Libraries and Infonnation in Science Fiction

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Libraries and Infonnation in Science Fiction Libraries and infonnation in science fiction by Louise M. Goodall, B.A. A Master's Dissertation, submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Master of Arts degree of Loughborough University. September 1997 Supervisor: Mr Alan Poulter, B.A., M.Se. Department of Information and Library Studies © Louise M. Goodall, 1997 ABSTRACT Investigates the ways in which libraries and information are represented in science fiction. Establishes that science fiction is a particularly sensitive form of literature for reflecting the society in which it was produced, and that as such it may have insights into the library and information profession. Science fiction texts discussed were chosen as representative canonical examples. The texts used are : George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, William Gibson's Neuromancer, and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. It concludes that SF omitts to represent libraries in most instances, but portrays information as a vital resource. , .!CI;:.s::o ~l.s ii t..... .:.;.: .... · =- . ..,1 i /'C!; 40 15 7--3-0···~1 t,·.' ~ No. ~ ·.~n:'';'"N;...:...~"..._".:.H_'''''''''''''_''\'''P'M'''''',''''' ' KobSI"Z.!>1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Alan Poulter, my supervisor, for the help and guidance he has provided me with while writing this dissertation. Thank you also to Emma for her unfailing support, and to the rest of my family for their concern and interest. iii CONTENTS Page Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Contents iv Introduction 1 Chapter 1 : Libraries and Information 4 References 12 Chapter 2 : Science Fiction 13 References 20 Chapter 3 : Control 22 References 39 Chapter 4 : Electronic Information 42 References 58 Chapter 5 : Preservation 60 References 76 Conclusion 78 Bibliography 80 iv INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to establish if, and in what ways, libraries and information are represented in science fiction. If libraries and information are portayed, is the portrayal positive or negative? What aspects of information work does science fiction consider to be most important? From these representations any consensus of views may be of use to the library and information profession in assessing the importance placed on its work by society. Furthermore, themes which prove to be repeated throughout the genre may be said to be those issues of most importance to the library user. These, then, should surely also be those issues on which the library and information profession places most importance when considering how service provision should be developed. Popular literature might be said to reflect, or inform, popular thought. If this is the case then insights about our society which can be gleaned from popular literature could prove valuable to any interest group or professional body. Science fiction (SF) is felt to be that form of literature most sensitive to the climate in which it is produced (1) and for this reason should provide particularly acute comments. SF is also a genre particularly suited to an enquiry into information related matters as it concentrates on knowledge and has a strong sense of its place within history (in its broadest sense, and also within literary history and its own genre history) and of its role as a producer of knowledge (see chapter two). 1 Methodologically speaking SF texts have been chosen which are considered to be thoroughly canonical examples. There are such vast numbers of SF novels and stories, not to mention media SF, that it would have proved impossible to canvass them all. For this reason representative texts had to be selected. That the texts belong to the SF canon allows for no danger of distorting the development of the arguments of this study by introducing texts which might lie outside the genre. Chapters one and two discuss the themes important to a consideration of libraries and information and SF. The strongest themes linking SF and libraries and information proved to be : free access and its key role in ensuring democracy; preservation of information as an element of free access; and the electronic future of information and its potential for increasing or decreasing access. George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four was chosen to represent SF dealing with the control of information being used to prevent the possibility of democracy; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was chosen to represent the issues surrounding the preservation of information; and William Gibson's Neuromancerwas chosen to explore what consequences the electronic future of information might have. These issues are developed in chapters three to five. Inevitably there is some consideration of each of these themes outside the chapter to which they are assigned owing to the thoroughness with which some of the authors have treated the subject matter. Texts other than the three main ones mentioned above serve to reinforce or expand upon the issues discovered in the main texts. 2 REFERENCES 1. Grifflths, John. Three tomorrows: American, British and Soviet science fiction, 1980, p.S3. 3 CHAPTER 1 : LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION In considering the representation of libraries in science fiction we must first de.cide what we mean by a library. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a library as "a place set apart to contain books for reading, study or reference" (1). However, a library should not be defined as a building but as an institution recognisable by the social functions it performs. S.R. Ranganathan attempted to define the functions of a library by writing his Five Laws of Library Science: Books are for use. Every reader his book. Every book its reader. Save the time of the reader. Library is a growing organization. (2) In this way Ranganathan reiterated the library profession's central ideal of free and equal access to information, as any factor which runs counter to the Five Laws reduces access. The main purpose of the library is therefore to ensure access, but how is this achieved and why is access so important? In the UK the main structure for information access is the public library system. This system is provided free of charge to any member of the community. Within the library the information is arranged in such a way that it can easily be found. This organisation of information is very important as a heap of books on the floor, though containing a great deal of information, is worthless to the citizen with a particular query to be answered. This difficulty is traditionally overcome by the use of classified sequences and a classified catalogue and is vital in the observance of 4 Ranganathan's fourth law. In an Office of Arts and Libraries document entitled Setting objectives for public library services the objectives are to encourage: democratic, cultural and economic activities; educational development; positive use of leisure time; reading and literacy; and the use of information and an awareness of its value (3). One of the fundamental issues surrounding public libraries is the provision of fiction. That a large proportion of the public library budget is annually spent on popular romances, detective fiction and science fiction has recently come under some attack. That libraries stock popular fiction fulfils those objectives of encouraging cultural activities, aiding educational development, encouraging positive use of leisure time and promoting reading and literacy. Margaret Drabble has commented on the importance of fiction: Novels are not, as all who read and write them know, a frivolity, a luxury, and indulgence. They are a means of comprehending and experiencing and extending our world and our vision. They can exercise the imagination, they can widen our sympathies, they can issue dire and necessary warnings, they can suggest solutions to social problems, they are the raw material of the historians of tomorrow. (4) Fiction is actually as important a part of promoting the democratic process as any factual document could be, perhaps more so as a novel can capture the imagination and excite the reader in a way that a government document, for example, could never do. Therefore freedom of access to fictional material also needs to be preserved. Information has been said to be the currency of democracy (5) and it is as an aid in the democratic process that freedom of information is considered to be so important: 5 ... much of the political unrest one observes at "grass roots" is often the result of a lack of access to basic information. In many situations individuals and communities need information before something happens; for instance to help them influence proposed legislation. (6) . Adequate information is therefore essential to allow political action to take place. By the same token, its removal would result in the decline of democracy. Archibald MacLeish commented on the destruction of the freedom of information in occupied areas during the second world war in his 1971 book Champion of a cause: The murders of the teachers, the writers, the intellectuals, the burning of books and the pillage and destruction of libraries ... are open and visible proof ... that ... the principal weapons and the principal defences of a free nation are the books and the organizations of books, which serve it. (7) MacLeish also makes it clear here that the library serves the interests of the community before any other interest. This brings into the arena another important question. What is the role of the librarian in serving the community? Richard Sweeney says of the information professional: Librarians should not be defined by a place - i.e., a library or even by a type of media such as the book. They should not be defined by print, audiovisual materials or computers either. Librarians must be defined by their service-activity for people. (8) The traditional activity for librarians has been to provide whatever information they are asked for without question. This may be termed the librarian's neutrality.
Recommended publications
  • Decades of Science Fiction Quarter 4 – 2016 – Reading & Assignment Schedule Read Each Story with the Class And/Or on Your Own
    Decades of Science Fiction Quarter 4 – 2016 – Reading & Assignment Schedule Read each story with the class and/or on your own. Write or type your short answers to the five Discussion Questions you will find at the end of each story. These are thoughtful, interpretive questions, so your answers will be original and unique. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ March 30: “The Disintegration Machine” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, pages 65-75 Due April 1 Doyle is the creator of the character Sherlock Holmes. Respond to Discussion Questions 1 through 5 on pages 75 & 76. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 1: “The Metal Man” by Jack Williamson, pages 78-87 Due April 5 Answer all five Discussion Questions on page 87. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 5: “Misfit” by Robert Heinlein, pages 119-137 Due April 7 Robert Heinlein is perhaps most well-known for his 1959 novel Starship Troopers. “Misfit” is also military science fiction. Discussion Questions 1 through 5 are on page 137. Answer them all. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 7: “Robbie” by Isaac Asimov, pages 149-165 Due April 11 “Robbie” is one of Asimov’s collected stories in I, Robot. Asimov created the “Three Laws of Robotics” in his extensive Robot series. “1. A Robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence, except where such protection would conflict with the First or Second Law.” Answer Discussion Questions 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 on page 165.
