Brief History Science Fiction: A Presentation

Sci Fi

1. Science Fiction History

2. Name a sci-fi book or movie

3. Science Fiction -What makes a piece of literature Sci-Fi? -Where did Sci-Fi come from? -How can we relate our present time with Sci-Fi knowing that Sci-Fi deals with futuristic themes?

4. “The seeds of science fiction were planted thousands of years ago, as the human species dreamed of the great unknown .” -Marshall Tymn

5. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi 2nd Century Greece A True Story by Lucian of Samosata -Satire -Features space travel, people traveling to the moon

6. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi 1726 Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift In his travels Lemuel Gulliver encounters utopian and dystopian societies as well as the flying island of Laputa which was populated by scientists with less than useful innovations and experiments.

7. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi Late 18th Century to mid 19th century Industrial Revolution Visions of a future altered by technology Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley -Man creating life -Literary scholars say that this was written as a warning of what would happen if we expand science without the context of morality

8. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi 19th Century -fascination of ideas of science and progress -optimistic look into the future -popular magazines features sci-fi short stories -Jules Verne wrote of sci-fi adventures -Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Fitz James O’Brien, Edward Bellamy, Ambrose Bierce, and Mark Twain

9. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi 19th Century H.G. Wells -”The Shakespeare of Sci-Fi” -The Time Machine -Some literary critics say that he foresaw the internet in his fictional works

10. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi 20th Century -Rise of pulp magazine ( cheap magazines) -1930s sci-fi took a different turn -Emphasis on human relationships, psychology, and soft sciences -John Campbell’s Astounding Stories -Pre War: Exploration of technological advancements

11. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi Late 20th century -The Golden Age of Sci-Fi -Post WWII: sci fi’s exploration of human consequences of technological advancements -1950s Dystopian novels became a staple plot for sci-fi works in pulp magazines -Sci Fi begins to respond to social issues The Space Merchants (1953) -Society was controlled by advertising corporations

12. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi Late 20th century -The Golden Age of Sci-Fi 1970s - fruitful decade for sci fi Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965) George R.R. Martin’s The Dying of the Light John Varley’s The Persistence of Vision Gene Wolfe’s Fifth Head of Cerberus Film: George Lucas’ Star Wars

13. Brief Western History of Sci-Fi Contemporary Sci Fi Today we can see a lot of sci-fi influences that continue to spill in every corner of art (film, literature, music, etc.) Sci-Fi as speculative fiction -to speculate The future Our reality