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Prehistory & early history of Science Fiction

Prehistory & early history of Science Fiction. SOAR – Global SF Spring 2010 D. W. Koon. Prehistory of SF. Homer (ca. 850 BCE?) Lucian of Samosata (b. 125AD) Kepler (1634) Cyrano de Bergerac (1657) Raspé: Munchausen (1785)

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Prehistory & early history of Science Fiction

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  1. Prehistory & early history of Science Fiction SOAR – Global SF Spring 2010 D. W. Koon

  2. Prehistory of SF • Homer (ca. 850 BCE?) • Lucian of Samosata (b. 125AD) • Kepler (1634) • Cyrano de Bergerac (1657) • Raspé: Munchausen (1785) • Munchausen by Doré: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dore-munchausen-illustration.jpg

  3. Homer (850 BCE?) • Iliad: Hephaestus (Vulcan) creates mechanical help-mates. • e.g. Talos • Guardian of Crete • Made of Copper From “A history of Science Fiction: prehistory”, Dr. Agatha Taormina, NVCC-Loudoun, http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/scifi/history/prehistory.htm. Image: Computational Vision and Robotics Laboratory, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, http://www.ics.forth.gr/cvrl/images/image003.jpg.

  4. Lucian of Samosata (b. 125 A.D.) • Icaromenippos (Journey through the air) : using strap-on wings to reach Moon. • Interplanetary voyage • Prosthetic limbs • Cyborgs From “A history of Science Fiction: prehistory”, Dr. Agatha Taormina, NVCC-Loudoun, http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/scifi/history/prehistory.htm. Lucian Picture: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lucian_Samosata.warj.png Icarus Picture: Aviation University http://eaa.aviationuniversity.com/multimedia/img/icarus.gif

  5. Some French proto-SF and modern SF 1657 deBergerac: Comical History...Moon. 1752 Voltaire: Micromégas visitors from other planets ...and many more. 1863 Jules Verne: Five weeks in a balloon. Dropoff in French SF during US Golden Age of SF. Recovery since late 1950s, but in the image of Anglo SF? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_science_fiction & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne

  6. French literature: Jules Verne (1828-1905) • Over 50 works, from 1863-1905: • A Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864) • From the Earth to the Moon (1865) • Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1869–1870) • Around the World in Eighty Days (1873) • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_verne

  7. Early SF film(& horror, adventure, fantasy, etc.) SOAR – Global SF Spring 2010 D. W. Koon

  8. Le voyage dans la lune (1902) • Georges Méliès, France (Bacon number = 4). Directed 561 films, 1896-1914. • A bullet-like rocket is fired from a cannon, lands on Moon. Adventures with the natives ensue. Revolutionary special effects. • Other films include The Impossible Voyage (1904). (Journey through Alps to the Sun) http://www.filmsite.org/posterpages/p_voya.html

  9. Himmelskibet (“Airship” 1917) • Holger-Madsen, Denmark. • Appeared in English under a variety of names. • Earthlings visit Mars, convert to vegetarianism, pacifism from natives, spread the message back home. http://membres.lycos.fr/starmars/himmel.html http://www.commersen.se/sol/bok_film/film.html

  10. Der Golem (1914, 1920) • Paul Wegener, Germany (also plays the Golem). • 60 min. • Taken from Jewish folk legend, 16th Century automaton created to protect the Jews of Prague. Contains the precursor to machine programming. (Emet→Meit = truth→death) • One of first examples of German Expressionism in film (See Metropolis) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem http://www.ministore.at/aa.stummfilm.htm

  11. Classics • 1924 Aelita. YakovProtazanov, USSR. • 1926 Metropolis. Fritz Lang, Germany. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/Metropolisnew.jpg • 1929 Woman in the Moon. Lang. • Origin of the 10-9-8-7… countdown.

  12. Flash Gordon v Buck Rogers • Popular US serials, typically 12-15 episodes each. • 1936 Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers • 1938 Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars • 1939 Buck Rogers Conquers the Universe • 1940 Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Flash: http://www.leconcombre.com/biblio/filmographie/serials-16.html Buck: http://www.serialexperience.com/image_gallery/Buck_Rogers.jpg

  13. Conclusions? • Longer and longer films, thanks to advances in the technology. • Better and better special effects, production values. • Sensational genres = big box office: horror, adventure, science fiction (before it had a name), noir.