    [Show full text]
  • Hugo Award -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia
    10/10/2017 Hugo Award -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia Hugo Award Hugo Award, any of several annual awards presented by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). The awards are granted for notable achievement in science �ction or science fantasy. Established in 1953, the Hugo Awards were named in honour of Hugo Gernsback, founder of Amazing Stories, the �rst magazine exclusively for science �ction. Hugo Award. This particular award was given at MidAmeriCon II, in Kansas City, Missouri, on August … Michi Trota Pin, in the form of the rocket on the Hugo Award, that is given to the finalists. Michi Trota Hugo Awards https://www.britannica.com/print/article/1055018 1/10 10/10/2017 Hugo Award -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia year category* title author 1946 novel The Mule Isaac Asimov (awarded in 1996) novella "Animal Farm" George Orwell novelette "First Contact" Murray Leinster short story "Uncommon Sense" Hal Clement 1951 novel Farmer in the Sky Robert A. Heinlein (awarded in 2001) novella "The Man Who Sold the Moon" Robert A. Heinlein novelette "The Little Black Bag" C.M. Kornbluth short story "To Serve Man" Damon Knight 1953 novel The Demolished Man Alfred Bester 1954 novel Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury (awarded in 2004) novella "A Case of Conscience" James Blish novelette "Earthman, Come Home" James Blish short story "The Nine Billion Names of God" Arthur C. Clarke 1955 novel They’d Rather Be Right Mark Clifton and Frank Riley novelette "The Darfsteller" Walter M. Miller, Jr. short story "Allamagoosa" Eric Frank Russell 1956 novel Double Star Robert A. Heinlein novelette "Exploration Team" Murray Leinster short story "The Star" Arthur C.
    [Show full text]
  • FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury This One, with Gratitude, Is for DON CONGDON
    FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury This one, with gratitude, is for DON CONGDON. FAHRENHEIT 451: The temperature at which book-paper catches fire and burns PART I: THE HEARTH AND THE SALAMANDER IT WAS A PLEASURE TO BURN. IT was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. He strode in a swarm of fireflies. He wanted above all, like the old joke, to shove a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while the flapping pigeon- winged books died on the porch and lawn of the house. While the books went up in sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning. Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame. He knew that when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself, a minstrel man, Does% burntcorked, in the mirror. Later, going to sleep, he would feel the fiery smile still gripped by his Montag% face muscles, in the dark.
    [Show full text]
  • Fantasy Illustrated Rose City Virtual Book Fair
    To order The best way to order is by email at [email protected]. You can also call your order in at 425-750-4513. ● We take checks, money orders, PayPal and credit card via Square. ● If you want to pay by PayPal let me know and I will send you a PayPal invoice to pay from. ● If you want to pay by check or money order let me know so I can give you a final total to mail in. ● If you want to pay by credit card then give me a call and I can run your card over the phone. Fantasy Illustrated, P.O. Box 248, Silvana, WA 98287. Vintage hardcover and paperback science fiction and fantasy first editions. Pulp magazines. Always buying! www.fantasyillustrated.net Fantasy Illustrated Rose City Virtual Book Fair Greetings and welcome to our virtual book fair catalog consisting of selections which we have never offered on our website or anywhere on the internet. Here you will find our freshest stock ranging over many different genres of collecting; pulp magazines, Arkham House, science fiction first editions including presentation copies, illustrated books, pin-up and comic art. Almost something for everyone. You will find gems such as two signed Edger Rice Burroughs books, a signed Ursula K. Le Guinn and an ultra-rare signed association copy of A Canticle for Leibowitz by the reclusive Walter M. Miller, Jr. In addition to our specialties this list also offers 1st editions by Hemingway, Houdini, Thomas Pynchon, Hunter S. Thompson and others. For almost two thousand other items please check out our web site at www.fantasyillustrated.net -Thanks for looking.
