Full Description
This book offers a critical overview focused on the Bas-Lag trilogy of novels by British speculative fiction writer, China Miéville. The Bas-Lag trilogy is a significant re-evaluation of the fantasy fiction genre, infused with contemporary political commentary presented through recognisable, albeit subverted, conventions associated with the canon. Filled with monstrous creations, the world of the Bas-Lag books utilises the effectiveness of teratology to critically explore ideas around capitalism, imperialism, urban space, concepts of the body and utopian and revolutionary ideals. The Bas-Lag books are a product of the time within which they were written, beautifully evoking the late-capitalist society from which Miéville writes. As a writer, Miéville extrapolates concepts and perceptions of genre, urban landscapes and socio-political concerns through the lenses of fantastika and teratology. This critical companion will explore this approach by focusing on his celebrated Bas-Lag trilogy, comprising the novels Perdido Street Station (2000), The Scar (2002) and Iron Council (2004).
Miéville's fantasy world building is exemplary and Bas-Lag as a creation is a fine example of creativity and vivid imagination tinged with real-world political structures and ideas. The creation and application of monsters within the Bas-Lag novels acts as a conduit for this socio-political commentary. This critical companion will demonstrate that by analysing monsters as manifestations of political concerns. Miéville successfully utilises the hybridity and liminality of both monsters and fantastic fiction as a methodology to critique such subjects as law, justice, utopian ideals and our interpretations of urban space. Embracing genre conventions make these tough subjects easier for the reader to process.
Contents
1. The Cacotopic Stain - Monsters, Politics and Genre in the Bas-lag Books.- 2. Welcome to New Crobuzon - Marxist and Urban Theory in Perdido Street Station.- 3. 'The Perpetual Train' - Socialism and Revolution in October and Iron Council.- 4. The Broken Dream? Utopian Ideas in The Scar.- 5. This Census Taker - A Bas-Lag Story.
