So, that’s the first
volume done, and I’m even now cracking on with volume two.
I’ve also found some
of these texts online. I’ll add links to the separate entries in
the fullness of time (it’s getting late here), but for now, here’s a list:
My main interest here has been to review the themes in these early stories, so that I can make a judgement later on if contpemporary SF has got anything new to say. Let’s
just take a quick look at the the themes we’ve found so far.
Vastness - the depths
of the ocean, the gulfs of time (x6), the subatomic world (x2)
Pedagogy (x6)
The frontier/colonial
spirit (x3)
Lost technology (x3)
Self-experimentation
(x3)
Manliness (x2)
The destructive power
of science (x2)
Decadent Mars (x2)
Immortality (x2)
The terrible
(unforseen) price of science (x2)
Power that humanity
cannot be trusted with (x2)
Asexuality (x2)
Dystopia (technological
and left wing) (x2)
Aliens
Exploration
Biotech
The natural kinship of
rational beings
Plucky but doomed
explorers
Dinosaurs vs aliens
Libertarianism
Transhumanism
Souless technology
The singularity
Spaceships
Futurism
Capitalism
Adventure
Mad scientist
Revenge
Death rays
War
Irredeemable humanity.
Misanthropy
Devolved technological
cargo cult
Adam and eve
The colonial spirit
The last man on Earth
I think most telling
are the many references to the general vastness of the universe. I
think that’s one of the main consequences of scientific thought
that began making its way into the popular consciousness.
After this, most
significant is the pedgogical nature of so many of the stories.
Clearly that has its roots in the Gernsbackian Popular
Mechanics-style magazines from which the SF pulps sprang. Gernsback
explicitly saw ‘scientifiction’ as a way of communicating
scientific ideas, so it’s not surprising to find that here.
Cautionary tales –
either powers that men shouldn’t possess, some horrible or dystopic
consequence of progress – is surprisingly common. The idea that
early SF was all optimistic scientific triumphalism isn’t born out
by the selection here.
And I’m also
intrigued to see early examples of what I’d consider rcent trends,
like biotechnology, transhumanism and the singularity.
We’ll see how the
themes change as the decade go on.
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