    [Show full text]
  • Science Fiction List Literature 1
    Science Fiction List Literature 1. “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall,” Edgar Allan Poe (1835, US, short story) 2. Looking Backward, Edward Bellamy (1888, US, novel) 3. A Princess of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs (1912, US, novel) 4. Herland, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1915, US, novel) 5. “The Comet,” W.E.B. Du Bois (1920, US, short story) 6. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (1951, US, novel) 7. Limbo, Bernard Wolfe (1952, US, novel) 8. The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester (1956, US, novel) 9. Venus Plus X, Theodore Sturgeon (1960, US, novel) 10. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick (1968, US, novel) 11. The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. Le Guin (1969, US, novel) 12. The Female Man, Joanna Russ (1975, US, novel) 13. “The Screwfly Solution,” “The Girl Who Was Plugged In,” “The Women Men Don’t See,” “Houston, Houston Do You Read?”, James Tiptree Jr./Alice Sheldon (1977, 1973, 1973, 1976, US, novelettes, novella) 14. Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin (1984, US, novel) 15. Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, Samuel R. Delany (1984, US, novel) 16. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984, US-Canada, novel) 17. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1985, Canada, novel) 18. The Gilda Stories, Jewelle L. Gómez (1991, US, novel; extended edition 2016) 19. Dawn, Octavia E. Butler (1987, US, novel); Parable of the Sower, Butler (1993, US, novel); Bloodchild and Other Stories, Butler (1995, US, short stories; extended edition 2005) 20. Red Spider, White Web, Misha Nogha/Misha (1990, US, novel) 21. The Rag Doll Plagues, Alejandro Morales (1991, US, novel) 22.
    [Show full text]
  • Read Jessica's Essay
    Gateway Books: A Collection of My Childhood Favorites Jessica Cole (A20) By the time I turned 13, I had moved seven times. As I ping ponged from California to Indonesia, the one constant in my life were my books. And when we settled into our current home, our house was quickly weighed down with over 700 of our favorites, but the ones that were the most precious to me were my gateway books. Every avid reader has gateway books: books that stole them away and introduced them to the joys of reading. My gateway books stayed with me through all of the moving and packing and donating until I graduated. I moved across the country for college and my suitcase was, for the first time, bookless. Objectively I knew that it made sense to leave them behind, but their absence seemed louder than ever as I spent my first night alone in this strange new place. So in my sophomore year of college I began to look to search for books that I could keep with me, books that would make me feel at home. The first find was the illustrated complete set of the Chronicles of Narnia books that stayed with my family in California. It was out of print, but I managed to ​ find an edition secondhand to keep with me. Every night for four years my father would come into my bedroom before bed. He would open up that large illustrated copy of Narnia by tugging on the red book ​ ​ mark, and then he would begin to read.
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue 147: Science Fiction
    And God said: DELETE lines One to Aleph. LOAD. RUN. And the Universe ceased to exist. Then he pondered for a few aeons, sighed, and added: ERASE. It never had existed. For David Catalogue 147: Science Fiction Bromer Booksellers 607 Boylston Street, at Copley Square Boston, MA 02116 P: 617-247-2818 F: 617-247-2975 E: [email protected] Visit our website at www.bromer.com n the Introduction to Catalogue 123, which contained the bulk of a In his fifty years as a bookman, David naturally recognized the signifi- science fiction collection he had assembled, David Bromer noted cance of the early rarities, the books that laid the groundwork for the that “science fiction is a robust genre of literature, not allowing authors of the modern era. He was pleased to discover, when cata- one to ever complete a collection.” The progressive nature of sci- loguing Cyrano de Bergerac’s The Comical History of the States and enceI and the social fabric that it impacts means that the genre itself Empires of the Worlds of the Moon and the Sun, that its author de- has to be fluid, never quite getting pinned down like a specimen under scribed a personal music player–anticipating in the year 1687 the cre- glass. ation of the Walkman and iPod three centuries later. In this regard, it is entirely fitting that David has been drawn to science Ultimately, science fiction primed the human imagination to accom- fiction as a reader, and as a collector. He is a scientist by training, hav- plish what is perhaps its greatest achievement: the exploration of ing earned a PhD in Metallurgy from MIT and worked in research fields space and the mission to the moon in 1969.
