This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore Bristol Research, http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk Author: Mercer, Lucija Title: (Re)shaping Genre The Commercial and Social Presentation of Speculative Fiction in the 21st Century General rights Access to the thesis is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License. A copy of this may be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode This license sets out your rights and the restrictions that apply to your access to the thesis so it is important you read this before proceeding. Take down policy Some pages of this thesis may have been removed for copyright restrictions prior to having it been deposited in Explore Bristol Research. However, if you have discovered material within the thesis that you consider to be unlawful e.g. breaches of copyright (either yours or that of a third party) or any other law, including but not limited to those relating to patent, trademark, confidentiality, data protection, obscenity, defamation, libel, then please contact [email protected] and include the following information in your message: •Your contact details •Bibliographic details for the item, including a URL •An outline nature of the complaint Your claim will be investigated and, where appropriate, the item in question will be removed from public view as soon as possible. (Re)shaping Genre: The Commercial and Social st Presentation of Speculative Fiction in the 21 Century Lucija Mercer A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts. School of Humanities February 2019 Word count: 77723 2 Abstract Since the beginning of the 21st century, the speculative fiction genre has evolved significantly; new subgenres have emerged and those already in existence underwent several changes. Though once regarded as pulp, speculative fiction has now rooted itself in the mainstream, dominating large sections of the book market. However, as this is a relatively new development, little has been written on the specifics of the changes that speculative fiction has undergone; the works that address science fiction and fantasy, speculative fiction’s main two genres, primarily focus on the history of the genres up to the turn of the century. Furthermore, these works approach speculative fiction genre from a mainly literary standpoint, neglecting the aspect of speculative fiction books as commodities which are produced, designed, sold, and marketed by booksellers and publishers. This thesis addresses the question of the way speculative fiction is presented and perceived in the 21st century. It explores the concept of genre, the way readers perceive it and the way it functions as a system of categorisation; it also investigates the relationship between genre and publishing. Focusing on a series of quantitative analyses, this research demonstrates how speculative fiction, its perception, and its presentation changed between the late 20th and early 21st century and explores the role publishers might have played in this process. 3 4 Acknowledgements This thesis would never have been completed without the wonderful Professor Leah Tether, who was always there to guide me and provide encouragement. Thank you for all the gentle reminders and the always insightful (and frequently funny) comments in the margins of my drafts. You are the best supervisor I could have asked for. My research would not have been possible without Nielsen BookScan and Cambridge University Press, both of which have graciously shared their data with me. I would also like to thank my former co-supervisor, Dr Farah Mendlesohn, for helping me form the idea for this research, guiding me through the application process, and taking me under her wing during my first months in the UK. Further thanks go to Dr Daniel Boswell, whose co-supervision was brief but invaluable — thank you for encouraging me when I was completely lost and for helping me realise there is no duo more iconic than geeks and academia. And of course, my sincere thanks to Dr Siân Harris and Dr Samantha Rayner, who acted as examiners for my viva and gave me excellent constructive feedback which helped make this thesis what it is today. The road towards my PhD was long and bumpy, but luckily, I had many friends and sources of inspiration who supported me along the way. Two, in particular, were responsible for the start of this journey: Dr Vanesa Matajc, who was always patient with my late assignments, and whose curiosity and passion for literary theory fuelled my own; and Dr Jennifer Cognard-Black, who gave me thoughtful feedback and tough love when I needed them most, and who believed in my abilities even when I was at my most uncertain. I am not sure I could have embraced the idea of doing a PhD abroad without your support. I am grateful to everyone at Department of Computer Science and Technology at the University of Cambridge who made my workdays a little brighter. In particular, I would like to thank Dr Oya Celiktutan for support and commiseration, Dr Damon Wischik for information on statistics and data analysis, and Dr Marwa Mahmoud for being an inspiration. I would like to thank my family for their support, and for not asking too many uncomfortable questions about my studies. In particular, I would like to thank my mother, Dr Eva Kodrič-Dačić, for leading by example and always supporting me in my studies. As a PhD student with no cohort, I am especially grateful that I was able to share my research struggles and experiences with my friends. Aljaž, thank you for reading my drafts, pushing me to press on, and suffering through all the terrible, terrible jokes. Ana, our work 5 weekends in Pritličje made editing this thesis more enjoyable than I could have hoped, and it is a shame they were cut short by a global pandemic. Tomi, thank you for all the emotional support and commiseration, sending me cute cat pictures, helping with all the tedious bits, and being there for me even when I was no fun to be around. I hope you can forgive me for introducing you to Adorno and for barraging you with groan-worthy sociology puns. At this point, my thesis is inextricably linked with Cambridge and its tiniest residents who brightened my days during my time there: the bullfinch that liked to sing on the tree in front of my window; all the neighbourhood cats who let me pet them (even the one who sneaked into my bedroom and scared the hell out of me that one time); the duck couple in Parker's Piece who remained forever undeterred by cyclists and passers-by; and all the creatures big and small I encountered on my commutes to West Cambridge Site. Thrive on. And finally, I am grateful for my four-legged motivators, Imoen and Süti, who both chewed on several drafts of this thesis and who care more about my ability to provide cuddles and food than they do about my academic achievements. Thank you for reminding me what matters. 6 Author’s declaration I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is the candidate's own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author. SIGNED: DATE: 28 February 2019 7 8 Table of contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 19 OVERVIEW OF THIS THESIS ............................................................................................................................. 23 CHAPTER 1: RESEARCH DESIGN ............................................................................................................. 27 CURRENT SCHOLARSHIP AND THEORY .............................................................................................................. 27 INTERVIEWS: PUBLISHERS AND (RE)SHAPING OF GENRE ....................................................................................... 29 NIELSEN BOOKSCAN DATA: CONTENT CHANGES AND INFLUENCE OF PUBLISHING HOUSES ........................................... 36 Stage 1 ............................................................................................................................................... 38 Stage 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 41 The introduction of a new data source: Goodreads.com ................................................................... 43 Stage 3 ............................................................................................................................................... 46 GOODREADS DATA: PERCEPTION OF SPECULATIVE FICTION ................................................................................... 48 CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH CORPUS ....................................................................................................................... 50 Public awareness of speculative fiction ............................................................................................. 52 Comparing perceptions of fantasy and science fiction