  14. The pulp era of Science Fiction (“Scientifiction”) SOAR – Global SF Spring 2010 D. W. Koon

  15. Pulp-era SF • Cheap, lowbrow magazines for mass consumption. “Pulp” refers to the quality of paper used, as opposed to the “slicks”. • “Pulps” published SF, detective (e.g. noir), romance, horror, Western, true crime • Is this the “Golden Age” of Science Fiction? • What is the “Golden Age” of Science Fiction?

  16. The Frank Reade series:Dime store novels and penny dreadfuls • Steam Man: the world’s first robot: • Steam Man of the Prairies: 1865; Steam Man of the Plains: 1876. http://www.bigredhair.com/steamman/

  17. Frank Reade, continued “Steam rules!” Frank Reade’s Victorian Airships: http://bigredhair.com/airships/

  18. “Highbrow” SF novels of the era • Jules Verne (1828-1905). • SF from 1863 to 1904. • Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne • Herbert George Wells (1866-1946). • SF from 1888-1943. • Time Magazine • http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101260920,00.html?internalid=AC

  19. Edgar Rice Burroughs(1875-1950) • Tarzan series (1912-1947) • Barsoom or John Carter of Mars series (1912-1948) • Believed that "...if people were paid for writing rot such as I read in some of those magazines that I could write stories just as rotten. As a matter of fact, although I had never written a story, I knew absolutely that I could write stories just as entertaining and probably a whole lot more so than any I chanced to read in those magazines." Erbzine: http://www.erbzine.com/

  20. Edgar Rice Burroughs’A Princess of Mars (1912)erbzine.com, amazon.com

  21. Hugo Gernsback (1884-1967) • 1904 Immigrates from Luxembourg • 1905 Founds Electric Importing Company • 1911 Writes Ralph 124C 41+ • 1926 Founds Amazing Stories • 1929 Starts Wonder Tales • Great Depression: Radio Craft, Short Wave Craft, Sexology • 80 patents at time of death • 1953 First Hugo Awards awarded for science fiction. Wikipedia.org

  22. Ralph 124C 41+: Hugo Gernsback (1911) • Predictions: • Radar • 2-way TV • Solar energy collection • Fluorescent lighting • Tape recording • Synthetic fabrics • Frank R. Paul gallery: • http://www.frankwu.com/Paul-1.5A.html

  23. Pulp SF classics: Amazing Stories (Gernsback,1926)http://www.oldsfbooks.com

  24. John W. Campbell, Jr. (1910-1971) • SF Author, Editor, Mentor • Editor, 1938-1971, of Astounding Science Fiction (Analog since 1960). • “Stable of writers” includes Heinlein, Asimov, Sturgeon, van Vogt, L. Ron Hubbard • Memorial prizes for Best SF Novel, Best New Writer in his honor http://www.fantascienza.com/ delos/delos55/img/robot/ asimov/john-w-campbell.jpg

  25. Pulp SF covers:Astounding Science Fictionhttp://linesonpaper.tripod.com/zast531.jpg, http://linesonpaper.tripod.com/zast1053.jpg

  26. More pulp SF:Buxom babes and bug-eyed monstershttp://www.oldsfbooks.com/

  27. What is the “Golden Age” of Science Fiction? “The Golden Age of Science Fiction is thirteen.” – Terry Carr? Damon Knight? Isaac Asimov? Harlan Ellison? James Blish? Peter Graham?

  28. Works cited • The Ultimate Science Fiction Guide site, http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/SF-Index.html. • The Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com. • Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org.

  29. Works Cited • “A history of Science Fiction: prehistory”, Dr. Agatha Taormina, NVCC-Loudoun, http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/scifi/history/prehistory.htm. • Images: • Munchausen by Doré: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dore-munchausen-illustration.jpg • Talos: Computational Vision and Robotics Laboratory, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, http://www.ics.forth.gr/cvrl/images/image003.jpg. • Lucian: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Lucian_Samosata.warj.png • Icarus: Icarus Picture: Aviation University http://eaa.aviationuniversity.com/multimedia/img/icarus.gif

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