Moving into the Matrix

An examination of postmodernism, Cyberpunk, and technology's role in future societies

By Tom Cronin

Bibliography

Benjamin, Walter. Theses on the philosophy of History, 1939
Benjamin's well known quote about the definition of "progress" serves as a launching board for Jameson in his essay on utopia.

Csicsery-Ronay Jr., Istvan. Cyberpunk and Neuromanticism. Durham: Duke University Press, 1991
In his comprehensive study of Cyberpunk, Csicsery-Ronay not only identifies Cyberpunk as the apotheosis of postmodernism, but also describes the relevance in the mixture of cybernetic and punk culture. He even expands to identify two types of science fiction: expansive and implosive science fiction.

Debord, Guy. La Societe du Spectacle. Paris: Buchet-Chastel, 1967
In his book, Debord provides the first examination of capitalism's effects on people. He addresses the concepts of the increasing role of visual images and representation, which are two important concepts of postmodernism.

Delany, Samuel R. Silent Interviews. Hannover: Wesleyan University Press, 1994
In a 1987 interview with Takayuki Tatsumi, Delany addresses language, paraspaces and other important issues raised by both his science fiction novels and other pieces of science fiction literature.

Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1984
Gibson writes what cricics refer to as original Cyberpunk in Neuromancer. The novel focuses on Case, a "cowboy" of the Matrix, a computer-generated reality created by data from various computers in a fashion similar to the Internet.

Huyssen, Andreas. After the Great Divide: Modernism, Mass Culture, Postmodernism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986
Huyssen not only discusses the more blatant issues found within Metropolis, such as the oppression of the working class by the Master of Metropolis and the machines, but also the significance of the machine-woman.

Jameson, Fredric. Progress Versus Utopia; or, Can We Imagine the Future, 1982
In this essay, Jameson addresses Walter Benjamin's definition progress, and then he proceeds to address the "idea" of progress. The effects of capitalism on Western culture are discussed, in addition to the representation of these effects within the literary genre of science fiction.

Kadrey, Richard and McCaffery, Larry. Cyberpunk 101: A Scheming Guide to Storming the Reality Studio.
As stated in the essay, Cyberpunk 101 is "a quick list of the cultural artifacts that helped to shape cyberpunk ideology and aesthetics, along with books by the cyberpunks themselves, in roughly chronological order.

Kubrick, Stanley. A Clockwork Orange, 1971
Alex, the leader of a youth group focused on violence, is the subject of an experiment that makes him ill when exposed to certain aspects of high culture, or in this case, the music of Beethoven.

Lang, Fritz. Metropolis, 1927 (United States release)

Lee, Will. Entertainment Weekly. "The Final Frontier," Oct. 22, 1999, p. 100

Leiber, Fritz. Coming Attraction. Ballantine, 1974
In this short story, Leiber addresses issues of Cyberpunk and postmodernism before postmodernism was in full swing. The opening sentence of his story read, "The coupe with the fishhooks welded to the fender shouldered up over the curb like the nose of a nightmare."

Lyotard, Jean-Francois. The Postmodern Condition. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1979
Lyotard's comments on postmodernism lay the foundation for the Cyberpunk movement of science fiction. Such issues of computerization, the information age and changes in science are addressed in this report.

McLuhan, Marshall. The Gutenberg Galaxy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1962
Before the emergence of postmodernism in Western culture, McLuhan outlined how changing technology is changing the way people interact. McLuhan's three-part series is told in a way that was considered postmodern before postmodernism actually emerged.

McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media. NAL, 1964
See annotation for The Gutenberg Galaxy.

McLuhan, Marshall. The Medium is the Massage. Random House, 1967
See annotation for The Gutenberg Galaxy.

Olalquiaga, Celeste. Megalopolis: Contemporary Cultural Sensibilities. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
This essay provides an analysis of the state of Western culture known as postmodernism. Drawing on relevant literature, Olalquiaga outlines the primary elements behind the far-reaching force of postmodernism.

Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying of Lot 49. New York: Perennial, 1966

Scott, Ridley. Blade Runner, 1982

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Penguin, 1818

Sobchack, Vivian. Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press
In chapter three, "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo: The Sounds of Science Fiction, Sobchack identifies one problem that has been persistent throughout science fiction film: the lack of creative language. "Nadsat," the language in A Clockwork Orange , not only challenges the viewer to listen to the different language, but also calls for a reexamination of standard American English.

Spcencer, Kathleen L. The Red Sun is High, the Blue Low: Towards a Stylistic Description of Science Fiction, 1983
Spencer's essay addresses one of the most perplexing tasks faced by science ficiton scholars: addressing a definition of the genre. Spencer uses Darko Sivin's definition to begin her discussion, and she also discusses the expectations of readers when reading science fiction and the techniques used by science fiction writers in meeting those expectations.

Sterling, Bruce. Islands in the Net. New York: Arbor House, 1988
Sterling offers a vision of the future that epitomizes postmodernism. As in Western culture, information is the most valuable commodity, and nuclear weapons have also been banned.

Toffler, Alvin. Future Shock. New York: Random House, 1970

Venturi, Robert. Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. "Manifesto for a Non-straightforward Architecture," 1966