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Science Fiction

Science Fiction. Sub-genre: Alternate History. What is Alternate History?. Sci Fi that takes a familiar past history/point of view and asks, “What if . . .?” Time travel is a common transport for exploring alternate histories in science fiction.

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Science Fiction

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  1. Science Fiction Sub-genre: Alternate History

  2. What is Alternate History? • Sci Fi that takes a familiar past history/point of view and asks, “What if . . .?” • Time travel is a common transport for exploring alternate histories in science fiction. • These plots explore how the world would be different if even a few elements the world/history we know were changed.

  3. Alternate histories are closely related to the idea of parallel universes. • Parallel universestime travel, black holes, and wormholes. • Multiverses=closer to reality than myth • Time travel paradoxes=intriguing speculative fiction • Watch this video for an glimpse into the work of physicists in this area: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ds47ozzSrU

  4. Uchronia=no time (hypothetical time period instead of simply fictional/fantasy settings) • Allohistory=other history (what might have happened) • Counterfactuals (virtual history) • If-worlds • Parallel worlds • Especially dramatic points in history: • WWII • American Civil War • Dinosaur survival

  5. Famous Examples in Sci Fi Literature • The Main in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick, 1962 • “What If—” or The End of Eternity, by Issac Asimov (1955) Film • It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) • Back to the Future (1985) • Groundhog Day (1993) • Fatherland (HBO movie, 1994) • Sliding Doors (1998) • InglouriousBasterds (2009)

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