Terminal Identity: The Virtual Subject in Postmodern Science Fiction (Paperback)

by Scott Bukatman (Author) "Several sections of Chris Marker's 1982 film, Sans Soleil, present contemporary Tokyo as a science fiction metropolis..." (more)
Key Phrases: terminal flesh, terminal identity fictions, imploded society, Max Headroom, New Wave, American Flagg (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
""Terminal Identity" is a landmark book that should be read by all serious scholars of contemporary SF and postmodern culture. In his wide-ranging study, Bukatman does a much-needed job of synthesizing numerous studies of postmodernism and of SF literature and film to give us a new perspective on changing representations of the human subject in the electronic age. . . . "Terminal Identity" is well worth reading and impressive for its range of reference and synthesis of ideas."
--Andrew Gordon, "Science-Fiction Studies"

Product Description
Scott Bukatman's Terminal Identity—referring to both the site of the termination of the conventional "subject" and the birth of a new subjectivity constructed at the computer terminal or television screen--puts to rest any lingering doubts of the significance of science fiction in contemporary cultural studies. Demonstrating a comprehensive knowledge, both of the history of science fiction narrative from its earliest origins, and of cultural theory and philosophy, Bukatman redefines the nature of human identity in the Information Age.
Drawing on a wide range of contemporary theories of the postmodern—including Fredric Jameson, Donna Haraway, and Jean Baudrillard—Bukatman begins with the proposition that Western culture is suffering a crisis brought on by advanced electronic technologies. Then in a series of chapters richly supported by analyses of literary texts, visual arts, film, video, television, comics, computer games, and graphics, Bukatman takes the reader on an odyssey that traces the postmodern subject from its current crisis, through its close encounters with technology, and finally to new self-recognition. This new "virtual subject," as Bukatman defines it, situates the human and the technological as coexistent, codependent, and mutally defining.
Synthesizing the most provocative theories of postmodern culture with a truly encyclopedic treatment of the relevant media, this volume sets a new standard in the study of science fiction—a category that itself may be redefined in light of this work. Bukatman not only offers the most detailed map to date of the intellectual terrain of postmodern technology studies—he arrives at new frontiers, providing a propitious launching point for further inquiries into the relationship of electronic technology and culture.


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Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822313405
• ISBN-13: 978-0822313403
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #715,027 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book today... your brain will thank you!, February 8, 2001

By	Thomas Fang "blobject oriented" (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As dense as it is deep, Bukatman's work is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in science fiction, postmodern theory, or the relationship between technology and human culture. The glowing reviews by Bruce Sterling and Larry McCaffery were well-deserved, and this book will have a permanent place on my bookshelf (right next to Storming the Reality Studio). I had never heard of Scott Bukatman before finding this book, but I now look forward to reading anything he writes in the future.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars awsome, brilliant, scott's the man, February 16, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Terminal Identity: The Virtual Subject in Postmodern Science Fiction (Hardcover)

One of _the_ important books for anyone interested in Science Fiction's engagement with cultural issues. I've yet to find someone who had done any important work at the time of the books' publication who isn't in there somewhere. It's been called "interminable identity" by some but that's just because people don't have the patience to wade through the good stuff. an Important Book..

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terminal Identity, March 7, 2006

By	Sarah Sammis "Avid BookCrosser" (Hayward, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fans of the science fiction genre (whether in film, comic book, or novel form) will enjoy these collected essays on how societal issues and fears have been represented. It includes discussions on authors such as Philip K Dick, William Gibson, Neil Gaiman, Alfred Bester, and many others.