Exploration Of The Literary Genre Of Science Fiction

When one thinks of science fiction, what comes to mind may be aliens and unicorns landing on the moon. However, science fiction has much more educational value than it gets credit for. This genre made its debut what seems like ages ago, but in the literature world it became a hit when Mary Shelley wrote her novel Frankenstein back in 1818. Mary was only nineteen years old when she wrote this book, and thanks to her, science fiction is one of the most popular genres among billions of people in the world. Shelley sparked the chain, however the two men who really brought this genre to life were Jules Verne and H.G Wells. Verne was known as “the father of science fiction” because of his world famous literary works such as Around the World In Eighty Days and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. H.G Well’s work was famous for its originality and wide range of futuristic ideas.

There were several science fiction authors at this time, but these two had the biggest impact on the future. Though science fiction books were created first, an important piece to the growth of this genre is the film industry. When motion pictures were created, science fiction movies became very well known around the world and changed many people’s views on scientific research and inspired several futuristic ideas. For example, in 1966, the first movie of the Star Trek series came out. In this movie, the characters used the “smart phone”, which seemed like an extremely unrealistic invention during that time period. In 1992, the very first smartphone was released. This is an example of how science fiction tends to have its own unique way of predicting the future. The genre provides entertainment and allows the audience to use their imagination while learning something. Science fiction is the most important genre because not only can it have the ability to promote ideas for the future but it provides the most entertaining form of education.

This genre would not be as useful as it is now without the literary works that helped shape it into the genre it is today. There are millions of science fiction books, but there are only a few pieces of work that sparked the worlds interest in literature. One iconic text that intrigued the science lovers was the very first sci-fi hit, Frankenstein. In this novel, a doctor named Victor Frankenstein created life from an inanimate body, in which turned into a horrific monster. This book provided many fictional ideas, but also put forth the idea of creating life supernaturally (Kern).The idea made scientists in the 1900’s dig deeper into the possibilities of bringing something inanimate to life in the future. The next book that had an impact on sci-fi was a novel by Jules Verne called Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. This work is about three men who originally set to sea to discover the whales that are damaging their ships. Their voyage took a turn when they found themselves stuck in an underwater iron box. Today, this “iron box” is known as the submarine. This book was written by Jules Verne long before the submarine was invented, which is one example of how Verne’s work tends to “predict” the future. Another literary work that made a huge impact on science fiction is the book Divergent by Veronica Roth. This book is a great example of an action filled science fiction book that will get readers creative juices flowing. Veronica Roth combined both real world problems (romance, heartbreak, death, family) and science knowledge into this book. This novel teaches people that it is okay to be different and that everyone has something that they fear. It opens up readers minds to the future, teaches the audience many necessary life lessons and most importantly, sparks the interest of science fiction fans.

This genre has very unique qualities and themes that no other genre has. The themes that readers/audiences see most often are the development of dangerous technologies such as robots, clones, time travel, inanimate object life, and anything not yet invented that one can name. Though a lot of the themes can contain unrealistic pieces, there are also themes that promote real life such as space travel, creation of computerized robots, and the creation of new weapons. An example of a science fiction literary work that contains these extraordinary themes is Thought Control, by Herbert W. Franke. This short story follows a young man, Ben, in his attempt to escape a war. It is a great mixture of fantasy, action and reality. Not only is this a war, but it is fought against technology. The robot he is battling can read his mind which makes it extremely difficult for Ben to escape this madness. Without all of these extraordinary themes, science fiction would not bring as much imagination and creativity into learning.

In the article “Science Fiction- an Inspiration for Creativity” the author Harry T. Roman explains a course called “integrated science” that is a two year course taught by a man named Morris Lerner. This was not just an ordinary science class, in fact, it was just as much a science class as it was a literature class. Part of their weekly assignments was reading science fiction. This technique brought a lot more participation into their weekly lab works because the students were able to put their own thoughts and creativity into something they were doing in real life. The article then goes on to explain how science fiction inspired new ideas and understandings in the world. For example, the original Star Trek series was released early in the 1960’s, which was soon before the moon landing. That made the moon landing ten times more interesting for science lovers because it proves that the unrealistic sounding ideas put forth in science fiction books/movies have the potential to happen in real life one day. This article is an example as to how science fiction positively impacts students learning.

Many people who do not know the history and science behind the genre may assume that since the word “fiction” is included in the title that everything in the story is going to be make believe and unrealistic. However, one who assumes that would be shell-shocked at the impact science fiction has on the past, present and future. In the Ted Talk Why Our World Needs Science Fiction, the speaker goes on to tell some of the predictions made through literary works by Jules Verne and H.G Wells in the past. He explains and proves very interesting facts about the history and importance of science fiction. He said that science fiction was made to “prevent and invent the future.” Science fiction does not always predict the future, it simply just inspires and promotes new ideas for the future. Science fiction began in France and Great Britain because of Jules Verne and HG Wells. According to the speaker, the three key words of this genre are innovation, profitability and smart power. Sci-fi leads to new inventions, which then turns into profit and success. The speaker then went on to tell the audience about the successful inventions created that are very well known. The Samsung tablet invention was sparked from the book Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy in 1979. There are a lot of past impacts made by science fiction, but there are also many impacts from the present day as well. New science fiction books and movies are created every single day, and science fiction is one of the top most popular genres in the entire world (Roman). An example of an extremely popular sci-fi work today is the movie The Hunger games: Catching Fire, Directed by Francis Lawrence. This film shocked the world in 2013. It is still one of the most popular science fiction/dystopian movies ever made. The film is a part of The Hunger Games series, and is the most viewed in the series . This movie is a combination of action, death and romance. Even though it was made 6 years ago, it is still one of the most viewed sci-fi/adventure movies ever made. It is very useful to science fiction because it provides action, entertainment and knowledge which are 3 productive characteristics of the genre. Not only does it inspire readers to be more involved in science fiction, but it teaches many valuable lessons throughout the film. The article Making a `Deep Impact’ on Young People’s Interest in Science by Leroy W. Dubeck and Rose Tatlow explains the significance science fiction has on education today. According to this article, sci-fi has been used to teach science to students from ages kindergarten all the way to college. It is utilized to spark the interest of anyone learning science and keeps students more engaged. According to studies, using science fiction films and literature for learning tends to help students remember more about the subject. For example: when they see the spaceships “whooshing through space” in star wars, they are taught that it is the opposite of what happens in the real world, which helps them remember that space is slow and soundless. This technique opens the students imaginations but also is a fun way to teach students what space is really like. Another literary work that changes readers view on the present day effect of science fiction is Welcome Home, by Herbert W. Frank. This story follows a man on his return to planet earth. He explains his journey at the intergalactic space academy on the planet of Antares. He has traveled in a one man rocket to and from the planet. It puts forth a prediction of the future by including life on a different planet, which is something scientists are researching today. The idea of life on another planet not only promotes ideas for the future but makes readers more interested in scientific research now. Not only does science fiction take a major toll on the past and present day, but it also has the ability to continue creating futuristic ideas and inventions. According to the video 10 Sci-Fi Predictions That Became Science Fact, science fiction has its own way of shaping what the future could look like. This video provides examples of some of the ways science fiction writers have “predicted the future”. The creators of science fiction made so many predictions that sounded completely unrealistic, and this video puts a few of the crazy fictions that became facts into perspective. One that was made by Johannes Kepler in 1634 was Lunar exploration. The people thought Kepler was a lunatic, but years later his research turned into a reality. In 1888, Edward Ballamy predicted that cash cards would become something commonly used in the future. Now, the credit card is the most common use for purchasing items at a store. HG Wells made a prediction in 1899 that an invention of a flat square with vividly colored moving picture would be created. Now, that is called the IPad. Based off of this information about how science fiction authors come up with ideas they believe one day will be reality, the way life is now may be drastically different in the future. The short story Just One Summer by Carl Amery is a good example of a sci-fi authors imagination and ideas of what the future could look like.The readers see the creation of a space-time machine throughout this short story. The narrator had a dream of creation and he was doubted and shamed by those surrounding him. As the story went on, he created this invention and won several awards around the world. This story implies the genre trope of futuristic technology and it can also be used to describe the real world relevance of the science fiction genre. With all of the new science fiction books and movies being created in the next few years, there is no telling what ideas they could give out to the world.

