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Science Fiction

ENG 201 Introduction to Literature Prof. Everson. Science Fiction. Is Science Fiction Literature?. Definition/ Purpose. Science Fiction – is a genre of fiction that only recently has been given scholarly attention.

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Science Fiction

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  1. ENG 201 Introduction to Literature Prof. Everson Science Fiction

  2. Is Science Fiction Literature? Definition/ Purpose Science Fiction – is a genre of fiction that only recently has been given scholarly attention. Kurt Vonnegut once called the designation "Science-Fiction writer" a sort of "file-folder label or pigeonhole" and complained that most literary critics mistook the file label for "for a urinal." Apparently "the way a person gets stuck into this file," Vonnegut went on to say, "is to notice technology." He was referring to the fact that at one time SciFi was considered a vulgar form of pop entertainment--a robots-and-flying-saucers pulp genre just a notch above (or below) the comic book. What Cosmopolitan magazine is to high-gloss journalism, SciFi was to serious literature.

  3. Science Fiction … tends toward the hypothetical and has a decidedly more prophetic or apocalyptic goal. The Science Fiction writer is more interested with future scenarios and vivid alternatives, with provocative extrapolations and exciting possibilities, than with the naturalistic or realistic transcription of current circumstances. In short, true science fiction is visionary writing about science, technology and social change.

  4. Modern Classic Works • Aldous Huxley – Brave New World, 1932 • James Hilton – Lost Horizons, 1933 • B. F. Skinner – Walden Two, 1948 • George Orwell, 1984, 1949 • Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451, 1950 • Aldous Huxley – Island, 1962 • Philip K. Dick – Do Androids--, 1965

  5. Types of Science Fiction Fantasy adventure. the action defies belief or exceeds ordinary experience--e.g., tales of improbable events, strange creatures, supernatural occurrences, and imaginary settings. Precursors of this particular type of SF include ancient and classical myths and legends Utopian (or Dystopian) Fiction. imaginative fiction (usually set in a faraway place or in the distant past or future) that depicts a world whose political organization, technical resources, or social and moral codes are strikingly different than our own. Exotic Travel Narratives, "Fantastic Journeys," and Esoteric Texts. Supposedly true (!) accounts of travel or adventure or of scientific or occult investigations.

  6. Types of Science Fiction – continued Moral Parables and Philosphical Tales. stories that satirize or challenge conventional beliefs, institutions, or social practices by positing radically different societies or alternative worlds. Examples: Voltaire, Candide (1759). Also, stories that address the question of social change or the implications of social theories. "Disaster Fiction" and Apocalyptic SF. Fictional unveilings of earth's destiny. Runs the gamut from visions of universal harmony and prosperity to fully imagined end-of-the-world scenarios--both naturally caused (e.g. a comet, a deadly disease) and man-made (e.g., nuclear war, a biogenetic accident, etc.). For decades a favorite sub-genre of Hollywood and TV.

  7. “No Place” Model of the good society Unrealistic daydream Thomas More, 1516 Utopia - island in the Atlantic “The Good Place” Ambiguity of terms Dream place Utopia Eutopia

  8. Utopian Themes Ideal place /no-place • Art / Freedom of expression • Consumerism – brings happiness • Time – energy >>is controlled • Social responsibility (not conflict) • Punishment – justice is served • Women / Sex >> often (hetero)sexual freedom in earlier narratives • Education and upbringing- is consistent with social values

  9. Utopian Narratives Historical development • Early English writers include Thomas More, Utopia (1516) and Francis Bacon The New Atlantis (1624, English version 1627) –both written in Latin – the language of scholarship back then of course – a part of the Renaissance philosophical and literary movement in Europe • Resurgence of interest in narratives of utopia in late 18th century – much of it in relation to the movement for rights of man / equal rights – especially among the French revolution: Mercier’s L’ans 2440 of 1772 in French (English title: Memoirs of the Year 2500 (1772), • African American , women , and progressive writers took up utopian speculation for the future -- especially late 188s-1920s – during period of social engineering and a search for solutions to modern social problems.

  10. Dystopian Narratives Depict: Society unworthy of humans Totalitarian state / empires (1984, Star Wars series) Developmental derailment or degeneration (Fahrenheit 451) Post-apocalyptic (after end of life on earth) No choice No freedom No alternatives

  11. Dystopian Narratives (continued) • Social restrictions • Hyper-egalitarian – no excellence • Only the State • Religion as control • Family non-existent • City overtakes Nature • Politics / Control

  12. ReadingScience Fiction: LeGuin Identify the elements of Science Fiction that you see in the story. What type of Science Fiction is this story? Is it dystopianutopian or neither?

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