Are there any distinct periods in Heinleins career?
Some claim to see distinct divisions in Heinlein’s work. (Some people claim to see faces and rabbits on the face of the moon, too.) The notion that Heinlein has distinct eras in his writing probably originated with Alexei Panshin, who sharply delineated three periods: the pre-war work, the post-war work through about 1958, and the (then-)later work from Starship Troopers through The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. It is possible to divide Heinlein’s work into categories by era, but no two readers or scholars are likely to choose the same division points. No matter where you place the markers, you will find anomalous works in other “eras.” Any writer whose output spans five decades is likely to write differently as time passes (certain tightly-genred writers excepted). Heinlein grew more experimental as his success ensured sales.
