Books by Susan Mandala

A stylistic, pragmatic and sociolinguistic analysis of the language of sci-fi and fantasy. It challenges two widely held but poorly substantiated beliefs circulating about science fiction and fantasy - that they are: written in plain and unremarkable prose; and apt to present characters that are flat types rather than fully realised individuals.

The language of science fiction, and of fantasy, has a steep challenge: that of the creation of other worlds, societies and characters that are alien to us in diverse and fundamental ways, but still compelling and knowable. This book steps away from the issues of race, gender and politics that have saturated sci-fi and fantasy criticism.

Seeks to reconcile the work of linguists and literary critics, bringing the work of both to bear in an interdisciplinary study of dramatic dialogue. This work includes an account of the often-heated debates between linguists and drama critics concerning the analysis of drama dialogue as talk.