As If

Modern Enchantment and the Literary Prehistory of Virtual Reality

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Science Fiction, British
Cover of the book As If by Michael Saler, Oxford University Press
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Author: Michael Saler ISBN: 9780199887804
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: December 29, 2011
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Michael Saler
ISBN: 9780199887804
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: December 29, 2011
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Many people throughout the world "inhabit" imaginary worlds communally and persistently, parsing Harry Potter and exploring online universes. These activities might seem irresponsibly escapist, but history tells another story. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, when Sherlock Holmes became the world's first "virtual reality" character, readers began to colonize imaginary worlds, debating serious issues and viewing reality in provisional, "as if" terms rather than through essentialist, "just so" perspectives. From Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and Tolkien's Middle-earth to the World of Warcraft and Second Life, As If provides a cultural history that reveals how we can remain enchanted but not deluded in an age where fantasy and reality increasingly intertwine.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Many people throughout the world "inhabit" imaginary worlds communally and persistently, parsing Harry Potter and exploring online universes. These activities might seem irresponsibly escapist, but history tells another story. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, when Sherlock Holmes became the world's first "virtual reality" character, readers began to colonize imaginary worlds, debating serious issues and viewing reality in provisional, "as if" terms rather than through essentialist, "just so" perspectives. From Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and Tolkien's Middle-earth to the World of Warcraft and Second Life, As If provides a cultural history that reveals how we can remain enchanted but not deluded in an age where fantasy and reality increasingly intertwine.

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