Shape-Shifting: Images of Native Americans in Recent Popular Fiction: 71 (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture) - Hardcover

Andrew F. Macdonald; Gina Macdonald; MaryAnn E. Sheridan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 031330842X ISBN 13: 9780313308420

Publisher: Praeger (UK), 2000

Synopsis

This study of the Native American in the western, romance, detective, horror, and science fiction genres examines how even historically accurate representations distort and bias the Native American figure to fit European-based traditions and modern agendas. The authors provide critical approaches for evaluating the literature. They argue that while popular fiction conventions determine and limit authentic portraits of Native American cultures, successful popular fiction writers approach literary quality by fusing authentic Native American culture with the standard genre conventions. Approximately 200 books are discussed and evaluated, and true Native American stories and writings are contrasted with mainstream versions of Indian culture.

While the exploitation of Native Americans has long been recognized, little has been written about the manipulation of Native American figures in recent popular fiction. This study will appeal to students of Native American culture, literature, and popular culture. An appendix of special terms is provided along with a comprehensive bibliography.

About this title

About the Authors

ANDREW MACDONALD is Associate Professor of English at Loyola University in New Orleans. He has published widely in the areas of popular culture, mystery fiction, and science fiction. He is co-author with his wife Gina Macdonald, of Mastering Writing Essentials (1995), a text for bilingual writing students. His interest in Howard Fast began during visits to the former Soviet Union and Russia, where Fast's works are widely read.


GINA MACDONALD is Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Loyola University in New Orleans. She is the author of James Clavell: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1996), and has published well over a hundred articles in periodicals and books on popular fiction, detective fiction, and popular culture. She is also coauthor of a text for bilingual students of writing and a freshman composition text.

Edition details

• Publisher: Praeger (UK)
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 031330842X
• ISBN 13: 9780313308420
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 360