Though this genre has its extremely positive impacts on many people, it may not be for everyone. Some parts of science fiction may intrigue a child only, and other parts may spark the interest of a grown adult. There is no stereotype as to who does or does not like science fiction, however someone who does not care much for imagination and curiosity may not be amused by flying cars and the creation of robot babysitters. There are people in the world who only care for books/films that promote reality and reality only, such as non-fiction or historical books. Nowadays, science fiction seems to be most popular among children and young adults, however that will carry on to the future with those who are interested in them now. In the article “The Sci-Fi that's Fact” by Robert Mathews, the author goes on to tell readers the movies that have an impact on the genre today. Not everyone is a reader, in fact a large amount of people in this world would rather do anything than sit down for an hour and crack open a book. Mathews goes into detail about which movies make this genre so popular among so many people. This is important because not only do science fiction literature fans get the excitement to go see a movie they read a book over, but those who do not enjoy reading literature get to experience the glory as well while still getting to use their imagination to learn.

Since sci-fi has been around for so long, many people question whether the world will grow out of it or if it will continue in the future. With the way science fiction lights up the theatres and libraries, it does not look like it will be going anywhere soon. An important part of justifying whether a genre is worthy of someone's time in the future is whether it meets the requirements of human condition. Human Condition is “The characteristics, key events, and situations which compose the essentials of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, and mortality”. The unique thing about this genre is that even though it contains a good amount of things that are not necessarily realistic, but it also provides a wide variety of human condition. There are always many key events in science fiction, which is why it can often be mistaken for the genre of adventure. Sci-fi works have some mythical creatures and tales that may not be in existence right now, however there is still the idea of human existence and birth in almost all science fiction books and movies. The genre includes the ideas of emotionality, aspiration conflict and mortality. Though it may not be included in a sense of how it is used in everyday life, science fiction authors/producers tell a real life story through fictional ideas and characters. In the book Divergent, human condition is utilized in several different ways. A lot of action, situations and key events occur many times throughout the plot because of the trials that Tris faces as she conquers all of the battles and hardship she is put through. It is also a great example of human condition because she goes through trials that people in real life face on a daily basis. An example of a human condition Tris faces throughout the book is the thought of knowing she is either going to die or be reborn. As in real life, no person knows how or when they will die, just like Tris. She also portrays the condition of aspiration because she fights her way through every stage knowing she could be killed by the leaders because of her ability in the blink of an eye.

The novel Divergent by Veronica Roth also portrays ethics and morality through the way Tris pushes through every trial while doing whatever selfless act she can and also doing her best to prevent the death of someone else. Tris’s natural ability of being “divergent” is very rare and most certainly the most powerful of all of the factions. She has the power to do just about anything in the book but the author portrays morality and ethics by making Tris use her powers for things that will help others rather than just doing things that could benefit her life and not those around her. Not every science fiction movie or literary work is guaranteed to have a happy ending filled with rainbows and butterflies, however it can have the effect of tugging on the heartstrings of the audience. Divergent is a book that has the potential of receiving empathy because Tris goes through real life problems such as heartbreak, death of loved ones and also having to face many tough problems all on her own.

Science fiction is a genre filled with many qualities that do not repeat themselves in most of the other genres. It is extremely beneficial to many areas of life, and the impact science fiction has on the past, present and future is tremendous. It is often underestimated by the world because it tends to have the reputation of being only fiction, but as the world discovers more about it the more useful it will be the students and scientists. There are many facts that back up the idea of science fiction having its own way of predicting inventions and ways of life in the future. There may not be flying humans or a lava girl in the future, however certain ideas and inventions that science fiction novels/films are based off of tend to allude to a certain creation or way of life that will be put to use some day. Many teachers and students now support the claim of science fiction aiding to the creativity and learning of many students. Science fiction is the most important genre because not only can it support the creativity for new ideas in the future but it provides an entertaining way of education. Without science fiction becoming a hit in 1818, the world would never know the wonderful impacts it has on billions of lives around the world.