Stranger in a Strange Land (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Robert A. Heinlein
- First Published: 1961
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—cultural exploration
- Time of Work: An unspecified time after World War II
- Setting: Mars and various places in the United States
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Politics, Sex or sexuality, Murder or homicide, Twentieth century, Authors or writers, Extrasensory perception or powers, Extraterrestrial life, Future, Other worlds, Religion, Law or legislation, Fantasy, Antichrist figures, Rites or ceremonies, Earth, Utopias, Mars, Water, Heaven
- Locales: San Francisco, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Mars, Bethesda, MD, Poconos, PA
The Plot
From its fairy tale, “Once upon a time” opening to its equally imaginative ending in a conventionally depicted heaven, Stranger in a Strange Land uses an unspecified future time frame to critique contemporary social mores and belief systems. Valentine Michael Smith, the protagonist, is conceived on the first flight to Mars as the son of Dr. Mary Jane Lyle Smith and Captain Michael Brant, who is not her husband. Valentine Michael Smith is discovered twenty-five years later to be the only survivor, the heir of all aboard the craft and, by the Larkin decision,...
[The entire page is 1220 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
Related Topics
