Martians, demons, vampires, and vicars: the Church of England in post-war science fiction
Article
Harmes, Marcus. 2013. "Martians, demons, vampires, and vicars: the Church of England in post-war science fiction." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. 25 (2), pp. 217-229. https://doi.org/10.3138/jrpc.25.2.217
| Article Title | Martians, demons, vampires, and vicars: the Church of England in post-war science fiction |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 40073 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | |
| Author | Harmes, Marcus |
| Journal Title | Journal of Religion and Popular Culture |
| Journal Citation | 25 (2), pp. 217-229 |
| Number of Pages | 13 |
| Year | 2013 |
| Place of Publication | Toronto, ON. Canada |
| ISSN | 1703-289X |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3138/jrpc.25.2.217 |
| Abstract | British science fiction is noteworthy for its juxtaposition of the familiar with the threatening, notably locating alien invasions in the Home Counties. This apposition can mean that one emblem of traditional Englishness - the Church of England - sits in tension with a cosmology which includes Martians, alien demons, and other preternatural menaces which challenge Christian teachings on the origins and mechanics of both earthly and heavenly realms. Particular science fiction texts, written after the last period of numerical growth for the Church of England, interpret this institution's decline. This article analyses the largely overlooked contribution of science fiction to understanding and charting this decline. |
| Keywords | Anglican Church; catastrophist fiction; Church of England; Day of the Triffids (novel); Doctor Who; John Wyndham; Nigel Kneale; post-war England; Quatermass and the Pit (TV serial) |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 470504. British and Irish literature |
| 440107. Social and cultural anthropology | |
| 500405. Religion, society and culture | |
| Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Byline Affiliations | Open Access College |
| Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
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