{"title":"Series: Perspectives on Fantasy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePerspectives on Fantasy\u003c\/em\u003e invites readers to explore a diverse landscape where imagination meets reality in unexpected ways. From contemporary themes to timeless tales, this collection crosses genres and styles, offering fresh insights into human experience through a fantastical lens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether you seek thought-provoking stories or creative storytelling that challenges perception, these works blend elements of fiction and cultural reflection. The series appeals to those who appreciate both imaginative narratives and the deeper questions they inspire.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"illustrating-the-lord-of-the-rings-in-the-soviet-bloc-by-dr-joel-merriner-9781350442085","title":"Illustrating The Lord of the Rings in the Soviet Bloc","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA comprehensive history and analysis of the Soviet illustrated editions of \u003ci\u003eThe Lord of the Rings\u003c\/i\u003e published between 1981 and 1993, this book explores the production and reception of these works against a backdrop of oppressive state censorship, restrictive publishing practices, and logistical struggles of translating such long texts.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHighlighting the intense creativity, innovation, and resourcefulness of illustrators from the USSR, \u003ci\u003eIllustrating The Lord of the Rings in the Soviet Bloc\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates how new forms of Tolkienian imagery reforged Western fantasy artwork and brought fresh iconographical diversity to late 20th-century fantasy visuals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy employing comparative analysis to reconcile the neglected Soviet illustrations with their popular Western equivalents, the book situates both pictorial traditions within the wider cultural and political contexts of the period. It reflects upon their relevance to current debates regarding visual heterogeneity in fantasy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCarefully reconstructing the diverse Middle-earth visions of illustrators such as \u003ci\u003eGyozo\u003c\/i\u003e Vida, Jerzy Czerniawski, Yassen Panov, Alexander Korotich, Èduard Zarjanskij, Denis Gordeev, and Sergei Iukhimov, \u003ci\u003eIllustrating The Lord of the Rings in the Soviet Bloc\u003c\/i\u003e broadens notions of how Tolkien's work was received beyond Anglo-centric, Western audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA vivid record of artistic reception and the permeability of cultural boundaries during the final years of Communist rule, author Joel Merriner offers an art historian's analysis of these illustrations of Tolkien's beloved work and sheds new light on the role of visual art in shaping cultural content.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47596649218284,"sku":"9781350442085","price":356.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781350442085-illustrating-the-lord-of-the-rings-in-the-soviet-bloc.jpg?v=1777934232"},{"product_id":"reading-length-in-fantasy-fiction-by-dr-matthew-oliver-9781350502215","title":"Reading Length in Fantasy Fiction","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReframing debates surrounding long narratives to explore their impact, this book develops a critical vocabulary for discussing the formal, social, and political affordances of length and duration in fantasy novels, and by extension, other genres.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeloved by fans, fantasy books frequently receive dismissive treatment from book reviewers and academics. For literary critics, lengthy narratives have long posed problems: for aesthetic critics, they are too sprawling and unstructured; for the politically engaged, they are suspect as part of a culture industry that commodifies texts. \u003cem\u003eReading Length in Fantasy Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e switches up this discussion of long narratives, exploring their use of repetitions, narrative rhythms, and complexly ramifying structures to shape readers’ perspectives on such concepts as historical causation, group inclusion, the conflict between traditional values and innovation, and human agency in relation to a complex social totality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs the first book-length study of the length of fantasy novels, this book uses insights from aesthetic theory, phenomenology, and cognitive studies to ask both “what does length do for fantasy narratives?” and also “how does fantasy length help us understand the function of extended duration in narrative?” Calling upon readings from a diverse set of writers including J. R. R. Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, George R. R. Martin, N. K. Jemisin, Marlon James, Barbara Hambly, Steven Erikson, Samuel Delany and Katharine Kerr, Matthew Oliver illustrates the breadth of approaches structuring long fiction and the impact of strategies for managing length on a range of issues including race, gender, and social class.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFinally, offering a critical vocabulary for the formal analysis of length and a set of tools for relating the duration of texts to their social and political consequences, this book presents a major intervention in criticism of the fantastic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47934195859692,"sku":"9781350502215","price":360.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781350502215-reading-length-in-fantasy-fiction.jpg?v=1783904027"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/series-perspectives-on-fantasy.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}