The 1950s was an Age of Paranoia marked by
A. Fear of ______(the iron curtain required demonstrations of American power)
B. Fear of ______(Korean War ended in stalemate)
C. Fear of ______(McCarthyism and the communist witch hunt in Wash, DC)
D. Fear of ______(Rise of the Republican Right)
E. Fear of the ______(After Hiroshima and Nagasaki)
>As people started to think of the possibility of space travel, ______became popular with readers.
>Major authors included Ray Bradbury, who wrote ______and Isaac Asimov, who penned ______(The more recent Will Smith movie) in this decade.
The Characteristics and History of Science Fiction:
Science fiction is often based on ______and ______.
Science fiction may make ______about life in the future.
Science fiction often deals with ______or with life on other planets.
Science fiction can comment on ______in society.
The Themes of the Science Fiction Formula or Recipe (what good sci fi writers include)
Fear of the ______: America in the 1950s was in the grip of a national emergency—an age of paranoia—a fear of the unknown.
Vast ______: “imagination of ______” on a scale so vast that mankind will have no future, will lost control of his destiny and destroy himself—man is his own worst enemy (listen to Klaatu’s speech in The Day the Earth Stood Still)
______is the agent of ______. An alien invasion starts local then grows; help flows national to local and stable institutions like the Army restore order. (See Klaatu and Bobby visit the Lincoln Memorial).
______is good. Writers create a “rule of reason” through science and technology.
____vs.______: people vs. the pods and blobs and big bugs; culture vs. nature; moderates vs. extremists. Writer dehumanizes the enemy. Home is safe while danger is
“out there.”
>The best sci fi introduces themes of ______, ______(human and alien, other life forms and cultures) and our ______to technical change.
**A word of caution for feminists: Much of science fiction depicts ______as “mother-children-and kitchen.” A common attitude of some of the writers before 1970 was that women do not belong in science fiction, but if they are, keep them “in their place.”
Science Fiction Awards: Two of the most prestigious awards are
1. The ______, presented by the ______, is often called the “______” of Science Fiction.
2. The ______, presented by the ______
Why study science fiction?
Perhaps the MOST important reason for students to study science fiction is to discuss the subject of the ______and the concept of ______. Technology is changing faster than our society can adjust to it. By reading and developing an awareness of possible issues like those raised in science fiction, by encouraging students to think through as many possibilities as they can for a future issue, will better prepare them for the future. Topics like cloning and surrogacy were first introduced in science fiction in the 1950s!
Reading Science Fiction
While the plot, setting and characters might be simpler in science fiction than in other genres, simplicity does not imply poor quality. Good science fiction must be believable. Readers will be skeptical and fail to believe the setting or events if the science fiction does not present a logical world or if the story shows poorly-researched and flawed science.
Assignment: Choose one of the following SIMPLE and SHORT science fiction short stories to read. Remember that even the most simplistic stories generally have a much deeper meaning. As you read, identify and MARK in the story the characteristics and the themesof science fiction listed in your notes above that are utilized by the authors in the story you choose. You will take a quiz on the story you choose. There are links to all of the stories on the homework page. Print the story to read it.
"The Fun They Had" by Isaac Asimov
The story is about the year 2157 when every child has his own machine teacher and schools like today do not exist anymore.
"I Sing The Body Electric" by Ray Bradbury
A child, Agatha, is unwilling to accept an Electrical Grandmother as a surrogate for her dead mother, until the Grandmother demonstrates her own immortality
.
"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
A family of four installs the latest technology in their house. The house does everything for the family from clothing them to feeding them to rocking them to sleep at night. They called the new technology the “Happylife Home”
“The Nine Billion Names of God” by Arthur Clarke
This short story tells of a Tibetanlamasery whose monks seek to list all of the names of God, since they believe the Universe was created in order to note all the names of God and once this naming is completed, God will bring the Universe to an end.