VOCAB TEST FRIDAY Science Fiction What if Science

• VOCAB TEST FRIDAY

Science Fiction What if? Science Fiction

Science Fiction Authors Definitions Theodore Sturgeon, author: “A good science-fiction story is a story about human beings, with a human problem, and a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its scientific content. "

Robert A. Heinlein, acclaimed author: Science fiction is, ”…realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method. "

Sam Moskowitz, biographer: "Science fiction is a brand of fantasy identifiable by the fact that it eases the 'willing suspension of disbelief' on the part of its readers by utilizing an atmosphere of scientific credibility for its imaginative speculations in physical science, space, time, social science, and philosophy. "

Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone “Fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science Fiction is the improbable made possible. ”

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 “I’m not a science fiction writer, ” Bradbury was frequently quoted as saying. “I’ve written only one book of science fiction. All the others are fantasy. ” “Fantasies are things that can’t happen, ” Bradbury said, “and science fiction is about things that can happen. ”

Science Fiction Starts • The first contemporary novel to be considered a part of the ‘Science Fiction’ genre was Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley. • The author used a scientific rationale to persuade the reader that her story took place in the realm of the possible but touched upon improbable. the

Frankenstein Continued • Frankenstein was the first English novel in English to deal with the possibility that the scientific community might create an entity that could destroy humankind itself. • Mary Shelley did not wish the story to be considered ‘supernatural’. Scholars believe this is why she made the main character scientific in nature…

Science Fiction vs. Fantasy • In Science Fiction, there needs to be some possibility that the events could possibly happen. • In Fantasy, the author can use far-fetched assumptions. ie; unicorns, three-legged creatures etc. • It is a common science fiction convention that authors should not contradict known scientific fact (e. g. , humans flying on their own without the use of devices), but may do what they wish with commonly-accepted scientific theory (e. g. , humans flying to distant planets in a space shuttle).

• Incorporates scientific ideas, theories or technologies • Current trends in science and society are extrapolated into future scenarios • May involve extraterrestrial beings or settings • Imaginary worlds • Speculative • “What If” • Literature of Ideas • Incorporates magical and/or mythological ideas • Set in imaginary times and places • May involve supernatural beings and fantastic settings

Definition of Science Fiction • Science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future. It is important to note that science fiction has a relationship with the principles of science – these stories involve partially true-partially fictitious laws or theories of science. It should NOT be completely unbelievable, because it then ventures into the genre fantasy.

The Plot of Science Fiction • The plot creates situations different from those of both the present day and the known past. Science fiction texts also include a human element, explaining what effect new discoveries, happenings and scientific developments willhave on us in the future.

Early Pioneers of Science Fiction • H. G. Wells – The War of the Worlds • Jules Verne – 20, 000 Leagues Under Sea

20 th Century Science Fiction Texts • • 1984 – George Orwell Brave New World – Aldous Huxley The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand Foundation – Isaac Asimov 2001, A Space Odyssey – Arthur C. Clarke Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert Heinlein

Major Themes in Science Fiction • What does it mean to be human? • What is our place in the universe? • What are the limits of science and/or technology? • What is the potential of science for good? For evil? • What might the future look like? • What if history had happened differently?

Science Fiction Sub-Groups • Space, Space Travel, Planets – (ie: Star Wars, Star Trek) • Time travel – (ie: Back to the Future) • Changes to man brought about by science (ie: The Incredible Hulk) • Supernormal powers/talents (ie: Superman, Spiderman, Batman)

Science Fiction Sub-Groups • Battle with alien life forms (ie: Signs) • Alternate Universe (ie: Star Wars)

Common Science Fiction Conventions • • • TIME TRAVEL ALTERNATE HISTORY APOCALYPTIC SUPER HUMAN SPACE

Time Travel • Stories have antecedents (prior events) in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. • Often complicated by logical problems such as the grandfather paradox (a man travels back in time and kills his biological grandfather before the latter meets the traveller's grandmother. As a result, one of the traveller's parents (and by extension, the traveller himself) is never conceived. This means that he can’t have travelled back in time after all, so the grandfather is still alive, and the traveller is conceived, allowing him to travel back in time and kill his grandfather). • An example is The Time Machine (1960 version or 2002 version).

Alternate History • Stories are based on the premise that historical events might have turned out differently. • They may use time travel to change the past, or may simply set a story in a universe with a different history from our own. • Good examples are the Back to the Future films.

