Annotated Bibliography Science Fiction

Annotated Bibliography

Vint, Sherryl. Science Fiction: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. May 04

04, 2015. Print.

The first chapter stresses the difficulty of defining sf in terms that are more specific than the “sense of wonder” it provokes in its readers and consumers. Through the specific analysis of notable examples from literature and film, the subsequent chapters outline the dominant and competing theories and interpretations of the genre (such as Darko Suvin’s “cognitive estrangement” theory in his Metamorphoses of Science Fiction), as well as its many different trends and sub-genres (Hard sf, Megatext, Cyberpunk, Speculative Fiction, Feminist sf, etc.) in order to illustrate why this is the case. Though it focuses

Evans classifies these “hybrid” texts based on the pedagogical, satiric, or narratological purposes of their scientific or pseudo-scientific elements. Evans concludes that “experiments in this realm can…teach us a great deal about the evolution of narrative forms” (100). For example, in the 20th century, scientific discourse in literature is increasingly used to “enhance verisimilitude, to create exotic effects, to expand the thematic possibilities of the plot, or to provide a fictional platform for social commentary” (94), which leads to the development of “a new scientifico-literary genre that literary historians…have come to call “SF”” (100). This source provides an interesting technical and formal look at the development of the genre which is very different from the sociological and historical studies/explanations that I have so far encountered, and this perspective may be useful for informing a close reading or stylistic/structural analysis of the Darrieussecq and Denis

Lehmann argues that the specificity of contemporary French science fiction lies in its “vague relationship to science” or its “anti-scientism,” its “intellectualism”, and its “pessimism” (19, Chapter One), all characteristics identifiable in its preoccupation with apocalyptic visions and the theme of alienation (Chapter Five). She labels SFF as a “literature of crisis” for two reasons: first, for its relationship to the French culture crisis of the 60s and 70s, and second, for its role in the crisis of literature in the 80s. She identifies the events of May 1968 as the turning point for both situations (Chapter Three). Her discussion of the culture crisis includes a crisis of faith at the level of the individual, and the societal crisis of economy and values, all in regards to the progression and increasing power of science and technology. Her discussion of the crisis of literature involves an analysis of classifying SFF as a paralittérature in relation to mainstream literature, and an exploration of its relationship to and reflection of the new “pluralistic” approach to literature that emerged in the 80s (Chapters Six and Seven). Overall, Lehmann concludes that “the specificity of French science fiction derives from its counter-cultural reaction to centralized power in France” (iv). Her Introductions, Conclusion, and the Abstract provide an extremely thorough summary of the