Biology and Manners: Essays on the Worlds and Works of Lois McMaster Bujold [Hardcover]

An essay collection that significantly expands previous scholarly writing on award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Lois McMaster Bujold, arguing for the significant contributions her works make to feminist and queer thought, disability studies and fan studies.This volume of essays continues the establishment of Lois McMaster Bujold as an important author of contemporary science fiction and fantasy. It argues persuasively that Bujold's corpus spans the distance between two full arcs of US feminism, and has anticipated or responded to several of its current concerns in ways that invite or even require theoretical exploration.

The fourteen essays collected here provide wide-ranging scholarly analyses of Bujold's work and worlds so far, covering not only the science fiction and fantasy series, but taking into account the wealth of ancillary material inspired by her works, such as fan fiction and role-playing games. Examining the major series through a range of perspectives, including feminist readings, queer theory, and disability studies, this volume aims to establish beyond doubt the seriousness of intent behind Bujold's various artistic projects and provide a set of rich readings of this engaging, experimental, playful, and popular author. Biology and Manners: Essays on the Worlds and Works of Lois McMaster Bujold advances scholarship on this important author by light-years. This collection covers nearly the entire chronological range of Bujold's work, and gives equal attention to her Vorkosiverse science fiction and her Chalion and Sharing Knife fantasy worlds. Lee and McCormack have gathered a set of particularly strong essays applying queer theory and theological analysis to Chalion's five-god pantheon and its interactions with humanity, and the chapters on women and reproduction are equally thought-provoking. Overall, an impressive and essential addition to Bujold studies.
Janet Brennan Croft, editor of Lois McMaster Bujold: Essays on a Modelã'