Feminist Philosophy and Science Fiction : Utopias and Dystopias

PREFACE 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 11 INTRODUCTION 13 PART I: HUMAN NATURE AND REALITY Introduction 35 A. What Does It Mean to Be Human? No Woman Born C.L. Moore 47 B. What Are Women and Men Really Like? Survival Ship Judith Merril 95 Abominable Carol Emshwiller 105 Adam Marko's Journal; Male Compensation Theory from THE Y CHROMOSOME Leona Gom 113 The Elizabeth Complex Karen Joy Fowler 123 C. How Significant Is the Reproductive Difference? Bloodchild Octavia E. Butler 133 D. The Concepts of "Woman" and "Nature" Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand Vonda N. McIntyre 155 His Vegetable Wife Pat Murphy 177 E. Why Is Language Important? Speech Sounds Octavia E. Butler 185 PART II: DYSTOPIAS AND UTOPIAS Introduction 203 A. Dystopias: The Worst of All Possible Worlds The Passible Present For the Sake of Grace Suzette Haden Elgin 215 Pairpuppets Manuel van Loggem 237 Your Faces, O My Sisters! Your Faces Filled of Light! Alice B. Sheldon, whose best-known pseudonym was "James Tiptree Jr," wrote this story as "Racoona Sheldon" 247 Far- in the Future Wives Lisa Tuttle 267 Fears Pamela Sargent 277 "Jael's World" from THE FEMALE MAN Joanna Russ 289 B. Separatist Utopias: Worlds of Difference Why Separate? "Daya Tells a Tale" from THE FURIES Suzy McKee Charnas 307 "The Worlds of Jeannine and Joanna" from THE FEMALE MAN Joanna Russ 315 All-Female Societies and Planets "Oath of the Free Amazons" from THE SHATTERED CHAIN 323 Marion Zimmer Bradley Janet's World from THE FEMALE MAN Joanna Russ 325 When It Changed Joanna Russ 333 C Androgynous Utopias: Worlds of Equality X: A Fabulous Child's Story Lois Gould 345 Interlocking Pieces Molly Gloss 355 Options John Varley 363 RECOMMENDED READINGS 395 INDEX 407