its seventeen contributors include five award-winning scholars, five science fiction writers, and a widely published economist.Three topics are covered: what noted science fiction writers like Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert, and Kim Stanley Robinson have had to say about our economic and political future; how the competitive and ever-changing publishing marketplace has affected the growth and development of science fiction from the nineteenth century to today; and how the scholars who examine science fiction have themselves been influenced by the economics of academia. Although the essays focus primarily on American science fiction, the traditions of Russian and Chinese science fiction are also examined. A comprehensive bibliography of works related to science fiction and economics will assist other readers and critics who are interested in this subject.

"[The essays] are all well-written and generally entertaining even though economics is itself usually considered a pretty dry subject."--Critical Mass.

Gary Westfahl, Professor Emeritus at the University of La Verne, has authored, edited, or co-edited 27 books about science fiction and fantasy, in addition to publishing hundreds of articles and reviews. In 2003, he received the Science Fiction Research Association's Pilgrim Award for his lifetime contributions to science fiction and fantasy scholarship. Gregory Benford is a professor of physics at the University of California, Irvine. He is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, was Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University, and in 1995 received the Lord Prize for contributions to science. He has published 32 novels, four volumes of nonfiction, and over 200 short stories and several hundred scientific papers in several fields. Howard V. Hendrix, currently at California State University, Fresno, has taught at the college level for over thirty years. He has published six novels and two collections of stories; has authored, coauthored, or coedited three works of nonfiction; and has written numerous articles, reviews, and editorials. Jonathan Alexander is Chancellor's Professor of English and Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author, co-author, or editor of fifteen books. His work primarily focuses on written and digital production in the extra-curriculum, "fan texts," and genre fiction.