Apocalyptic • Concerned with the end of civilization through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster or with a world or civilization after such a disaster. • Apocalyptic generally concerns the disaster itself and the direct aftermath, while post-apocalyptic can deal with anything from the near aftermath to hundreds or thousands of years in the future. • Good examples of this are the Terminator films.

Superhuman • Stories deal with the emergence of humans who have abilities beyond the norm. • This can stem either from natural causes (accidental modification of the body) or be the result of intentional augmentation (purposeful modification of the body). • Stories usually focus on the alienation that these beings feel as well as society's reaction to them. • They have played a role in the real life discussion of human enhancement. • A good example is X-men.

Space • Emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing powerful (and sometimes quite fanciful) technologies and abilities. • The most significant trait is that settings, characters, battles, powers, and themes tend to be very largescale. • The stories typically follow the Homeric (heroic/grand/imposing) tradition, in which a small band of adventurers are cast against larger-than-life backdrops of powerful warring factions. • Good examples are the Star Wars films.

Jules Verne – The Prophet In the late 1800’s, Verne, a French author, wrote of fantastic inventions, many of which eventually came to pass. 1870 – wrote 20, 000 Leagues Under the Sea, a novel about Captain Nemo and his submarine, the Nautilus. Modern, seagoing submarines had been proposed, but were not developed and built for 30 more years! Because Verne wrote based on extensions of known science that were reasonable at the time, many of the inventions that he described – including scuba gear, television, and space travel – eventually came to be.

H. G. Wells – The Social Critic In the late 1800’s, Wells, and English author, was primarily concerned with society, not the “nuts and bolts” of science fiction. The only “prediction” Wells made that came true was that aircraft would have important military uses in the future. Most of the inventions that Wells wrote about, such as time machines, will never exist given our current understanding of physics. Wells’ novels are considered classics because they are great fiction. In his 1895 novel, The Time Machine, the Time Traveler visits the future and then returns to report on the cultural split into two races, a social commentary that mirrored the friction between the upper and lower classes in Britain at the time.

Science Fiction in the Movies • Even before talkies, science fiction made its mark on film: • A Trip to the Moon (1902) by the Frenchman Georges Melies • Metropolis (1926) by the German Fritz Lang, the first classic science fiction film.

Science Fiction in the Movies • Frankenstein (1931), with Boris Karloff, followed by endless sequels and remakes, • Invisible Man (1933), starring Claude Rains, from the novel by H. G. Wells • Things to Come (1936) from the screenplay by H. G. Wells and based on his novel The Shape of Things to Come. This is the first great sound picture in the field and the first film to show a utopian future that includes the promise of space flight. • Two prominent serials of the era are Flash Gordon (1936) and Buck Rogers (1939).

Science Fiction in the Movies • An estimated 500 feature films and shorts that can be classified science fiction were made between 1948 and 1962. • Science fiction really began to proliferate on film after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. This event prompted a rash of after-the-bomb and alien invasion films. • 1950 s Destination Moon (1950), is a pseudodocumentary based on Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile novel Rocketship Galileo. • The Thing (1951), based on John W. Campbell's short story "Who Goes There? , " features James Arness as a fearsome, defrosted alien carrot; the film was remade in 1982.

Science Fiction in the Movies • Also in 1960 came The Time Machine, starring Rod Taylor, from the novel by H. G. Wells. • Stanley Kramer made another foray into science fiction in 1964 with Dr. Strangelove; Love the Bomb. This dark comedic satire of nuclear war features Peter Sellars. • Fahrenheit 451 (1966) stars Oskar Werner in François Truffaut's film of the Ray Bradbury novel.

Science Fiction in the Movies • In 1977 the debut of Star Wars sparked a revitalization of science fiction. • Due to the huge success of this film, the market for and interest in science fiction as film and literature skyrocketed into the stratosphere again, rejuvenating and expanding the entire field. • Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983) comprise the middle trilogy of a projected three-trilogy cycle of films by George Lucas, based in part on Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces.

• Blade Runner (1982) is Ridley Scott's stylish film of Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? A director's cut (1992) clarified the nature of the film's major character and raised many of the same issues Shelley posed in Frankenstein, • Who are monstrous – those we create…or those who perform the creation? • The Road Warrior (1982) is the second and best of the Mad Max films about a post-nuclear -holocaust world. • E. T. , the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), another blockbuster from Steven Spielberg, was reissued with new footage for its 20 th anniversary in 2002.

