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Science Fiction: History - Science - Vision
Science Fiction History Science Vision Author:Robert Scholes and Eric S. Rabkin Inner Flap: What's science fiction all about? Two distinguished critics who obviously *like* SF have compiled a thinking person's guide to the genre. It provides an overview for the novice and also enables the serious reader to compare personal critical judgment with that of two professionals. It helps fans put into perspective the novels the... more »y've read and points out others worth reading.
*Science Fiction: History - Science - Vision* is a stimulating synthesis of the intellectual, social, and scientific elements that comprise the world of sf. A summary of literary developments stresses the most significant writers. It begins with the progenitor of the species--Mary Shelley's *Frankenstein*--covers the works of the representative writers of the first century A.F. (after Frankenstein): Poe, Verne, Bellamy, and Burroughs; and devotes an entire section to sf's hero H. G. Wells. The book traces the influence of the pulps (especially *Amazing* and *Astounding*), reconstructing the golden age of sf, and then offers insight into the present, when writers like Kurt Vonnegut and Anthony Burgess are crossing the dividing line between sf and "mainstream" literature. A section covers sf in comics and on film, radio, and television.
The book is the first to deal with the science in science fiction. The engrossing survey of the evolution of scientific ideas and their impact on literature is written with the layman very much in mind.
Finally the book considers the forms, themes, and social concerns of science fiction and provides critical readings of ten major novels, including *The Time Machine*, *We*, *Star Maker*, *A Canticle for Leibowitz*, and * The Left Hand of Darkness*.« less