Title: Spaceships and politics : the political theory of Rod Serling /
Authors: Feldman, Leslie Dale
Publisher: Lexington Books,
Year: 2010
Subjects: Serling, Rod, Criticism and interpretation.; Twilight zone (Television program : 1959-1964)
Abstract: This book examines the political themes in The Twilight Zone. In this unique show, Rod Serling used fantasy and the supernatural to explore political ideas such as capital punishment, the individual and the state, war, conformity, the state of nature, prejudice, and alienation. He used aliens and machines to understand human nature. While the themes in The Twilight Zone often reflected political concerns of the time, such as the Cold War and post-industrial technology, the messages had broader political implications. This book looks at Serling's mechanistic view of the world and emphasis on fear through Hobbesian themes such as diffidence and automata.
Contents: Introduction -- Human nature -- The individual and the state -- Fascism and modernity -- Magic and optimism -- Conclusion.