The History of Science Fiction Pre 1920 s

The History of Science Fiction

Pre 1920 s Talkin’ about a revolution • Industrial Revolution kicks things off • American Revolution 1776 • French Revolution 1789

Pre 1920 s Talkin’ about a revolution • 1818: Mary Shelley publishes Frankenstein • 1863: Jules Verne pushes sci-fi into the mainstream – He is the father of science fiction • 1895: HG Wells becomes more popular than Verne

1920 s The War to End All Wars • WWI 1914 to 1917 • 1917: Hugo Gernsback enters magazine publishing • Radios are the primary form of home entertainment

1920 s The War to End All Wars • European science fiction: ruined civilizations • American science fiction: optimism about future • Technology out of control • Familiar faces: John Carter of Mars and Tarzan of the Jungle

1930 s Depressing Times • Great Depression • Adolf Hitler takes the stage • Magazine readership increases – Quality of Gernsback’s publication declines

1930 s Depressing Times • Aldous Huxley publishes Brave New World • C. S. Lewis writes Out of the Silent Planet • Comic books and superheroes become popular • Movies are made from classic sci-fi novels with great success • Radio broadcasts gain popularity

1940 s The Golden Age • WWII and the Holocaust • Formation of Israel in 1949 • Suburban neighborhoods and college attendance increase in America • Communism and the USSR

1940 s The Golden Age • Considered the Golden Age of Science Fiction – More believable technology – Women characters are no longer just damsels in distress – Familiar faces: • Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clark, C. S. Lewis, and George Orwell

1950 s Communism Strikes! • Korean police action • Numerous countries shake off colonial rule and declare independence • Civil Rights movement • Sputnik and the space race • Joseph Mc. Carthy and the Red Scare • Rock and Roll!

1950 s Communism Strikes! • The post apocalypse is the most popular theme in science fiction • T. V. and movies rise in popularity

1960 s Times they are a changin’ • • • Berlin wall erected 1960 Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated 1963 John F. Kennedy assassinated 1963 Vietnam War First man on the moon 1969

1960 s Times they are a changin’ • Book-length fiction • Popular works/authors of the time: – Stranger in a Strange Land Robert Heinlein – Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse 5 Kurt Vonnegut – Dune Frank Herbert – Philip K. Dick short stories • Feminism

1960 s Times they are a changin’ • Great movies make their debut: – The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock – Farenheight 451 (Based on the novel by Ray Bradbury) – Planet of the Apes – 2001: A Space Odyssey • Sci-fi appears in T. V. series: – The Twilight Zone – Lost in Space – Star Trek

1970 s Computers, computers • Space Race continues • Microprocessor computer chip invented • Nixon involved in Watergate scandal resigns

1970 s Computers, computers • Computers become a popular device in sci-fi • Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes a popular theme • Sci-Fi board games and computer games • Comic books and graphic novels become popular • Popular TV shows: 6 Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, and Battlestar Gallactia • Movies make the biggest improvements – Star Wars: A New Hope – Star Trek: The Motion Picture

1980 s The cyberpunks are coming! • • • Chernobyl 1986 Technological advances explode AIDS virus discovered Berlin Wall 1989 Rise of the cyberpunk movement

1980 s The cyberpunks are coming! • Movies of note: – Star Wars – Bladerunner – The Terminator —War Games —E. T —Batman • Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (book) • Watchmen (Graphic Novel) • Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV)

1990 s to present The Platinum Age • The Cold War ends • USA experiences a period of peace and prosperity • Technology continues to expand: – Computers – Laptops – Ipods – Iphones

1990 s to present The Platinum Age • Video Games – Halo • TV: – Star Trek – Babylon Five • Movies: —Deep Space Nine —Star Trek: Voyager —X Files – Total Recall —Terminator 2 – Star Wars —Star Trek: Generations – Star Trek: First Contact — Frankenstein – Jurassic Park —Batman