This companion provides a definitive and cutting-edge guide to the study of imaginary and virtual worlds across a range of media, including literature, television, film, and games. From the Star Trek universe, Thomas More’s classic Utopia, and J. R. R. Tolkien’s Arda, to elaborate, user-created game worlds like Minecraft, contributors present interdisciplinary perspectives on authorship, world structure/design, and narrative. The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds offers new approaches to imaginary worlds as an art form and cultural phenomenon, explorations of the technical and creative dimensions of world-building, and studies of specific worlds and worldbuilders.
Edited by:
Mark Wolf
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 246mm,
Width: 174mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9780367876302
ISBN 10: 0367876302
Series: Routledge Media and Cultural Studies Companions
Pages: 468
Publication Date: 10 December 2019
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
About the Contributors Preface Acknowledgments Part 1 Content and Story 1. Locations and Borders Gerard Hynes 2. The Hero’s Journey Lily Alexander 3. Invented Languages Dimitra Fimi and Andrew Higgins 4. Invented Cultures Mark J. P. Wolf 5. Backstory Benjamin J. Robertson 6. Narrative Fabric Mark J. P. Wolf 7. Saviors Mark J. P. Wolf 8. Portals Jennifer Harwood-Smith Part 2 Form and Structure 9. World Design Mark J. P. Wolf 10. Ontological Rules Marie-Laure Ryan 11. World Completeness Benjamin J. Robertson 12. World Consistency Rodrigo Lessa and João Araújo 13. Geography and Maps Gerard Hynes 14. History and Timelines Benjamin J. Robertson 15. Mythology Lily Alexander 16. Philosophy Edward Castronova 17. Transmediality Lars Konzack 18. World-Building Tools David Langdon Part 3 Types of Worlds 19. Island Worlds Ian Kinane 20. Underground Worlds Peter Fitting 21. Planets Jennifer Harwood-Smith 22. Utopias and Dystopias Peter Sands 23. Uchronias, Alternate Histories, and Counterfactuals George Carstocea 24. Virtual Worlds Mark J. P. Wolf 25. Interactive and Participatory Worlds Matthew Freeman Part 4 Authorship and Reception 26. Subcreation Lars Konzack 27. Authorship Jessica Aldred 28. Reboots and Retroactive Continuity William Proctor 29. Canonicity William Proctor 30. Escapism Lars Konzack 31. Genre Lily Alexander
Mark J. P. Wolf is a Full Professor in the Communication Department at Concordia University, Wisconsin, USA. His books include Abstracting Reality, The Medium of the Video Game, Virtual Morality, The Video Game Explosion, Myst and Riven: The World of the D'ni, Before the Crash, Encyclopedia of Video Games, Building Imaginary Worlds, The LEGO Studies Reader, Video Games Around the World, and Revisiting Imaginary Worlds. He is also the founder of the Imaginary Worlds book series. With Bernard Perron, he is the co-editor of The Video Game Theory Reader 1 and 2, and the Landmark Video Game book series.
