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:	9781476680897
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	09/28/2020
Series:	Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy , #71
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.42(d)
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.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Preface 1

A Brief Biography of Caitlin R. Kiernan 3

Introduction 9

1 The Call of the Si: Irish Supernatural Literature and Folklore in the Fiction of Caitlin R. Kiernan 19

2 Kiernan Echoes the Literary Decadence 32

3 The Figure of the Gothic Body 46

4 The Folklore of Awe and Terror 61

5 "Warnings to the Curious": Kiernan's Science and Mystery Stories 76

6 Haunted Perceptions: Fear and Trembling in Kiernan's Fiction 91

7 Spectral Confessions: The Red Tree and The Drowning Girl: A Memoir 105

8 Dark Futures: Surveying Kiernan's Science Fiction 117

9 Retruthing Steampunk: Kiernan Rewrites' American West Steampunk 134

Conclusion: Caitlin R. Kiernan's Modern Dark Fiction 150

Chapter Notes 159

Bibliography 171

Index 189

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