Carl Howard Freedman (born 1951) is an American writer,

literary theorist Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, mora ...

and professor of English literature at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

. He is best known for the non-fiction book ''Critical Theory and Science Fiction'', and his scholarly work on the writer Philip K. Dick. Freedman's other works include a series of books on

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

and

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...

, and several essays and a book on

China Miéville China Tom Miéville ( ; born 6 September 1972) is a British speculative fiction writer and literary critic. He often describes his work as ''weird fiction'' and is allied to the loosely associated movement of writers called '' New Weird''. Mi ...

. In 2018, he won the

Pilgrim Award The Pilgrim Award is presented by the Science Fiction Research Association for Lifetime Achievement in the field of science fiction scholarship. It was created in 1970 and was named after J. O. Bailey’s pioneering book '' Pilgrims Through Space ...

for lifetime contribution to science fiction and fantasy scholarship.

Life and career

Carl Freedman was born in North Carolina in 1951. He received his BA in English from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

and

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and his PhD from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. He is currently the William A. Read Professor of English literature at

, where he was named a distinguished research master in 2013. Freedman's most highly cited work is his 2000 book, ''Critical Theory and Science Fiction'', where he examines the analytical potential of SF. He places science fiction above all other genres in terms of "historical concreteness and rigorous self-reflectiveness", and thus as the most sound genre for academic study. The book focuses on novels from five authors: It presents the case that the above works constitute the "aesthetic and political core" of SF (per Gerlach and Hamilton). Freedman employs the notion of science fiction as "

cognitive estrangement Darko Ronald Suvin (born Darko Šlesinger) is a Yugoslav-born academic, writer and critic who became a professor (now emeritusDavid JohnstonConvocation: Honorary degrees and emeritus professorships McGill Reporter, Volume 33, No. 05, November 2 ...

", an idea popularized by academic

Darko Suvin Darko Ronald Suvin (born Darko Šlesinger) is a Yugoslav-born academic, writer and critic who became a professor (now emeritusDavid JohnstonConvocation: Honorary degrees and emeritus professorships McGill Reporter, Volume 33, No. 05, November ...

. This has been described as a

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

and utopian approach to SF: by placing readers in a world different from their own, it challenges them to imagine alternatives to the status quo. Freedman is also known for his essays on the writer Philip K. Dick, where he studies the prevalence of paranoia in Dick's works. His ''Literary Conversations'' series of books (2005–09) contain extended interviews with Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Samuel R. Delany. Freedman has also authored essays on Marxism and

. His 2015 book, ''Art and Idea in the Novels of China Miéville'', studies six of his novels: '' King Rat''; the three ''Bas-Lag'' books, ''

Perdido Street Station ''Perdido Street Station'' is a novel by British writer China Miéville, published in 2000 by Macmillan. Often described as weird fiction, it is set in a world where both magic and steampunk technology exist. It won the Arthur C. Clarke Award ...

'', '' The Scar'' and ''

Iron Council ''Iron Council'' (2004) is a weird fantasy novel by the British writer China Miéville, his third set in the Bas-Lag universe, following ''Perdido Street Station'' (2000) and '' The Scar'' (2002). In addition to the steampunk influences share ...

''; ''

The City and the City ''The City & the City'' is a novel by British author China Miéville that follows a wide-reaching murder investigation in two cities that occupy the same space simultaneously, combining weird fiction with the police procedural. It was written ...

''; and ''

Embassytown ''Embassytown'' is a science fiction novel by British author China Miéville. It was published in the UK by Pan Macmillan on 6 May 2011, and in the US by Del Rey Books on 17 May 2011. A limited edition was released by Subterranean Press. The p ...

''. It has been described as "essential reading" for discussion of Miéville's work. Other writers that have been the subject of Freedman's work include

Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...

and

Kim Stanley Robinson Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American writer of science fiction. He has published twenty-two novels and numerous short stories and is best known for his ''Mars'' trilogy. His work has been translated into 24 languages. Many ...

, with focus on their authorship of utopian SF. Freedman has also written books on U.S. electoral politics, and on film.

Recognition

Freedman received the 1999 Pioneer Award for Excellence in Scholarship for his essay "Kubrick's 2001 and the Possibility of a Science-Fiction Cinema". In 2018, he was awarded the

for Lifetime Achievement by the

Science Fiction Research Association The Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA), founded in 1970, is the oldest, non-profit professional organization committed to encouraging, facilitating, and rewarding the study of science fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media. ...

Bibliography

As author

*''George Orwell: A Study in Ideology and Literary Form'', 1988 *''Critical Theory and Science Fiction'', 2000 *''The Incomplete Projects: Marxism, Modernity, and the Politics of Culture'', 2002 *''The Age of Nixon: A Study in Cultural Power'', 2012 *''Versions of Hollywood Crime Cinema: Studies in Ford, Wilder, Coppola, Scorsese, and Others'', 2013 *''Art and Idea in the Novels of China Miéville'', 2015

As editor

*''Conversations with Isaac Asimov'', 2005 *''Conversations with Ursula K. Le Guin'', 2008 *''Conversations with Samuel R. Delany'', 2009

References

External links

*
Carl Freedman
on

Google Scholar Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text or metadata of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. Released in beta in November 2004, the Google Scholar index includes p ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedman, Carl 1951 births Living people American speculative fiction critics Science fiction academics Science fiction critics 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Louisiana State University faculty University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Yale University alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford