Introduction
Samuel Delaney wrote an insightful title explaining what exactly pertains to being science fiction and gave me a bit of a concrete definition to help me understand what the genre truly is. In Delaney’s article titled “About 5,750 words”. This article was very significant to our discussion in the beginning of the year about the definition of science fiction and what science fiction truly is. Science fiction is able to create a vast universe of endless possibility. The definition of science fiction and what pertains to being considered science fiction was a discussion that was ongoing throughout the semester. The article by Delaney did a good job of giving me some sense of what science fiction is. Furthermore, this was one of the first articles we read in class, therefore I did not have much knowledge of the genre. To me science fiction was nothing more than spaceships, aliens, time travel, etc. I didn’t think there was that much more to it. Instead, science fiction literature is very thought provoking. Mainly because there is freedom in science fiction for writers to take violent leaps of imagery (Delaney 11). It moves beyond our experiences and “Make[s] our corrective process in accord with what we know of the physically explainable universe” ( Delaney 12). Verbal freedom plays a vital role which is why the genre is so successful. It forces the reader to imagine scenarios that are not far from our realm. Science Fiction creates a whole universe that is explained thoroughly through the addition of every word. Each word can set the scene for the entire story. Simple words in science fiction are given more value than other literature. We are forced to think deeper when reading. A lot of it is left up to interpretation. SF also gives the reader insight on how the characters and universe got to where they are. This was a very useful article in the beginning of the year because Delaney highlights how different SF is to other genres and literature. There is more freedom which readers can go along with because there will be innovative plot lines, characters, dialogue, themes, commentary, etc. As the semester went on Delaney’s definition of Science Fiction became more true because as I read more novels it forced me to have an open mind so that I can imagine the unique worlds these authors create. No other genre can do that.
In “The Glass Bees” by Urnst Junger I analyzed a passage from on pages 90-91. In this close reading I was asked to explain how this passage would be considered Science Fiction. I used Delaney’s definition of science fiction to support my answer. Junger creates an outrageous world taken over by technology in an alternate timeline far from our reality. Junger creates a world where life is made easier due to technology but it has it’s tradeoffs. Junger is imagining a world that might not be so far off from ours. An important part of science fiction is using figurative language. It helps the readers imagine these outrageous worlds that writers create. Lastly, the language used by the characters and their own background history creates a more immersive world for the reader to imagine. I thought the backstories to Rick’s time in the cavalry and war helped with his character development.
In Ivan Csiscersay-Ronay’s essay on “Science Fiction and the Thaw” the Thaw is an important and new concept I learned about during the course of the semester because it was a time period that was significant for Soviet Literature. It was a period when Nikita Kruschev took over power when repression and censorship in the Soviet Union were relaxed, and millions of political prisoners were released. Kruschev felt literature was falling behind which is why he eased some restrictions. Banned writers and musicians were allowed to display their art once again.
The ease on censorship allowed for more personality and sincerity in their writing. The Thaw inspired Science Fiction writers to write inspiring plots that emphasized hope for the future, technology, inspiring the youth to go into science, humanizing socialism, and uniting the masses. They were also able to create outrageous worlds that Delaney outlined but were not allowed to write about any attacks or invasions due to an unwritten taboo in Soviet literature. Learning about the Thaw helped me tie Soviet Science fiction to the bigger picture of the Cold War. It helped me understand how unique their writing style was. It was meant to be more optimistic and give hope for the human race under socialism.
SF in the Eastern Bloc was unique and socially conscience for the time. Soviet SF took a more humanistic approach. Soviet SF goes more in depth about the rational nature of humanity and how they overcome adversity. We placed a great emphasis on science fiction in the eastern bloc. The articles “Science fiction literature in East Germany” by Sonja Frtizsche and “Future Perfect? Communist Science Fiction in East Germany” by Patrick Major helped me understand what to expect when reading Soviet literature. Furthermore the concept of Socialist realism emerges in these readings. Socialist Realism was a style of realistic art that developed in the Soviet Union. In the eastern bloc state run organizations told writers “to mirror its policies and portray the “reality” it envisioned” (Fritzsche 68). This style was not scared to illustrate the flaws and plight of the Human race. This was interesting to me because it was completely different to American literature and art. American SF talks about the horrors of the world and the future. With plots involving aliens, nuclear fallout, death, dystopias, etc. This made me question if this truly is science fiction since Soviet SF does have those things in their stories. Soviet SF goes more in depth about the rational nature of united humanity and how they overcome these things. They place a greater emphasis on improvement of the human race rather than entertainment (Major 77). When I first learned about Socialist Realism I thought thats what all forms of art was in the Soviet Union. It only illustrated socialist values and the plight of humans. I was wrong. There were authors that criticized movements in the Soviet Union. There was text that was subversive and undermined authority. Just because they didn’t have alien attacks, nuclear fallout, and AI taking over in their plots doesn’t mean it wasn’t SF. Their SF plots showed optimism for technology and the human race. It didn’t cite the dangers of it. After reading these articles I understood how progressive they were but were severely constrained due to censorship.
