Caitlin R. Kiernan: A Critical Study of Her Dark Fiction

by James Goho, Donald E. Palumbo (Editor), C.W. Sullivan III (Editor)

Overview

Caitlin R. Kiernan is at the forefront of contemporary gothic, weird and science fiction literature. She has written more than a dozen novels, over 250 short stories, many chapbooks, along with a large number of graphic works. For these Kiernan has won numerous awards. This first full-length look at Kiernan's body of work explores her fictional universe through critical literary lenses to show the depth of her contributions to modern genre literature.

A prolific and creative writer, Kiernan's fictions bring to life our fears about the other, the unknown, and the future through stories that range widely across time and space. A sense of dark terror pervades her novels and stories. Yet Kiernan's fictional universe is not disengaged from reality. That is because she works within the long tradition of gothic fiction speaking to the gravest ethical, social and cultural issues. In her dark fiction, Kiernan illustrates the terror of the tyranny of the normal, the oppression of marginalized people, and the pervasive violence of our time. Her dystopian sf propels today's dangerous economic, social, political and environmental tendencies into the future. Kiernan's fiction portrays troubling truths about the current human condition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476640730
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	08/28/2020
Series:	Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy , #71
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	206
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

James Goho has numerous publications in short fiction, social science studies, and gothic literature. He lives in Winnipeg, Canada.
James Goho has numerous publications in short fiction, social science studies, and gothic literature. He lives in Winnipeg, Canada.
Donald E. Palumbo is a professor of English at East Carolina University. He lives in Greenville, North Carolina.
C.W. Sullivan III is Distinguished Professor of arts and sciences at East Carolina University and a full member of the Welsh Academy. He is the author of numerous books and the on-line journal Celtic Cultural Studies.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
A Brief Biography of Caitlín R. Kiernan
Introduction
One. The Call of the Sí: Irish Supernatural Literature and Folklore in the Fiction of Caitlín R. Kiernan
Two. Kiernan Echoes the Literary Decadence
Three. The Figure of the Gothic Body
Four. The Folklore of Awe and Terror
Five. “Warnings to the Curious”: Kiernan’s Science and Mystery Stories
Six. Haunted Perceptions: Fear and Trembling in Kiernan’s Fiction
Seven. Spectral Confessions: The Red Tree and The Drowning Girl: A Memoir
Eight. Dark Futures: Surveying Kiernan’s Science Fiction
Nine. Retruthing Steampunk: Kiernan Rewrites American West Steampunk
Conclusion: Caitlín R. Kiernan’s Modern Dark Fiction
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"At once a broad, accessible introduction to Kiernan’s work and a valuable resource for scholars and specialists.”—Sean Moreland, University of Ottawa

From the Publisher