Gary Wesley Westfahl (born May 7, 1951) is an American scholar of
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
. He has written reviews for the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', ''
The Internet Review of Science Fiction
''The Internet Review of Science Fiction'' was an American webzine devoted to science fiction criticism. It featured critical articles as well as reviews of short fiction and novels.
History
The magazine was published from 2004 to 2010 and publi ...
'' and
Locus Online
''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...
. He worked at the
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...
University of La Verne
The University of La Verne (ULV) is a private university in La Verne, California. Founded in 1891, the university is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Public Management, the LaFetra College of Education, College o ...
.
Personal life
Westfahl was born in
Washington, DC
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
, in 1951. In 1986 he graduated from Claremont University with a PhD in English.
He currently resides in Claremont, California, with his wife Lynne and cats Darwin and Skippy. His daughter, Allison, is a U.S. Attorney, his son-in-law, Steven Kong, is a doctor, and his son, Jeremy Anson, teaches mathematics at
UC Irvine
UC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* '' University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two
** ''University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme
* Universal Century, one of the t ...
and has retired as a
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...
Westfahl coordinates English programs at the university's Learning Center and "has written or edited 24 books of scholarship on science fiction". He teaches science fiction, but has not written any. His wife Lynne is a professor in the theater department at
Cal State Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
. Westfahl also taught at Heman G. Stark Correctional Facility for young adults, which closed in 2010.
Westfahl edited '' The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy'' published in 2005. He also edited ''Science Fiction Quotations''. Both books are described as useful and fun.
In his essay "For Tomorrow We Dine: The Sad Gourmet at the Scienticafe", Westfahl, co-editor of "Foods of the Gods: Eating and the Eaten in Fantasy and Science Fiction" (
University of Georgia Press
The University of Georgia Press or UGA Press is the university press of the University of Georgia, a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia. It is the oldest and largest publishing house in Georgia and a ...
) discusses terrible food depicted even in "wonderful futures". He also notes the bland buildings and "overall atmosphere is one of cleanliness and sterility" resembling a hospital, attributing this to depictions of civilizations that "tend to maintain large populations" that "take on the characteristics of institutions."
He wrote the book ''The Mechanics of Wonder'' published in 1998 about the history of science fiction genres. A review in ''
Utopian Studies
''Utopian Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes articles on utopias and utopianism. The journal is published twice a year by the Penn State University Press on behalf of the Society for Utopian Studies. The Editor is Nicol ...
'' called it "an important book for anyone who deals with the history of science fiction or the description, history, and/or historiography of genres and described it as dealing with a "Battle of the Books, a culture-skirmish between Old World and New World claims to (Science Fiction), between different approaches to scholarship, and on broader politics".
A review of his 2000 book, ''Science Fiction, Children's Literature and Popular Culture'', says it offers strong and intelligent insights about a number of popular cultural forms, but that "the book does not offer any overarching argument" and is too personal in its approach to the subject.
His 2002 book ''Science Fiction, Canonization, Marginalization, and the Academy'', written with George Slusser, "contends that scholars and critics exercise "control over
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
" by deciding that some texts and
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
s should be "enshrined or 'canonized'" while others are marginalized ("exiled") from scholarship and literature classes."
Selected publications
*''The Spacesuit Film: A History, 1918-1969''. Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland & Company, 2012. 361 + x pp. paper.
*Editor. ''Science Fiction Quotations''. New Haven:
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous.
, Yale Universi ...
, 2005. 461 + xxi pp. paper.
*Editor. ''The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders''. 3 volumes. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. 1395 + xxix pp.
*''Science Fiction, Children's Literature and Popular Culture: Coming of Age in Fantasyland''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000. 157 pp.
*''The Mechanics of Wonder: The Creation of the Idea of Science Fiction''. Liverpool: Liverpool UP, 1998. 344 pp. (cloth)
*Gary Westfahl and George Slusser, eds. ''Science Fiction, Canonization, Marginalization, and the Academy''.http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-2768918_ITM (book review). ''Utopian Studies''. 2002.
Articles
*
ISFDB
The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...