    [Show full text]
  • Ray Bradbury”, National Endowment for the Arts
    RRaayy BBrraaddbbuurryy 1 1 “Portrait by John Sherffius”, under “Audio & Video: Ray Bradbury”, National Endowment for the Arts, http://arts.endow.gov/av/video/bradbury/bradbury.html 091027 Bibliotheca Alexandrina Compiled by Rasha Mohsen Biography 1 Ray Douglas Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois. His father, Leonard Spaulding Bradbury, worked as a telephone lineman. His mother was Esther Marie Moberg Bradbury. Bradbury had older twin brothers, Leonard and Samuel, who were born in 1916, and a younger sister, Elizabeth, born in 1926.2 In 1934, the Bradbury family drove across the country to Los Angeles, with young Ray piling out of their jalopy at every stop to plunder the local library in search of L. Frank Baum's Oz books. In 1936, Bradbury joined a weekly Thursday-night conclave that would grow to attract such science-fiction legends as Robert A. Heinlein, Leigh Brackett, and future Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. In 1947, Ray Bradbury married Marguerite McClure. They had met the previous April in Fowler Brothers Bookstore, where she worked—and where at first she had him pegged for a shoplifter: “Once I figured out that he wasn't stealing books, that was it. I fell for him”. 3 Ray Bradbury is best known for his highly imaginative science-fiction short stories and novels that blend social criticism with an awareness of the hazards of runaway technology. He published his first story in 1940 and was soon contributing widely to magazines. His first book of short stories, Dark Carnival (1947), was followed by The Martian Chronicles (1950), which is generally accounted a science-fiction classic in its depiction of materialistic Earthmen exploiting and corrupting an idyllic Martian civilization.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hugo Awards for Best Novel Jon D
    The Hugo Awards for Best Novel Jon D. Swartz Game Design 2013 Officers George Phillies PRESIDENT David Speakman Kaymar Award Ruth Davidson DIRECTORATE Denny Davis Sarah E Harder Ruth Davidson N3F Bookworms Holly Wilson Heath Row Jon D. Swartz N’APA George Phillies Jean Lamb TREASURER William Center HISTORIAN Jon D Swartz SECRETARY Ruth Davidson (acting) Neffy Awards David Speakman ACTIVITY BUREAUS Artists Bureau Round Robins Sarah Harder Patricia King Birthday Cards Short Story Contest R-Laurraine Tutihasi Jefferson Swycaffer Con Coordinator Welcommittee Heath Row Heath Row David Speakman Initial distribution free to members of BayCon 31 and the National Fantasy Fan Federation. Text © 2012 by Jon D. Swartz; cover art © 2012 by Sarah Lynn Griffith; publication designed and edited by David Speakman. A somewhat different version of this appeared in the fanzine, Ultraverse, also by Jon D. Swartz. This non-commercial Fandbook is published through volunteer effort of the National Fantasy Fan Federation’s Editoral Cabal’s Special Publication committee. The National Fantasy Fan Federation First Edition: July 2013 Page 2 Fandbook No. 6: The Hugo Awards for Best Novel by Jon D. Swartz The Hugo Awards originally were called the Science Fiction Achievement Awards and first were given out at Philcon II, the World Science Fiction Con- vention of 1953, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The second oldest--and most prestigious--awards in the field, they quickly were nicknamed the Hugos (officially since 1958), in honor of Hugo Gernsback (1884 -1967), founder of Amazing Stories, the first professional magazine devoted entirely to science fiction. No awards were given in 1954 at the World Science Fiction Con in San Francisco, but they were restored in 1955 at the Clevention (in Cleveland) and included six categories: novel, novelette, short story, magazine, artist, and fan magazine.
