Richard Matheson's Monsters

Richard Matheson was one of the leading writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in the twentieth century. Mathesons most famous early works, the novels I Am Legend (1954) and The Shrinking Man (1956), both depict traditionally masculine figures thrust into extraordinary situations. Other thought-provoking novels, including Hell House (1971), Bid Time Return (1975), and What Dreams May Come (1978)as well as short stories and screenplaysconvey the ambiguous status of masculinity: how men should behave vis- -vis women and what role they should occupy in the family dynamic and in society at large. In Richard Mathesons Monsters: Gender in the Stories, Scripts, Novels and Twilight Zone Episodes, June M. Pulliam and Anthony J. Fonseca examine how this groundbreaking authors writings shed light on societys ever-shifting attitudes on masculinity and domesticity. In this first full-length critical study of Mathesons entire literary output, the authors discuss how I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, and other works question traditional male roles. The authors examine how Mathesons scripts for The Twilight Zone represented changing expectations in male behavior with the onset of the sexual and feminist revolutions, industrialization and globalization, and other issues. In a society where gender roles are questioned every day, Mathesons work is more relevant than ever. Richard Mathesons Monsters will be of interest to scholars of literature, film, and television, as well those interested in gender and masculinity studies.