I wrote a guest blog for File 770: Space Opera and Progress
The essay considers how the Western--horse opera--(as in books about cowboys) was a genre of progress, taking as its main theme the American myth of manifest destiny. The space opera is an immediate analog of the horse opera, updating 19th-century visions of progress to the 21st century and beyond. It's probably a 6-minute read and I'd say it's well worth your time.
Mike Glyer's File 770 is a great Sci-fi resource. He reviews sf, looks at the pop culture around sf & fantasy, like fandom, cons, and celebrity intrigue, and goes in for deeper sf analysis too, just in case you thought my guest blog was something BuzzFeed would dream up: The Top 5 Dr. Who's Likely to Live Through a Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft campaign. (though it's probably David Tennant--it's always David Tennant)
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