NOTES

Development [] [] (entire website supports thesis by expressing the development of science fiction)
 * began with Greek myths such as the Gilgamesh epic, Deadalus, and Lucian of Somasta with examples of the technology of flying and a trip to the moon
 * Novels of fictional adventures began mainly with satirical purposes such as Gulliver's Travels in 1726
 * Frankenstein by Mary Shelley written in 1818 contibuted a large amount of attention to the potential of science
 * H.G. Wells, becoming popular around the mid-1800s contributed to the focus of biological development in sceicne fiction and the consequesces of invention in English literature, much like Mary Shelly
 * The publication of science fiction in book form in the U.S. was infrequent between 1926 and 1946
 * First great science fiction specialist was Jules Verne who dealt with geology and cave exploration, underwater marvels, and space travel
 * Two major events brought science fiction general recognition as a literature of relevance: the explosion of the first atomic bomb in 1945 and the successful moon landing by two U.S. astronauts on July 20, 1969
 * Their realization and the recognition by many persons of the way in which life is being changed by science and technology have contributed to what Asimov has called “a science-fiction world.” This awareness was intensified in July 1976 when a space vehicle landed on Mars and transmitted to earth the first on-site photographs of another planet

[] Prehistory Pioneer > By the end of the 19th century, the field began to take on its modern shape with the publication of the first of the scientific romances of H. G. Wells. Early modern Science Fiction
 * The prehistory of science fiction can be traced from the beginnings of literature to the development of the scientific method c. 1600
 * Science fiction as we think of it today is generally dated from the composition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley in 1818. Her novel as well as works by Nathanial Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe emerged from the gothic strain of the Romantic as embodied by Shelley, Hawthorne, and Poe.

Golden Age Science Fiction > The Golden Age itself dates roughly from the summer of 1939 with the publication of the July issue of //** Astounding **// to the end of 1950 when other magazines such as //** Galaxy **// and the //** Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction **// began to appear Modern Science Fiction During the years immediately following World War II, science fiction began to be published in book form as hardcover anthologies of short stories In October 1957 the Soviet Union launched //**Sputnik**//, the first satellite, and the Space Age officially began. Ironically, people now began to expect the unexpected. The Future was Now. Science fiction had to reach out for new subject matter  Portrayal [] Not all science fiction actually takes place in the future. Science fiction, like many genres is as varied as the authors who write for it. But the one thing tying it all together, is the effect of a science on the characters in the novel. These types of stories are typically written by authors who have a strong background in science; think Isaac Asimov or Arthur C Clarke. As such, most of the science if very detailed and realistic. It plays such a role in these stories that the technology is actually central to the plot, not just part of the environment. The so called ’soft sciences’, sociology, psychology, and philosophy, are the central aspects to this type of story. They focus on the effects future technology could have on a society or individual characters. Ray Bradbury and Frank Herbert are authors of this sub-genre. Philip K. Dick and William Gibson are popular cyberpunk writers; Gibson even invented the word. Cyberpunk is about the negative, almost dystopian like societies that are dominated by computer technology, typically involving hackers and AI (artificial intelligence). Military science fiction stories focus on interplanetary or interstellar war and usually stress traditional military attributes, aided by a soldier’s point of view. On of the staples of this genre is Forever War by Joe Haldeman, in which a university student is drafted for an interplanetary war. When he returns to Earth years later, it ends up that a few years for him were a few thousands for the planet. Setting instead are after a world altering disaster such as nuclear war or an alien invasion and how humans overcome the event. **Alien Invasion/ Alien Contact** Aliens are common in science fiction and thus what most people think of when picturing the genre. Sometimes they try to destroy the earth, sometimes they are benevolent Shorted to AU, these stories revolve around the idea that something has happened in the past and the course of history changed or may involve an alternate reality, aka a parallel world, that exists next to the one we live in but is defined by some differences. John Cramer and some of Philip K. Dick’s work can be considered a part of this sub genre. **Steampunk** These stories don’t actually take place in the future, but rather in the past with technology superior to what was actually available at the time. The stories are typically set in the Victorian era, and unlike cyberpunk don’t contain dystopian elements. Think Jules Verne, the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, or Lincoln with a machine gun arm. This is actually a relatively new genre, just coming about in the 1980s. **Time Travel** Time travel stories center, obviously, around the ability to travel through time and the effects it has on the traveler or sometimes the future. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is a great example. Space opera is actually the sf equivalent of epic fantasy, meaning high adventure amongst the stars. It’s this genre that used to be serialized in the movies and pulp fiction. Star Trek is actually a more sophisticated, contemporary space opera.
 * The early modern era, roughly the period just before World War II, can be categorized as adventure dominant. The most popular stories were written in the fantasy mode of Edgar Rice Burroughs and or were stories influenced by Hugo Gernsback's focus on technology
 * When the first issue of //** Astounding **// was published in January 1930, science fiction began to move in the direction of more analytical stories with a stronger base in science and technology.
 * The explosion of the atomic bomb in 1945 triggered an explosion of interest in science fiction
 * Hard Science Fiction **
 * Soft Science Fiction **
 * Cyberpunk **
 * Military **
 * Apocalypse/ post-apocalypse **
 * Alternate Universe **
 * Space Opera **

Authors/Novels [] (plot summaries and themes on sparknotes)

Mary Shelly Frankenstein

H.G. Wells //The Time Machine// in 1895; this was followed by //The Island of Dr. Moreau// (1896), //The Invisible Man// (1897), //The War of the Worlds// (1898), //When the Sleeper Wakes// (1899), and //The First Men in the Moon// (1901)

Ray Bradbury //The Martian Chronicles//, 1950, and //Fahrenheit 451//, 1953

Jules Verne //Journey to the Center of the Earth// (1864) //From the Earth to the Moon// (1865) //Off on a Comet// (1877), //20,000 Leagues Under the Sea// (1870)