'Serious' Fiction in the Science-Fiction Writing of John Wyndham

MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ARTS Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Robert Krátký The Progression from ‘Popular’ to ‘Serious’ Fiction in the Science-Fiction Writing of John Wyndham BACHELOR’S DIPLOMA THESIS Supervisor: Stephen Paul Hardy, Ph.D. 2015 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the Works Cited section. ........................................ Robert Krátký ii I would like to thank my supervisor, Mr. Stephen Paul Hardy, Ph.D., for his no-nonsense guidance and razor-sharp wit with which he both dismissed rubbish and praised the occasional bright spots. I would also like to thank the staff of the entire department for all the support and help they offered throughout my bachelor studies whenever a hammer was needed where a key should have sufficed. iii Table of Contents 1 Introduction ...................................1 2 Science Fiction .................................6 2.1 Origins of Science Fiction . 10 2.2 Science-Fiction Magazines . 14 2.3 New Wave in Science Fiction . 19 2.4 John Wyndham and Science Fiction . 22 3 The Works of John Wyndham ........................ 26 3.1 Pre-War Pulp . 27 3.2 Post-War Cosy Catastrophes . 30 3.3 The Serious Wyndham . 36 4 Conclusion .................................... 48 Works Cited . 52 Works Consulted but not Cited . 54 iv 1 Introduction John Wyndham was one of the most popularly known, though not the most pro- lific, British authors of science fiction in the 20th century. His works, a number of which were adopted for film, television, and radio, have retained their appeal today, and the majority of them has remained in print since they were first published. Several of his best known novels can be said to have had foreshadowed the emergence of what later became known as the New Wave in the genre of science fiction, and his style has influenced many science-fiction writers. Despite the commercial success of Wyndham’s work, or—as is investi- gated later in this paper—perhaps because of it, some of his books have attracted the disparaging label of ‘cosy catastrophe’, meaning that they allegedly shirked challenging themes and contained only formulaic stories crafted for the great- est possible popular allure. In this thesis, I attempt to describe and analyse John Wyndham’s works, scrutinize the author’s motivations, and argue that when considered as a whole, the focus of Wyndham’s work gradually shifted from well- executed writings that relied on ‘cosy catastrophe’ tropes in order to maximize their best-selling potential to thought-provoking pieces that explored controver- sial topics while still providing for entertaining reading. The main focus of this thesis is the study and analysis of the development of John Wyndham’s work, its popular appeal, and its critical reception within the science-fiction genre. In order to provide a context for these topics, the thesis in- cludes an introductory chapter (chapter no. 2), which describes the science-fiction literary genre in the English-speaking world and identifies Wyndham’s position in this field. Since a significant portion of this thesis deals with the way literary critics viewed Wyndham’s works, the introductory chapter also examines the origins and specifics of literary criticism of science fiction. In this regard, it covers 1 1 INTRODUCTION some of the associated particularities of the science-fiction genre that contributed to the shaping of this style, namely the continuing appeal of magazine publica- tion, the related influence that magazine editors have had on the development of science-fiction writing, and the profusion of anthologies that themselves have often come to be viewed by fans and critics alike as parts of the science-fiction canon and thus classics of the genre. The third chapter talks about the different stages of Wyndham’s literary career and explains how social and historical circumstances influenced his writing, both in the choice of topics and in his literary style. In addition to that, the chapter provides an overview of Wyndham’s work, thus setting the stage for a more thorough analysis of selected novels. I chose to title this thesis ‘the progression of John Wyndham’s work’ to reflect the fact that the thesis is more concerned with the development of Wyndham’s writing than with the import of individual works and their standalone qualities. To that end, the main chapter of the thesis (chapter no. 3) considers the body of Wyndham’s work with regard to the author’s choice of themes, investigates external influences that led to writing de- cisions, and reviews critical reactions the works elicited. In this chapter, I compare Wyndham’s earlier novels with his later output, examine the social and intellectual depth of his themes, and take into account the opinions of contemporary critics, as well as the reflections of scholars who appraised Wyndham’s work in the years following his death. Pertaining to the critical reception of Wyndham’s work, the chapter mostly examines the claim that some of Wyndham’s novels were ‘cosy catastrophes’—the origins of the term are explained and its justifia- bility in relation to Wyndham’s work is discussed. Finally, the chapter presents an argument that interprets the shift in Wyndham’s writing from what has been called the cosy catastrophes to works with far greater social, intellectual, and literary ambitions. 2 1 INTRODUCTION To support my assertions and to offer a broad range of opinions about the subject of this thesis, I draw on the following secondary sources (among others): Aldiss, Brian W., and David Wingrove. Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction. Trillion Year Spree is a seminal volume in science-fiction critique. It is an expanded and improved successor to Aldiss’ first attempt at mapping the science-fiction genre, Billion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction, which was first published in 1973. In these books, Brian Aldiss has managed to compile a wealth of information, along with poignant and educated critique, about the most important works of science fiction by authors on both sides of the Atlantic. In Billion/Trillion Year Spree, Brian Aldiss coined the term ‘cosy catastrophe’ and applied it rather brusquely to describe and sum up certain works of John Wynd- ham. This thesis refers to the ‘cosy catastrophe’ term in its basic argument that Wyndham’s works have evolved over time from the shallow cosy catastrophes, which worked so well on the popular readership but perhaps lacked grit, to more serious books that explored various important and socially relevant topics. In order to provide context for this thesis’ examination of John Wyndham’s novels from the perspective of science-fiction critics and scholars, I tap the information provided by multiple encyclopædias and literary companions or intro- ductions to the genre, of which the most prominent is The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Eds. John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls, and Graham Sleight. John Clute’s The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is considered the ultimate source of up-to-date information about science fiction. It has been converted from a printed form into an on-line web resource, and as such it is continuously updated with new information as it becomes available. The thesis draws on the encyclopædia’s articles on John Wyndham and his works or works inspired by his writing. In par- ticular, I consider the evaluation of Wyndham’s literary career presented in the biographical entry about his person, and I also use the assessment of Wyndham’s 3 1 INTRODUCTION works and of the adaptations based on his works provided in the respective en- tries about The Day of the Triffids, The Chrysalids, and other works. In addition to that, the encyclopædia provides a useful source of authoritative reference about science fiction-related topics that are mentioned in the thesis but not explored in great depth. To support my argument about the reasons that led to Wyndham’s pub- lishing novels that earned the ‘cosy catastrophe’ label, I consider the article “Race in SF and John Wyndham’s Color-Schemed Future” by David Ketterer. David Ketterer is a renowned science-fiction scholar who has recently turned his atten- tion to John Wyndham and is working on the author’s biography. This short but sharp article raises and analyses the issue of dealing with race, racism, and racial prejudice in science-fiction works. Ketterer examines several works by different authors but focuses mostly on John Wyndham’s forgotten short story called “The Living Lies”, in which the author considers aspects of skin colour and how soci- eties develop and react to stereotypes. This article is important for the argument made in my thesis because it investigates ideas explored by Wyndham in his early writing. The story is one of the early examples of Wyndham’s later orientation on difficult, uneasy topics. For the purpose of offering a brief introduction into the area of science- fiction criticism and into the ways its rapid development took place on the outside of what is normally recognized as ‘proper’ literature, I employ the help of a series of articles published in the Science Fiction Studies journal about this topic. The most relevant to the subject of this paper is Gary Westfahl’s second instalment in the series, “The Popular Tradition of Science Fiction Criticism 1926–1980”. Gary Westfahl’s essay offers a balanced and thorough introduction to the history and development of literary criticism of the science-fiction genre. In order to be able to fully examine the beginnings and later stages of science-fiction critique, Westfahl 4 1 INTRODUCTION provides a basic description of the genre itself, its roots, and the various cultural influences that helped to shape the works created within the confines of the genre, as well as the critique that accompanied them.

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