Robert E. Howard penned a series of fantasy stories in 1932 featuring Conan, a hulking warrior from "Cimmeria" who roamed the mythical Hyborian Age landscape engaging in heroic adventures. More than the quirky manifestation of Depression-era magazines, Conan the Barbarian has endured as a cultural mainstay for over 70 years. This multidisciplinary collection offers the first scholarly investigation of Conan, from Howard's early stories, through midcentury novels and Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic films, to the 2011 cinematic remake of Conan the Barbarian. Drawing on disciplines such as stylometry, archeology, cultural and folklore studies and literary history, the essays examine statistical analyses of the words in Conan texts, the literary genesis of Conan, later-day parodies, Conan video games, and much more. This volume reveals the hidden scholarly depth of this seemingly unsophisticated fictional character.

About the Author
Jonas Prida is Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Notre Dame University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Reviews
"Covers Conan in all his various forms, from the original Weird Tales barbarian, to the hulking brute of the Schwarzenegger film, to the various computer-generated avatars in the Age of Conan computer game...a boon to Howard and Howard studies. Though you may not agree with all the essayists' conclusions, to see Conan given serious treatment as a lasting literary and popular figure is further validation that Howard's stories are worthy of serious discussion and analysis."-The Silver Key
"takes a variety of approaches to the topic, including archaeology, cultural studies, folklore, and literary history"-Communication Booknotes Quarterly
"this collection of 10 essays explores Robert Howard's Conan the Barbarian from the persepctives of stylometry, cultural studies, archaeology, folklore studies and literary history"-Reference & Research Book News.



Book Information
ISBN 9780786461523
Author Jonas Prida
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
Publisher McFarland & Co Inc
Weight(grams) 313g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 11mm