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue 14
    CATALOGUE 14 CATALOGUE 14 4 E. Holly St., Suite 217, Pasadena, Ca 91103 · Tel. (626) 297-7700 · [email protected] www.WhitmoreRareBooks.com Books may be reserved by email: [email protected] and by phone: (626) 297-7700 We welcome collectors and dealers to come visit our library by appointment at: 4 E. Holly St., Suite 217, Pasadena, Ca 91103 For our complete inventory, including many first editions, signed books and other rare items, please visit our website at: www.WhitmoreRareBooks.com Follow us on social media! @WRareBooks @whitmorerarebooks whitmorerarebooks Catalogue 14 1. Audubon, John James The Birds of America, From Drawings Made in the United States and Their Territories. New York & Philadelphia: J. J. Audubon & J. B. Chevalier (Printed by E. G. Dorsey), 1840 - 1844. First Octavo Edition. A Very Good+ to Near Fine set in a solid contemporary binding. Dark brown, half-morocco over marbled boards, matching marbled end-papers and page edges. Pages measure 252 x 165 mm. A few of the inner hinges just starting to split, but bindings are generally holding well. Expert repairs to the inner hinges of volumes 6 and 7; front end paper of volume 7 cracked and secured. Light scattered foxing on some of the tissue guards and pages adjacent to the plates, although the plates themselves do not seem to be affected and are all in lovely shape. Complete with all 500 plates, each with its original tissue guard. Half-titles in volumes 2 - 7. List of subscribers moved forward in volume one, found at the end of the other volumes.
    [Show full text]
  • Faith, Fallout, and the Future: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction in the Early Postwar Era
    religions Article Faith, Fallout, and the Future: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction in the Early Postwar Era Michael Scheibach Independent Researcher, Miami, FL 33179, USA; [email protected] Abstract: In the early postwar era, from 1945 to 1960, Americans confronted a dilemma that had never been faced before. In the new atomic age, which opened with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August 1945, they now had to grapple with maintaining their faith in a peaceful and prosperous future while also controlling their fear of an apocalyptic future resulting from an atomic war. Americans’ subsequent search for reassurance translated into a dramatic increase in church membership and the rise of the evangelical movement. Yet, their fear of an atomic war with the Soviet Union and possible nuclear apocalypse did not abate. This article discusses how six post-apocalyptic science fiction novels dealt with this dilemma and presented their visions of the future; more important, it argues that these novels not only reflect the views of many Americans in the early Cold War era, but also provide relevant insights into the role of religion during these complex and controversial years to reframe the belief that an apocalypse was inevitable. Keywords: atomic age; atomic bomb; atomic war; apocalypse; evangelism; faith; faith in the future; postwar; cold war; social science fiction; Fahrenheit 451; nineteen eighty-four; the shrinking man; shadow on the hearth; on the beach; a canticle for Leibowitz Citation: Scheibach, Michael. 2021. Faith, Fallout, and the Future: Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction in 1. Introduction the Early Postwar Era. Religions 12: 520.
    [Show full text]
  • Mormonism and Science Fiction
    Refracted Visions and Future Worlds: Mormonism and Science Fiction Michael R. Collings lthough science fiction and religion both attempt to define possible or J probable future states, they often seem incompatible. Critics of science fiction frequently argue that including religion in science fiction vitiates the power of the imagined world; and since, as James Gunn has stated, "religion answers all questions that science fiction wishes to raise . science fiction writ- ten within a religious framework . turns into parable." 1 Readers of science fiction accept the ground rules of the imagined universe, even when they are a-religious or anti-religious. When one enters the arena of science fiction, it is as if religion ceases to function. James Blish's A Case of Conscience (New York: Ballantine, 1958), Walter Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz (Philadelphia: MICHAEL R. COLLINGS is associate professor of English in the Communication Divi- sion at Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, where he is currently directing the Fresh- man Writing Program and co-directing the Creative Writing Program. His publications include A Season of Calm Weather, LDS poetry (Salt Lake City: Hawkes, 1974), Piers Anthony: A Reader's Guide (Mercer Island, Wash.: Starmont, 1983), articles in BYU Studies, Extrapolation, and Fantasy Review, and science-fiction poetry and short stories in Star*Line, Owlflight, Velocities, LDSF: Science Fiction by and for Mormons and other small-press magazines. He is currently completing his third SF/fantasy novel. 1 James Gunn, The Road to Science Fiction: From Gilgamesh to Wells (New York: New American Library, 1977), p. 3. See also Robert Scholes and Eric Rabkin, Science Fic- tion: History, Science, Vision (New York: Oxford University Press, 1977), pp.
    [Show full text]