Science Fiction
For the science fiction portion of this paper, I choose to use the definition of Isaac Asimov.
Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the
nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions.
That branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advantage upon
human beings.
This definition reflects the both the experiences I have had reading the genre, as well as the probable themes of most other science fiction works. This definition is very useful because it doesn't handicap itself by putting the changes that face us into one category. It is deliberately left open. Many people would say that any science fiction has to put humanity to a test or have it face a threat. This is simply not true. As long as a book addresses the nature of changes we may face, whether a threat, a trial, an ethical dilemma, or an opening of new possibilities and horizons, it may be considered worthy of the brand “science fiction.” Scientific advantage doesn't have to be a negative story about disaster, it can portray the joy of exploration or thrill of discovery. True science fiction has this new something result in consequences that require a change in modern-day thinking. If anything, science fiction is a means of getting people thinking about issues that we may face in the future. Good or bad they will change how the world works.
The Time Machine
H G Wells' The Time Machine fits well into Isaac Asimov's definition of science fiction. As the change that face us, Wells chose the long term effects of Social Darwinism and evolution. The time traveler traveled hundreds of thousands of years into the future and discovered the ...
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...to two categories: high and low. High contained world with world creation, low placed fantastical situations and characters in our own world. When I thought about it, I couldn't name any work I with a secondary world that wasn't considered fantasy in some sense. Nor could I do the same for novels with creatures in our world. Fantasy can be so much more than fairies frolicking in the woods (Phantastes excepted of course), and this definition made it easier to accept that fact. The one minor problem that I found with the Boyer-Zahorski definition was term “low” fantasy. I made me feel like stories based in the real world were somehow less than those in some grandiose new land. These distinctions are probably only concerning the level of fantastical elements in the story, low being far less fantastical than high, than a mark of quality or effort in the story's writing.
Some writers would tend to avoid controversy in their writing, to avoid offending or limiting their audience. Many choose to write brilliantly designed worlds, times or characters, that simply take a reader on a journey. They can use traits of realistic, non-realistic, and semi-realistic fiction. An effective storyteller can create plots, characters and settings which involve themes based on historical events, or mythology to present their tale. Classic themes within the science fiction genre; is this classic blending of scientific and technological facts. Then it is their job to take you to a place or time that shows their finely crafted potential situation and events.
Literature and film have always held a strange relationship with the idea of technological progress. On one hand, with the advent of the printing press and the refinements of motion picture technology that are continuing to this day, both literature and film owe a great deal of their success to the technological advancements that bring them to widespread audiences. Yet certain films and works of literature have also never shied away from portraying the dangers that a lust for such progress can bring with it. The modern output of science-fiction novels and films found its genesis in speculative ponderings on the effect such progress could hold for the every day population, and just as often as not those speculations were damning. Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis are two such works that hold great importance in the overall canon of science-fiction in that they are both seen as the first of their kind. It is often said that Mary Shelley, with her authorship of Frankenstein, gave birth to the science-fiction novel, breathing it into life as Frankenstein does his monster, and Lang's Metropolis is certainly a candidate for the first genuine science-fiction film (though a case can be made for Georges Méliès' 1902 film Le Voyage Dans la Lune, his film was barely fifteen minutes long whereas Lang's film, with its near three-hour original length and its blending of both ideas and stunning visuals, is much closer to what we now consider a modern science-fiction film). Yet though both works are separated by the medium with which they're presented, not to mention a period of over two-hundred years between their respective releases, they present a shared warning about the dangers that man's need fo...
I do not agree with Richler opinion when he says fiction is a waste of time. Reading a piece of information or any novel contribute to human being educational enrichment, never a waste of time. Fiction movies are entertaining, I enjoy science fiction movies because they are interesting and mostly because they are short and easy to follow.
An essential difference, then, between realism and magical realism involves the intentionality implicit in the conventions of the two modes…realism intends its version of the world as a singular version, as an objective (hence ...
H. G. Wells had rather extreme views in every respect. He was a prominent Fabian for some time and upheld many socialistic ideas that many still have a problem with. His views on human nature were pessimistic, the future was an eventual disappointment, but his writing is the kind that can capture the attention of many people from all ages and walks of life and draw attention to his ideas—which he did to great effect. What makes these books so fascinating? To answer questions such as these, it is imperative to know about the life of the man behind the books. Herbert George Wells was born on September 21, 1866 into a lower middle class family. He worked hard as both a student and assistant to multiple jobs before moving to London with a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Science. It was here that he was introduced to “Darwin’s Bulldog”, the eminent biologist T. H. Huxley, a man whose opinions helped shape Wells’ own for the rest of his life. Instead of becoming a biologist as recommended by Huxley, he became instead a teacher, and overworked himself until he fell into very bad health. On the doctor’s orders, he went to the south coast of England to rest until he ran out of money and returned to London. It was around this time that he met Frank Harris, editor of the “Saturday Review” newspaper, and began his careers as both a novelist and a journalist. Throughout the rest of his life he wrote steadily, averaging a little more than a book per year. In following his writing, one can see four distinct styles emerging throughout it all. At the beginning he went through a science-fiction phase containing books such as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and the Invisible Man. The second phase contained his “humorous Dickensian novel...
