Interpreting the space age: Literature of the twenty first century Report 2022

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Interpreting the space age: Literature of the twenty first century

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Introduction
It is no doubt that science fiction is one of the most dominant genres of our time. Though one
cannot say that science fiction was entirely absent in literature prior to the 20th-21st centuries it
definitely has a greater influence on our culture today. This can be attributed to the tremendous
development in fields of science, technology and special effects. This essay looks into factors or
signs, scattered across literature, that prove 21st century to be the era of the science-fiction.
Science Fiction: Definition and Brief History
It can be complicated to define a genre as wide and broad as science fiction. Science fiction, or
popularly known as sci-fi, can be defined as a form of literary fiction primarily based on the
impact of science and technology, both of which can be real/current or imagined, upon human
and society (Roberts, 2016). An interesting feature of sci-fi is the constant oscillation that this
genre maintains between the apparently dichotomous discourses of dystopia and utopia. Also,
one of the important aspects of sci-fi is its focus on human transformation wherein goals such as
immortality are sought through advanced technology (Mirenayat 270). The term science fiction
was popularized in the 1920s by one of the genre’s principal advocates, the American publisher
Hugo Gernsback (Sterling). However it would be inaccurate to say that there was no work on
science fiction prior to the invention of the term. The publication of Mary Wollstonecraft
Shelley’s Frankestein in 1818 and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Balloon Hoax of 1844 were significant
steps in the field of science fiction; Mary was later hailed as the ‘mother of science fiction’
(Sterling). But the greatest contribution in the formation of this genre can be said to be of Jules
Verne, a French and arguably the inventor of science fiction. Verne’s futuristic writings were far
ahead of his time, sometimes too radical to be immediately published and filled with
technological marvel, scientific accuracy and a utopian vibe. Another classic novel that should
be mentioned here is H.G. Well’s A Time Machine (1895).
Science-fiction is therefore a rather modern genre. It is different from fantasy (another
speculative genre) which principally bases itself on culture, mythology and/or the medieval past.
Science fiction, on the other talks about us, the mere above-average human who is going to use
the scientific tools available to him to do something marvellous. For instance, movies and comic
books of the Marvel universe belong to the genre of science-fiction whereas Harry Potter belongs

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to fantasy. The definition also excludes historical dramas about space like Andy Weir’s The
Martian.
Science Fiction: Evolution
In the 20th century the world wars had a profound impact on the genre of sci-fi literature
especially in the United States, but it then mainly catered to a young audience (Gunn 257).
Following World War II there was development in nuclear energy and atomic bombs,
advancements in space travels with man travelling to space and possibility of cloning humans.
Theodore Sturgeon’s Thunder and Roses (267) was one of the earliest serious science fiction
stories to depict the hazards of nuclear warfare. Other works like that of H.G. Well’s The Shape
of Things to Come (1933) and Walter Miller Jr’s A Canticle for Leibowitz (1960), etc highlighted
the vagaries of a post-nuclear world and led to a rise in sci-fi literature in the 20th century
(Roberts 245). There was also a plethora of literature revolving around themes such as robots,
space travel, time travel and alien beings. Dark dystopian side was also seen in works like
Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We (1924), Orwell’s 1984 (1949) and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World
(1932). Further, Philip K. Dick’s book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) prefigured
the 1980s phenomenon known as ‘cyberpunk’. Cyberpunk refers to a combined fascination for
cybernetics i.e. science of communication, and ‘punk’ which referred to an interest in studying
the social consciousness (McFarlane 172).
The United States was the epicentre and flag-bearer of the ‘golden age’ of science fiction
(Sterling, 2020). Cheap printing process and production of inexpensive magazines ensured that
science fiction now reached a mass audience. These works were obviously not as polished as
those of Verne or Orwell but they helped in increasing the mass acceptability of this genre
(Rieder 207). Magazines and periodicals like Amazing Stories and Air Wonder Stories produced
scientific pulp fiction on a mass scale (Rieder 248). Since the 2000s science fiction has exploded
as part of popular culture, both on page and on the big screen. Considered to be high art in the
20th century, to be mainly consumed by science enthusiasts or ‘nerds’, science fiction took over
the market in the new millennium (Roberts 157). In the early years the literature mainly carried
forward the scientific optimism of the late 20th century.