Shape-Shifting

ANDREW MACDONALD teaches English at Loyola University. He is the author of Howard Fast: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1996).GINA MACDONALD teaches English at Nicholls State University. She is the author of James Clavell: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1996) and Robert Ludlum: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1997).MARYANN SHERIDAN has taught in the Religious Studies Department at Loyola University.

This study of the Native American in the western, romance, detective, horror, and science fiction genres examines how even historically accurate representations distort and bias the Native American figure to fit European-based traditions and modern agendas. The authors provide critical approaches for evaluating the literature. They argue that while popular fiction conventions determine and limit authentic portraits of Native American cultures, successful popular fiction writers approach literary quality by fusing authentic Native American culture with the standard genre conventions. Approximately 200 books are discussed and evaluated, and true Native American stories and writings are contrasted with mainstream versions of Indian culture.While the exploitation of Native Americans has long been recognized, little has been written about the manipulation of Native American figures in recent popular fiction. This study will appeal to students of Native American culture, literature, and popular culture. An appendix of special terms is provided along with a comprehensive bibliography.

A study of western, romance, detective, horror, and science fiction genres that highlights the range of Native American images in modern popular fiction and the numerous agendas these images serve.

IntroductionWriting Indians: Native Americans of the ImaginationNative American Perceptions of Reality: Accessing a Different World-ViewNative-American Literature--The Enduring Creation StoryThe WesternThe Romance Genre: Welcome to Club CherokeeThe Native American in the Detective/Crime Genre: Bridging Ratiocination and IntuitionAmalgams of Horror: Shaping Native American Magic into European MoldsIndian Utopias/Dystopias: Science-Fiction and Fantasy Projections Past and FutureConclusionAppendix: Native American TerminologyBibliography