The History of Science Fiction Don’t mess with me… I’m made out of meat!

Images of Science Fiction.

define science fiction? WHAT IF? …how do we define science fiction?

Science Fiction: a Definition Fiction based on a plausible or possible change in society or technology

Magic is not science fiction. It is fantasy. No unicorns either!

PROTOSCIENCE FICTION Fiction that LOOKS like science fiction or has science fiction elements, but was written before there was a scientific sensibility. HOMER: The Odyssey (a fantastic voyage with amazing creatures) JONATHAN SWIFT: Gulliver’s Travels (strange lands, alien beings) MARK TWAIN: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (magical time travel) Fast Fact: The term “Science Fiction” wasn’t used until the 1930s.

Mary Shelley: The first SF author 1797-1851, the author of Frankenstein Fast fact: Frankenstein was written as a part of a bet between writers about who could tell the scariest story. Fast fact: Mary Shelley was married to Percy Bysshe Shelley, a famous poet.

Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus 1816 Fast fact: The Frankenstein monster in Mary Shelley’s novel was not physically ugly. His “ugliness” came from being made without a soul.

Fast fact: When Jules Verne was a child, he ran away to be a cabin boy on a merchant ship… He became so wealthy from his writing that when he was older he bought a large yacht. …he was caught. 1828 - 1905

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1870 Fast fact: Verne’s books inspired many leading scientists, engineers, inventors and explorers.

Jules Verne: Other Titles Five Weeks in a Balloon: 1863 Journey to the Center of the Earth: 1864 From the Earth to the Moon: 1865 Around the World in Eighty Days: 1873 The Mysterious Island: 1874

H.G. WELLS 1866 - 1946 Wells’ parents had him quit school at 13 to become a draper’s apprentice, a job he hated, so he went back to school. Fast Fact: Wells is often called the “Father of Modern Science Fiction.”

Fast Fact: The Time Machine has been made into a movie twice (1960 and 2002) 1896

H.G. Wells: Other Titles The Island of Dr. Moreau: 1896 The Invisible Man: 1897 The War of the Worlds: 1898 The First Men in the Moon: 1900 The Food of the Gods: 1903 The Shape of Things to Come: 1933

Pulp Magazines and Dime Novels Science Fiction as popular literature

Growth of Popular Literature The first dime novels sold in the 1860s. They were joined by the “pulps” (cheaply produced magazines) and story papers. Fast fact: The first pulp magazine has not been identified, but it probably appeared in the 1880s (might have been The Argosy).

Popular Early Authors & Series Tom Swift: starting in 1910… …plus a 2nd series in the 1950s. And still in print with four series!

Popular Early Authors & Series Edgar Rice Burroughs: author of Tarzan, the Martian series and other SF titles, starting in 1912, and still in print…

Popular Early Authors & Series H. Rider Haggard: She, King Solomon’s Mines, Allan Quartermain, and other titles, starting in 1882 & still in print. Fast fact: Sir Henry Haggard was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1919.

The First Science Fiction Magazines Fast fact: The pulps grew and multiplied during the first 30 years of the 20th century, and by 1930 there were hundreds of titles.

Golden Age Science Fiction Magazines (1930-1940) Fast fact: The issue of Amazing Stories to the left is the 2nd issue ever produced, and a copy such as this (showing some wear) will cost the serious collector around $150. Notice that it includes stories by Wells, Verne, and Edgar Allen Poe.

Influential Early Editors Magazine editors choose who to publish and define what SF is HUGO GERNSBACK: First editor of Amazing Stories, starting in 1926. The Hugo Award is named after him. JOHN W. CAMPBELL: edited Astounding Science Fiction starting in 1937. He developed many new names who are now the classics. Edited Analog Science Fiction in the ’70s.

Authors who got their start in the 1930s and 1940s: Golden Age Authors Authors who got their start in the 1930s and 1940s: ISAAC ASIMOV: most famous for The Foundation books and his robot stories (collected in I, Robot). ROBERT SILVERBERG: numerous novels and short stories, and not writing today. ARTHUR C. CLARKE: the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey. He’s lived in Sri Lanka. ROBERT A. HEINLEIN: the author of Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, and numerous others. Many other authors also got their start at this time.

Science Fiction as “Literature” by mainstream authors Some think of Science Fiction as “genre” and not “literary” ALDOUS HUXLEY: Brave New World, 1932 GEORGE ORWELL: Animal Farm, 1945. 1984, 1949. KURT VONNEGUT: Slaughterhouse-Five, 1969. MARGARET ATWOOD: The Handmaid’s Tale, 1986 Fast fact: Vonnegut’s most famous short story is… …“Harrison Bergeron.”

The Book Market gradually replaces the magazines into the 1960s. Influential Science Fiction Novels: GEORGE STEWART: Earth Abides, 1949 RAY BRADBURY: The Martian Chronicles, 1950 ROBERT HEINLEIN: The Puppet Masters, 1951. ALFRED BESTER: The Demolished Man, 1953 ARTHUR C. CLARKE: Childhood’s End, 1953 HAL CLEMENT: A Mission of Gravity, 1954 FRANK HERBERT: Dune, 1965 Fast fact: Only 2 of these books have not been adapted for film. Which ones?

Who will film these books? GEORGE STEWART: Earth Abides, 1949 HAL CLEMENT: A Mission of Gravity, 1954 Fast fact: Childhood’s End and The Demolished Man have directors hired and are scheduled to be filmed in the very near future.

Science Fiction at the Movies The history of science fiction as literature is hard to separate from its life in film. Metropolis, 1926

Science Fiction at the Movies The Invisible Man, 1933

Science Fiction at the Movies Destination Moon, 1950 The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951

Science Fiction at the Movies War of the Worlds, 1953 Creature From the Black Lagoon, 1954

Science Fiction at the Movies Forbidden Planet, 1956

Science Fiction in Television Captain Video, 1949 Buck Rogers, 1950 Flash Gordon, 1953 The Twilight Zone, 1959

Science Fiction In TV 1966 1993 2001 1987 1995

Where Science Fiction is Today: Movies Star Wars, 1977-2005 Alien, 1979

Where Science Fiction is Today: Movies Gattaca, 1997 The Matrix, 1999

Where Science Fiction is Today: Movies Pitch Black, 2000 The Hitchhiker’s Guide, 2005

Where Science Fiction is Today: Movies V for Vendetta, 2006 Serenity, 2005

Where Science Fiction is Today: Movies Looper, 2012 WALL-E, 2008

Where Science Fiction is Today: Movies GRAVITY, 2013 INCEPTION, 2010

Science Fiction Today: Authors

Science Fiction Today: TV BABYLON 5

Science Fiction Today: TV FARSCAPE

Science Fiction Today: TV STARGATE

Science Fiction Today: TV Battlestar Galactica

May the Future be with you… always…