Okay, it's time for a cheap plug. This was just released this week. The first chapter in this collection is my article on Howard's use of history, anthropology, and geology in creating the Hyborian Age.
Conan Meets the Academy
Multidisciplinary Essays on the Enduring Barbarian
Edited by Jonas Prida
Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-6152-3
Ebook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8989-3
4 maps, 2 photos, tables, notes, bibliography, index
224pp. softcover (6 x 9) 2013
About the Book
In 1932, Robert E. Howard penned a series of fantasy stories featuring Conan, a hulking Cimmerian warrior 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 mid-century novels and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic films, to the 2011 cinematic remake of Conan the Barbarian. Drawing on disciplines such as stylometry, archeology, cultural studies, folklore studies, and literary history, the essays examine statistical analyses of Conan texts, the literary genesis of Conan, later-day parodies, Conan video games, and much more. By displaying the wide range of academic interest in Conan, this volume reveals the hidden scholarly depth of this seemingly unsophisticated fictional character.
About the Author
Jonas Prida is an assistant professor of English and head of the English Department at the College of St. Joseph, in Rutland, Vermont.
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-6152-3
http://www.amazon.com/Conan-Meets-Academy-Multidisciplinary-Barbarian/dp/0786461527