Science fiction writing began in the early 1800’s as a reaction to the growth in science and technology. The genre is characterized by its intellectual excitement, high adventure, and its making of the fantastic possible. Due to the nature of science fiction, film has become an essential piece to its popularity. Science fiction films have been popular since the earliest silent clips because of the outlandish visuals and creative fictional story lines that capture an audience’s attention. Under the guise of this popular platform writers relay political, social and philosophical messages to their audience. The popular 1931 version of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, depicts an anti-exploration and anti-intellectual philosophy. In Frankenstein there is criticisms for the immoral behavior that is involved with progresses, the natural tendency for humanity to attempt to be greater than God and the pursuit of knowledge.
H. G. Wells, author of the science fiction novel The War of The Worlds, used irony and foreshadowing to portray the theme that humans have a superiority complex that makes them think they have control and that they are the superior race. H. G. Wells is often regarded as the father of modern science fiction.
“I think science fiction helps us think about possibilities, to speculate - it helps us look at our society from a different perspective. It lets us look at our mores, using science as the backdrop, as the game changer” (Mae Jemison). Science fiction is a form of fiction that uses scientific knowledge using plot, setting, theme, etc. and has an impact on society. Authors and producers can turn a fiction piece into science fiction using different techniques. Some examples of these literary techniques include the nonfiction book, The Hot Zone, written by Richard Preston, the science fiction book World War Z, written by Max Brooks, and the scientific movie, Unbreakable, directed by Marc Forster.
The Sci-Fi genre centers on the lack or consequences of control. This control can be seen as manipulation to control of our destiny, or a warning of what is to come. Science attempts to understand and improve on what already exists to make life easier or more productive from the human perspective. Manipulation can have a negative connotation in today’s society, or be seen as a positive adjustment to one’s surroundings. Man has always been adaptable, especially as his knowledge of the known elements, properties, and physical laws of nature increases.
...opose the things we can’t begin to explain like vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. SF on the other hand, presents a backstory or plausible explanation like on how people could have their memories whipped, become slaves, and completely believe their someone else. Fantasy works don’t need to answers the who, what, when, where, and why questions in detail because by doing that they would step out of the mysterious realm of fantasy into SF. In SF the plot or setting usually refers back to current understanding of the real world. This is the key distinction. Fantasy does not require such explanations to have a basis in known science. Science fiction does. SF takes a supported, theoretical outlook about the future and makes predictions on what humanity could face. It’s the antithesis of Fantasy, which has every outlook as a scientific unexplainable existence.
Inc. " Sometimes the deeper you go into subjects the more you realize how one is better or more likely to happen then the other. This is a main reason why "Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow" is more plausible than " Marionettes, Inc. " Speculative fiction is an important type of fiction because it makes you think outside of the world we have today.
The genre of what is called science fiction has been around since The Epic of Gilgamesh (earliest Sumerian text versions BCE ca. 2150-2000). The last 4000 years has evolved science fiction and combined it with all categories of genres comprising action, comedy, horror, drama, and adventure in many different ways. From chest bursting aliens, to robot assassins sent back in time science fiction has successfully captured the imagination of nearly everyone that has been introduced to it. The movies Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Independence Day are both examples of films created with the idea of advanced life existing outside the boarders of our own world. The foundation for each film in view of how extraterrestrial life will affect human affairs, however are very different.
Time Travel has always struck close to the imagination of the minds. From H.G. Wells ' "The Time Machine" to blockbuster films like "Back to the Future" - for years, time travel was the stuff of science fiction and crazy-eyed mad men but as physicists approach the subject of time travel with new advances in scientific theories and equipment, the possibility of time travel has become a more legitimate field for scientific endeavours. This paper will argue the possibility of time travel and the positive effects that this discovery will bring forth to modern day society: technological advancements.
Sci-Fi novels have been around for almost a century. Sci-Fi has the most potential of any genre to capture and explore the imagination of the world we know , or don’t know. Like any other genre Sci-Fi has tried to teach us lessons , or warn us of our arrogant choices as a whole civilization. But like all things, it changes with time. Sci-Fi writers adjust their styles accordingly based on current economic, political, or environmental problems around the world. The language in the writings change as well in an ongoing effort to keep up with the trends of popular culture.
In order to see how Magical Realism is found in this treatment, one must first consider at least one of the identifying marks of Magical Realism. Among the characteristics that identify Magical Realism is the feeling of transcendence that the reader has while reading a Magical Realist text (Simpkins 150). During transcendence, a reader senses something that is beyond the real world. At the same time, however, the reader still feels as if he or she were rooted in the world (Sandner 52). After the reader undergoes transcendence, then he or she should have a different outlook on life.