The genre of science-fiction is one that has a long and rather interesting history and, as a genre, it has not only been able to inspire real world innovation but also provides hope for a better and more advanced future. The genre started with Mary Shelley, an author, and a poet who wrote what is widely considered to be the first science fiction novel in 1818 – Frankenstein. We can in hindsight recognise the aspects of sci-fi that we know and love: the mad scientist, the weird and wonderful machines, and the use of electricity. This was, however, ground-breaking at the time and became a fundamental piece for the kind of fiction we see today.
This is not to say that ideas from science-fiction did not exist before Shelley. The earliest example of sci-fi tropes such as space travel, and alien cultures dates back to the 2nd century AD with the novel: A True Story by Lucian of Samosata. Myths and legends have also held many tropes that we know are attributed to science-fiction. Most prominently there exist several stories in A Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales that included space-travel and extra-terrestrial worlds. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter speaks of a princess who originated on the moon. Both of these works date back to the 10th century AD and have acted as sources of inspiration for many contemporary authors. Shelley can, however, be considered the first author of contemporary sci-fi.
Sci-fi as we know it today can also trace its lineage back to the works of H. G. Wells. Wells’ work gave us much of what we consider today as true sci-fi. Classic works like The Time Machine (1895), and The War of the Worlds (1898) took the ideas of industry and development sparked by the world fairs of the time and brought a new futuristic and wondrous aspect to contemporary literature. Wells also set the stage for much of what we see as sci-fi today. Star Wars, and Doctor Who spring to mind.
The genre saw a boom in the 20th century as decades of war sparked not only works of social commentary like George Orwell’s 1984 (1949), and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) but also forward looking works like Isaac Asimov’s I Robot (1950). What sci-fi has always done is look to the future as something different, something that takes the technology the world has at the moment and abstracts it into infinite strange and varied forms.
It would seem that a common trend with science-fiction is that the genre is so embroiled with technology that it is difficult to determine which exactly came first: the technology or the fiction. A prominent case of this phenomena comes with Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968), who is widely credited with conceptualizing the geostationary communications satellite.
The 20th century also saw science-fiction begin to reach new heights with the widespread commercial use of film. Series and films began to pop up from early examples like Metropolis (1927), and Flash Gordon to later films such as Forbidden Planet (1956), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and even the beginning of Doctor Who in 1963.
It has already been shown that politics and war spawned some of the best early sci-fi novels. This was never truer than in the period of 1947-1991, a period more commonly known as the Cold War. The technological advances made during this time as well as the focus on extra-orbital flight culminating in the 1969 moon landing, all added to the spirit of the sci-fi movement. Azimov and Clarke have already been mentioned, and both did incredible work during this time.
Contemporary sci-fi is varied and diverse. Mass media outlets like Netflix as well as the increased popularity of things like Star Wars, and The Avengers has catapulted sci-fi into popular culture (there is even a channel on TV dedicated to it). Now sci-fi authors have changed from vague soothsayers of potential futures to people very much on the forefront of general thought. Asimov is studied for his insights on the philosophy of artificial intelligence and these authors have come up with ideas that are very real in our world.
Truly it is impossible to list each of the advances in science-fiction literature, as the increased speed of technological advancement has meant an equal increase in the rate of new authors and new ideas. Contemporary sci-fi is all around us, and as strange as it may be to think we live in the future that many of these authors envisioned. AI, cell phones, and aeroplanes all seemed impossible once but are now commonplace. Douglas Addams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1979) puts the meaning of science-fiction (in fact all fiction) best: “Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all”.
AARON CLOETE
