Science Fiction - 3.Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology (Galaxy Books) by Eric S. Rabkin

Product Details

Series: Galaxy Books (Book 729)

Paperback: 544 pages

Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1St Edition edition (April 7, 1983)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0195032721

ISBN-13: 978-0195032727

An invaluable contribution to the serious study of science fiction. Science Fiction contains 27 chronologically-arranged stories and exerts, ranging from early classic works as Swift's Gulliver's Travels and Shelly's Frankenstein to recent stories such as Harlan Ellison's I Have no mouth and I Must Scream. Including brief general essays and separate introductions to each one of the individual exerts, Rabkin's greatly illuminates the evolution of the genre. 

5/5 A nice little anthology covering the history of Sci Fi

By Lawrance M. Bernabo HALL OF FAMEVINE VOICE on June 18, 2002

I have been checking out various Science Fiction anthologies looking for something to use in a college course, and I ended up selecting this historical anthology edited by Eric S. Rabkin. My initial reason for selecting this collection was that it included both a short story by Harlan Ellison, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream," and the Daniel Keyes classic, "Flowers for Algernon." But the more I looked over this book the more I was impressed. There are excerpts from "Gulliver's Travels," "Frankenstein," and "Looking Backward," which serve to give readers an idea of the roots of science fiction. There are also stories by acknowledged masters in the field from H. G. Wells and Isaac Asimov to Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein. Granted, these are not the best short stories by these writers, but at least they are all together in one volume. Finally, Rabkin includes short introductory essays to each part that explains what people were writing about in the field of science fiction and explores some of the reasons why they were doing so. Consequently, I will be using "Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology" to provide the basic framework for the class, supplemented by some classic novels ("A Handmaid's Tale," "Red Mars," "Stranger in a Strange Land," "Dune," and "Neuromancer," this year at least).

One of the problems in making my decision is that you cannot always find out exactly what is included in a given anthology. To rectify that problem in this case, here is what you will find in "Science Fiction: A Historical Anthology":

Part 1: The Emergence of Modern Science. Cyrano de Bergerac, from "Other Worlds" (1657); Jonathan Swift, from "Gulliver's Travels" (1726); Francois Marie Arouet (Voltaire), "Micromegas" (1752).

Part 2: Nineteenth Century. E. T. A. Hoffmann, "The Sand-Man" (1816); Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, from "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus" (1818); Edgar Allan Poe, "A Descent into the Maelstrom" (1841) and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" (1845); Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Rappaccini's Daughter" (1844); Edward Bellamy, from "Looking Backwards '2000-1887'" (1888); Jack London, "A Curious Fragment" (1908).

Part 3: Early Twentieth Century: H. G. Wells, "The Star" (1899); Hugo Gernsback, from "Ralph 124C 41+" (1911); Abraham Merritt, "The Last Poet and the Robots" (1934); John W. Campbell, "Twilight" (1934); Olaf Stapledon, from "Star Maker" (1937).

Part 4: The Golden Years (1940-1955). Isaac Asimov, "Reason (1941); Clifford D. Simak, "Desertion" (1944); Ray Bradbury, "The City" (1950); Jack Finney, "The Third Level" (1952); Arthur C. Clarke, "The Star" (1955); Daniel Keyes, "Flowers for Algernon" (1959); Robert A. Heinlein, "All You Zombies--" (1960); Frederick Pohl, "Earth Eighteen" (1966).

Part 5: The Modern Period. Roger Zelazny, "For a Breath I Tarry (1966); Harlan Ellison, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" (1967); Robert Sheckly, "Can You Feel Anything When I Do This?" (1969); Ursula K. Le Guin, "Vaster Than Empires and More Slow" (1971).

Basically, this anthology provides exactly what the title suggests, a sense for the history of the genre of science fiction from its origin and development in ancient times (the 17th-19th centuries) to modern times (the end of the 1960s in fact).      

I believe that this book will teach its readers with a first-hand-experience how science fiction emerged and got cultivated and got warped by the society around it. I also believe that this book will go into good detail about the style from which the literature mentioned changed as time progressed.   

Science Fiction - 2.History of Science Fiction (Palgrave Histories of Literature) by Adam Roberts

Product Details

Paperback: 368 pages

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (December 10, 2007)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0230546919

ISBN-13: 978-0230546912

The first comprehensive critical history of SF for thirty years, this book traces the origin and development of science fiction from Ancient Greece, via its rebirth in the seventeenth century, up to the present day. Concentrating on literary SF and (in the later chapters) cinema and TV, it also discusses the myriad forms this genre takes in the contemporary world, including a chapter on graphic novels, SF pop music, visual art and ufology. The author is ideally placed to write it: both an academic literary critic and also an acclaimed creative writer of science fiction, with five novels and many short stories to his credit. Written in lively, accessible prose, this study is specifically designed to bridge the worlds of academic criticism and the SF fandom.

