In The Chinks Of The World Machine: Feminism And Science Fiction

Author: Sarah Lefanu

We said earlier how much feminist ideas had done for the study of science fiction, and this was, in effect, the pioneering work, the book that first laid out in a popular and accessible way the role of women in science fiction. Lefanu was one of the editors at The Women's Press, the publisher responsible for bringing many women writers of science fiction to public attention. And it is her experience there that Lefanu brings to this fascinating book. In the first part she examines the role of women within sf, how they are presented and what they write, asking if there is such a thing as women's science fiction. She follows this up in the second part with a detailed examination of four major women sf writers, James Tiptree, Jr., Ursula K. Le Guin, Suzy McKee Charnas and Joanna Russ. This is the book that, probably more than any other, kickstarted the feminist analysis of science fiction. It's a pioneer, a groundbreaking work, and it is still revealing and informative today.