| Description |
ix, 163 pages ; 24 cm |
| Contents |
1. Paranoia and the Delusion of the Total System -- 2. The Atomic Scientist, Science Fiction Films, and Paranoia: The Day the Earth Stood Still, This Island Earth, and Killers from Space -- 3. The Invaded Body: Paranoia and Radiation Anxiety in Invaders from Mars, It Came from Outer Space, and Invasion of the Body-Snatchers -- 4. Feminine Paranoia and Secrecy: I Married a Monster from Outer Space and Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman -- 5. Darwin and the Atom: Evolution/Devolution Fantasies in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Them! and The Incredible Shrinking Man -- 6. The Bomb and Sexuality: Creature from the Black Lagoon and Revenge of the Creature -- 7. From Trauma to Paranoia: Nuclear Weapons, Science Fiction, and History -- 8. A Bigger Bomb: Nuclear War as Conventional Warfare in Invasion USA and War of the Worlds |
| Summary |
"Paranoia, the Bomb, and 1950s Science Fiction Films argues that 1950s sf films open a window on the cultural paranoia that characterized 1950s America, a phenomenon largely triggered by the discovery and use of nuclear weapons during World War II. This study uses psychoanalytic theory to articulate a precise definition of paranoia. The various monsters that people 1950s sf - giant insects, prehistoric creatures, mutants, uncanny doubles, to name a few - serve as metaphorical embodiments of a varied and complex cultural paranoia."--BOOK JACKET. "Hendershot provides both theoretical discussion of paranoia and close readings of sf films in order to construct her argument, elucidating the various metaphors used by these films to convey a paranoiac view of a society forever altered by the atomic bomb."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 147-159) and index |
| Subject |
Science fiction films -- United States -- History and criticism.
|
| LC no. |
99026483 |
| ISBN |
0879727993 hardcover |
|
0879728000 paperback |
|
0879728000 : |
|
