Definition and history
"Science Fiction is fiction that deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component."
"Science Fiction." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. http://www.merriam-webster.com 4 December 2008.
Inspired mostly by the Industrial Revolution, Science Fiction as a genre was first noticed in a magazine called Science and Invention written by Hugo Gernsback in the 1920's. Gernsback created the word "scientifiction" which later turned into the term we now use- "Science Fiction." He even has an award named after him that is presented to outstanding authors of Science Fiction. Hugo later created a magazine just for science fiction named Amazing Stories. In this magazine, he included stories by Verne, Wells, Poe and others, and he eventually added his own original stories. There soon became an outburst of science fiction magazines connected to the World's Fair of New York and World War II. Science fiction's most publicized era is known as the Golden Age, which lasted through the 1930s and 1950s. During this time, Science Fiction received a lot of public recognition and many of the stories written in that time are the classics of today. [1,2,3] Preceding today's classics were books by earlier authors about such things as journeys to the moon. However, since those writings contained no scientific principles or theories, they aren't considered Science Fiction. [3]
Science Fiction is different from Fantasy because within the context of the story there are events that happen that can be done through science. Scientific theories and laws are emphasized sometimes to make things seem possible. Some subgenres of Science Fiction include Utopia/Dystopia, Space Travel, Time Travel, and Parallel Universes. [3] There are many scientific fiction books, TV shows, and videos that portray this unique genre. Below are a few notable novels in the Science Fiction genre:
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Necronomicon by H.P. Lovecraft
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
- Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Examples
Wells, Herbert G. The Time Machine. New York, NY: Bantam Dell, 2003.
As he consumes himself in the theory of time travel, an inexperienced scientist by the name of George constructs a machine that allows him the pleasure to travel through time and space to years unattainable by a generation alone. Following a 1966 nuclear explosion in London, George is forced to return to his machine, thus plunging himself forward into the year 802,701. Upon arrival he involves himself in the lives of the city folk. It is then he realizes that these people do not retain the human qualities he left and longs for. In conclusion he befriends a lady by the name of Weena and learns that humankind as he once knew it no longer exists and those of the future have forgotten history and the progression of the world.
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. New York, NY: Harmony Books, 1989.
A man by the name of Arthur Dent is enjoying and indulging himself in his lunch when suddenly he is abducted from his planet by a friend whose name is Ford Perfect. His reason for taking his friend away--simply the fact that Dent's planet was being destroyed as a result of construction of a new hyperspace bypass. With nothing left to come home to, Dent and Perfect head off on an intergalactic adventure of a lifetime through time and space.
References
1. Tomlinson, Shawn M. "A Brief History of Science Fiction Part 1." Suite101.com. 25 Sep. 2008. 5 May 2009. <http://www.scififantasyfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/article.cfm/a_brief_history_of_science_fiction_part_1(part_2)>
2. "Hugo Gernsback's Forecast Science Fiction E-Zine." Hugo Gernsback.com 2000. 7 May 2009.
<http://www.hugogernsback.com/index.html>
3. "Science Fiction." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th ed. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2010. 42A-42G. Print.
Comments (2)
autumnwhisper89 said
at 10:19 am on Dec 8, 2008
Other good science fiction would be the "Obernewtyn Chronicles" by Isabelle Carmody. A post holocaust setting where children and others have been affected by the gases of the holocaust but in a society where previous knowledge of what happened is lost and destroyed. Will society repeat their mistakes and what can a girl by the name of Elspeth due to stop this? A girl who can communicate with animals and control the minds of others finds she is not alone and begins to wonder about the mysterious of the past.
R. Wartian said
at 2:33 pm on Apr 28, 2015
A good science fiction series is The Maze Runner Series. The main character Thomas wakes up in a steel elevator that takes him into a maze. With no memories and some new friends, the have to figure out how to escape the maze and get their memories back.
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