Book description
The genre of prehistoric fiction contains a surprisingly large and
diverse group of fictional works by American, British, and French
writers from the late nineteenth century to the present that describe
prehistoric humans. Nicholas Ruddick explains why prehistoric fiction
could not come into being until after the acceptance of Charles Darwin's
theories, and argues that many early prehistoric fiction works are still
worth reading even though the science upon which they are based is now
outdated. Exploring the history and evolution of the genre, Ruddick
shows how prehistoric fiction can offer fascinating insights into the
possible origins of human nature, sexuality, racial distinctions,
language, religion, and art. The book includes discussions of well-known
prehistoric fiction by H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, J.-H. Rosny Aine, Jack
London, William Golding, Arthur C. Clarke, and Jean M. Auel and reminds
us of some unjustly forgotten landmarks of prehistoric fiction. It also
briefly covers such topics as the recent boom in prehistoric romance,
notable prehistoric fiction for children and young adults, and the most
entertaining movies featuring prehistoric humans. The book includes
illustrations that trace the changing popular images of cave men and
women over the past 150 years. "I think this is a very good book,
with rich meanings; and it takes its place well in this growing series
of books from Wesleyan University Press on early science
fiction."--Donald M. Hassler, Science Fiction Studies NICHOLAS
RUDDICK is a professor of English at the University of Regina and author
of Ultimate Island: On the Nature of British Science Fiction (1993).