Science Fiction in the Movies • Edward Scissorhands (1993) is an homage to the premise created by Frankenstein. • Timecop (1994) became a sci-fi television series as did Stargate (1994). • Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) was directed by and stars Kenneth Branaugh as Victor. Robert de Niro plays the Monster. • Independence Day (1996), a patriotic Sci-fi film, starring Will Smith and Bill Pullman. Aliens take over the planet and the inhabitants of Earth defend the planet.

l l l l Star Wars Star Trek 2001: A Space Odyssey Independence Day I, Robot Men in Black The Matrix Jurassic Park

• • • The Alien Life forms (often especially intelligent life forms), that are of extra-terrestrial origin. Can be good (like ET) or evil and want to invade Earth. The Cyborg An organism that has both artificial and natural systems Often portrayed with physical or mental abilities far exceeding a human counterpart (military forms may have inbuilt weapons). Can be good or evil. Terminator 2 has both. The Mutant An individual, organism, or new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of a sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not found in the typical form of an organism. Can be good or bad. X-men has both The Esper An individual capable of telepathy and other similar paranormal abilities Can be good or evil Hive-mind A group mind/ego (a single consciousness occupying many bodies) Can be good or evil Star Trek and the Jedi's in Star Wars could be considered similar. Some Popular characters

An Introduction to Science Fiction Read the questions in the table below and come up with a possible answer. The first one is done for you to give you the idea. Question: What would happen if… Speculation … humanity learns the secret to star travel? We would eventually find worlds like our own… and aliens… and declare war on them. a liquid, found in the core of the Earth, contains alien DNA? we can clone human beings? scientists discover the aging gene? the world runs out of oil? a deadly strain of airborne virus is accidentally released? whale song is translated into the most complex language ever discovered?

An Introduction to Science Fiction Look carefully at your responses from the previous chart. Now, answer the following questions… 1. What do your responses say about the way humans behave? 2. What are your major concerns about the future of humanity and/or our planet? 3. Do you think your concerns will change as you get older? Why/Why not? 4. Do you think young people fifty years ago would have had the same concerns as you do now regarding the future of the planet? What’s changed?

Ray Bradbury • Born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois • One of the most prominent American Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, and Mystery Fiction writers of the 20 th and 21 st Centuries

Ray Bradbury • Best known for his dystopian novels • Explored the human condition and commented on the human consequences of progress • Explored the human heart and would seek to flesh out the darkest parts of human nature

Famous Works Bradbury has published more than thirty books, close to 600 short stories, and numerous poems, essays and plays.

Meet Ray Bradbury http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Ez. D 0 Ytb. Vi. Cs If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be cynical. Well, that's nonsense. You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down. Ray Bradbury

Honors and Awards • O. Henry Memorial Award • Benjamin Franklin Award • World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement • Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America • PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award • National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters

Awards and Honors • National Medal of Arts the highest award given to artists and art patrons by the United States government, is bestowed upon Ray Bradbury in 2004 by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. • The Board of Directors of The National Book Foundation proudly bestows the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters upon RAY BRADBURY

Honors and Awards • He created the interior metaphors for Spaceship Earth display at Epcot Center, Disney World • Contributed to the conception of the Orbitron space ride at Euro-Disney, France

Awards and Honors • Nominated for an Academy Award • Emmy Award • Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

reports on June 6, 2012 Ray Bradbury, Who Brought Mars to Earth With a Lyrical Mastery, Dies at 91

DARK THEY WERE VOCAB • CONVIVIAL- Enjoying the company of others • DWINDLE- To become less, until little remains • FLIMSY- Not solid or strong • FORLORN- Appearing lonely or sad • MUSE- To say thoughtfully • PENDULUM- A weight hung so that is can swing freely, sometimes used in timing the workings of certain clocks • RECEDE- To become fainter or more distant • SUBTLY- Not obviously; in a manner hard to notice or perceived

Dark They Were, and Golden- Eyed • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=YYqnish 7 Rek • Part One: 446 -452

Part Two • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=0 M 0 t. Qk 2 lo. JU • Pages 452 -457

Part Three • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=x. G 5 Lb 8 R O 2 Pg • Pages 457 -461