I did another close reading on a passage from the book “Do androids dream electric sheep?” by Philip K. Dick. The passage was “You’re a good bounty hunter, Rick Realized, Your attitude proves it. But am I? Suddenly, for the first time in his life, he had begun to wonder” (Dick 133). I did a good job using the close reading guidelines by using the language of the text to support my interpretation of Rick Deckard. Rick’s character is one of the most unique I have ever read. I was surprised by how well science fiction writers wrote great characters. I always thought they would mostly focus on plot development and the setting. However, it was fascinating to see the character development of a broken and sadistic character like Rick Deckard. The passage I chose illustrated how vulnerable and insecure Rick’s character truly is. I like that I asked questions about Rick’s character. Questioning my own interpretation of Rick made me into a better reader because it allowed me to pay a lot of attention to Rick’s actions and dialogue. It also helped me see his character arc and development. Earlier in the semester I did not think authors placed a lot of focus on character development but reading more novels debunked that. Especially writing great characters like Rick Deckard. Lastly, connecting this passage to the broader idea of identity was important. I asked questions about what Identity truly means in this world that Dick has created. This also pertains to it being speculative fiction since I began thinking about the theme of identity and what does it truly mean to being human? Good science fiction makes you question these things.
In the Movie Solaris directed by Andrei Tarkovsky based on the book with the same name by Stanislav Lem. I was able to capture what made the scene suspenseful. The scene was very interesting. It was when Dr. Kelvin a scientist researching a planet named Solaris and the effects it’s having on the crew. The scientists and readers have trouble classifying if the planet is living. It is a planet covered by a “Living” ocean. Dr. Kelvin first arrives he finds the spaceship a mess and his colleague Dr. Snaut acting strange. This scene was remarkable in capturing suspense and tension. It made me question what is going on here. In my post I used film analysis techniques to analyze the scene. First I looked at the Mise-en-scene of the scene. Such as the facial expressions, props, setting, costumes, the frame, and more. To add on I analyzed the sound of the scene, specifically the eerie quietness of the space station and the only thing you can hear are the footsteps of Dr. Kelvin on the metal floor. I learned important concepts of sound in film I never knew. Such as diegetic (Sound that emanates from the story) and nondiegetic sound (Sound that does not originate from within the film’s world). These were useful techniques because when I rewatched the scenes of Solaris I paid a lot more attention to hidden details that might help viewers. Science fiction movies forced me to look for numerous details to better understand what is happening and analyze the meaning behind those hidden details. A lot of science fiction directors like Tarkovsky did this on purpose to make us question perception and our notions of”Real” and “Imagined”. Learning these techniques made me watch films a different way and I will definitely use these techniques to analyze more films.
For the guest blog posts, I chose a close reading passage done by Justin Huckzo. He did a close reading on a specific passage in the book “Do Androids Dream Electric Sheep?”. Justin did his close reading on the quote by Rick joking that androids have more life in them than his life. He connects this quote to the main idea that the human experience has degraded at the hands of technological advancement. This is an important theme that is seen throughout the book. To add on, this theme of technology having its trade offs and not helping humans is seen throughout science fiction. Furthermore, Justin broke down the etymology of word android from the quote. This shows us just how important language is in science fiction. After reading more science fiction breaking down the language of the author can uncover a lot of what authors are trying to say. This is why our class glossary came in handy. Furthermore, I chose the blog post by Michael Krewac analyzing a specific scene from the movie Solaris. The scene presents the viewer with a conversation primarily between Harey and Sartorius. Michael does a good job using the tools of film analysis for this scene. Such as analysing the mise-en-scene and editing of the film. Also, capturing facial expressions, props, and observing the background. Keeping a good eye to these details helps us find and interpret any hidden messages or symbolism the director is trying to convey. The theme of identity is seen in this scene. We see in this scene that Harey is trying to declare herself as human. A lot of writers question our existence, reality, and limits to human cognition. Lastly, I chose Bradley’s blog post analyzing the Zones and alien contact in the book “Roadside picnic” by the Strugatsky brothers. He mentions the theme of contact and connects it to another book we read Solaris. In Bradley’s post he questions his interpretations and thinking. I learned in science fiction you always should ask questions about what your reading because everyone has different interpretations of things because going back to Delaney authors take huge leaps of imagery to force readers to interpret what is happening. This can definitely be hard at times and I came to terms with that. Therefore it is helpful to ask questions. Furthermore he mentions the theme of contact and connects it to another book we read Solaris. Again, in science fiction to better understand texts its a good thing to compare themes and messages. Also keep asking yourself questions on what exactly illustrates science fiction in these novels. As I read “Roadside Picnic” I looked for parallels to “Solaris” relating to the many themes such as human contact and human cognition. This course allowed me to become a better reader and make reading science fiction more enjoyable.