Poe is often considered the father of science fiction and detective mysteries. He shares the founding of science fiction with Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. His contemporaries and the authors that came up soon after his death all, in some way, experienced the glories and the tragedies of the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840). It was an innovative time that brought machines, chemicals, steam power, and industry on a massive scale. It was the time of Darwin and his drive to understand human life. John Green's Crash Course World History has to be one of my favorite smashing through history series yet. Here is his take on the Industrial Revolution.
For literature, some of the greatest classics came from this time period. In 1818, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. This was unlike anything written before. It's the first instances of the mad scientist, experimentation, technology, idealizing things beyond the science humans had up to that point, and looking at the human condition from an outside perspective. Nine years later, The Mummy! Or a Tale of the Twenty Second Century by Jane C. Loudon brought the story of Cheops resurrected by scientists and dropped into world crisis, a world that was clearly not his own. Our reading for this week was The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaal (1835). Poe utilized a flight to the moon, detailing construction, launch, and many other science-like aspects. His The Balloon Hoax, which we read last week, was not written until 1844. In 1836, Louis Geoffrey wrote Napoleon et la Coquete du Mondes, an alternate history of the world if Napoleon had conquered it. Rather like the current television series The Man in the High Castle, based on the 1962 book by Philip K. Dick and creates a dystopian, alternate history based on the Axis Powers winning World War II instead of the Allies. Samuel Butler wrote Erewhon in 1872 creating the future trope of machines one day becoming sentient and overtaking the human race. Current examples of this would be the films Wall E and I, Robot starring Will Smith. Mark Twain jumped into the time travel trope with A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889). Engineer Hank Morgan goes back to King Arthur's time and wows the inhabitants of that time with his 19th century knowledge. The Bing Crosby film version of 1949 is brilliant, however, it's not on youtube other that the trailer. By 1900, Frank Baum was surrounded by so many exceptional examples of science fiction, he wrote fourteen books, from 1900-1920.
So what is science fiction? Here is a summary. The narrator covers the eras and the history of the genre.
By the time the 1860s come around, science fiction begins in earnest. Poe was an originator of the genre, but Verne and Wells gave it definition. Verne wrote from the perspective that all this science and forward thinking is romantic and a grand adventure. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1869), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). Verne specifically took the idea of Poe's The Balloon Hoax and ran with it. I adore the Steve Coogan/Jackie Chan movie version of Around the World in 80 Days. It is the Victorian spirit of science, invention, adventure, and romance. Verne, unlike Poe, was commercially successful and was able to make a living at his novel writing. Sprague de Camp (1907-2006), an American writer of science fiction, declared Verne as "the world's first full-time science fiction novelist."
While Verne romanticized the genre, H.G. Wells used his writing to make didactic points (teaching points) about society. This method of writing was utilized by Charles Dickens, as he used stories to teach and dissect society, its goodness and its woes. Oliver Twist (1837-1839), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), and A Christmas Carol (1843) are all novels that take into account the human condition. The Wells type of science fiction glosses over the technical details and delves into the metaphors of a dystopian society versus the society in the world as we know it. The science fiction conundrum is this: do authors present realist technology and focus on the adventures of the characters as entertainment or do authors tell the story and build it up to make a point?
We spent time in class discussing the science fiction of the last century. Star Trek (the idea that humankind can overcome anything, exploration, positive attitude), Star Wars (combination of science fiction and fantasy), Firefly (which we don't talk about too much for obviously short reasons), and the longest running television series Doctor Who (sci-fi doesn't always have to be about the pessimistic). This video breaks down the genre and the "science fiction any work with the presence of novum."
With Doctor Who, the Doctor continues to seek out the wonders of the universe despite adversity and terror. The 11th Doctor says "I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams." The Doctor also says "It's the universe's cruelty which makes human kindness and ingenuity all the more precious and unique."
To sign off for the week, and because I can, here are several Doctor Who links that are didactic moments, playing to the strengths of human beings (as a massive portion of sci-fi reflects negatively on the human race).
- 12th Doctor, "The Zygon Inversion" speech
- Doctor Who, The Greatest Speeches
- 10th Doctor, "The Age of Steel"
- 12th Doctor, Kindness Speech
- 11th Doctor, Regeneration Change Speech
Reading for this week is The Murders in the Rue Morgue.
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