The History of Science Fiction argues that, even today, this flourishing cultural idiom is shaped by the forces that determined its rise to prominence in the 1600s: the dialogue between Protestant and Catholic world-views, the emerging technologies of the industrial age, and the cultural anxieties and excitements of a rapidly changing world. Now available in paperback, it will be of interest to all students, researchers and fans of SF.

5/5 The definitive history of SF

By K. Bunker "K. Bunker" on February 21, 2013

In this landmark volume, Adam Roberts has created what will undoubtedly be regarded as the definitive history of science fiction for many years to come.

With hugely impressive scholarship, Roberts covers the great swath of literature that fits under the broad umbrella of "science fiction." The density and quantity of information in this book are staggering, and yet the writing style is friendly and eminently readable. Furthermore, to the best of my knowledge, the accuracy of that information is excellent. I'm fairly well-read in the field of SF studies, and the only errors I saw in this book were on utterly trivial matters.

Inevitably, some readers will have an argument with the very breadth of this book's coverage. As Roberts notes, various people in the field have argued that SF, properly defined, begins with Edgar Allan Poe, or Shelley's Frankenstein, or Verne and Wells, or even as recently as Hugo Gernsback. Roberts, by contrast, dates the genre back to the "fantastic voyage" novels of ancient Greece (he doesn't attempt to establish any firm date for the "first" example of SF). I disagreed with Roberts' "long history" approach when I began this book, but I was soon won over by his arguments that the roots of the genre can be traced back as far as he says. Not only did I find the chapters covering the early history to be completely engaging and entertaining to read, I came to agree with Roberts that this long history gives a genuinely useful insight into modern SF. (The book arrives at the era of Verne and Wells a little more than one third into its length.) As Roberts' history moves into modern times, the focus remains on SF literature, but the SF of movies, TV, comics, and other media are also discussed.

Roberts is generally even-handed when discussing the range of opinions about such issues as the relative merits of a particular book or author, but at the same time he's not averse to making his own opinion clear (stating, to give just one example, that Dune stands up better to a present-day reading than the Foundation trilogy does). This gives the book a personal feel; you know it was written by a human being with an emotional connection to his subject.

If you have any interest in the history or study of science fiction, this book should be a centerpiece of your SF-studies library.

          I believe that this book teaches its readers about the progressive development of science fiction, how it changed and influenced the society around it, and how the genre of science fiction got started in the first place. Consequently, this book seems like it was a thorough novel about the upbringing of science fiction.   

Science Fiction - 1.The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (Cambridge Companions to Literature) by Edward James:

Product Details

Paperback: 323 pages

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 8, 2003) Language: English

ISBN-10: 0521016576

ISBN-13: 978-0521016575

Science fiction is at the intersection of numerous fields. It is literature which draws on popular culture, and engages in speculation about science, history, and all varieties of social relations. This volume brings together essays by scholars and practitioners of science fiction, which look at the genre from different angles. It examines science fiction from Thomas More to the present day; and introduces important critical approaches (including Marxism, postmodernism, feminism, and queer theory).

5/5 A great collection of essays for scholars and sf fans

By Nathanael J. Cloyd on January 30, 2013

Overall, this is an excellent collection of essays for scholars and science fiction fans. I originally purchased it in hopes that it would make a good textbook for a freshman-level college science fiction class, but it is way too advanced for that. It would work well for a senior or graduate level class, though. Each essay helped expand my understanding of different periods of science fiction history and various topics and sub-genres. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about science fiction, as long as you are okay with reading some pretty scholarly-essays.

     I believe that this book would teach its readers about the upbringing of the science fiction genre, and how it developed from there. I also believe that the book will dive a little into the reproductions from the creation of science fiction on the society of the world, and how it spread throughout the world. 

Introduction:

          Throughout my life I have always had an interest in science fiction, be it film or literature. I have maintained a liking this genre simply because it is personally appealing, and because it is filled with books that give thoughtful insights into how different scientifically related events could come about, either in the future or in a fantasy situation. These books can then be very enlightening and have never ceased to interest me. For this reason I am creating my book search project around the history of science fiction literature. I will be focusing on the globalization of the science fiction industry and the development within the industry itself. The book that I will be using for my book search project is The Road to Science Fiction, written by James Gunn. I have chosen this book from my list of ten because it spans the farthest back in time, looks into how science fiction influenced societies, and how it evolved to span different varieties of culture. Its reviewers described it as not too scholarly, and yet, not that un-descriptive when consulting the history of the genre. This book was said to be a very enjoyable read, and I believe it will be that same for myself.