Setting Up the Golden Age of SF

7/30/2019 Setting Up the Golden Age of SF

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SETTING UP THE GOLDEN AGESCIENCE - FICTION 20

75 YEARSOF SF CONFERENCEScience Fiction from the

19th to the 20th Century

Andrew Liptak


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Introduction: Long History

Speculative Fiction has deep roots in the arts and

human history.

Myths, creation tales, and other stories about our

lives are our SF ancestors.

Science Fiction is a relatively new genre that

springs out from this genetic pool.

The nature of the modern version of the genre is

tied to its origins.


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The Birth of Science Fiction

Science Fiction is a specificbranch of the arts thatexamines the relationshipbetween humanity andtechnological innovation andadvancement.

The Industrial Revolutionhad the right primordialgenetics to start the genre.

IR introduced a majortechnological change thatcaused massive change towestern populations.


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Higher literacy rates ledto a reading public that

was interested in theworld around them.

Technological changes ofthe 1800s included steam

power, electricity,expanded infrastructure,and more.

The world was shrinking:new territories were beingexplored, and scientificboundaries were being

tested.


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Prime Generation: Science Romances

Early SF authors recognized these changes around

them and wrote about them.

Notable early authors include Mary Shelley, Edgar

Allan Poe, George Chesney, Jules Verne and H.G.

Wells.

Notable examples of early SF include parallels of

space exploration, high-tech thrillers, advanced

exploration and scientific experimentation.


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High tech exploration program, with massive

governmental spending & latest technologyimplemented, for practical and scientific gains.

Space program? Nope.


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Arctic exploration.


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SF novels of the era containedmany elements of exploration:

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein

opens in the arctic circle. Edgar Allan Poes The Narrative

of Arthur Gordon Pym ofNantucketis an example of theHollow Earth genre ascientific theory at the time.

Jules VernesAn AntarcticMystery(sequel to NOAGPON)follows in the same line.

Lovecrafts Mountains ofMadness follows the sametradition.


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Other works followed scientificknowledge of the time:

Vernes books examined the oceans,skies and Earths orbit just to namea few.

Bram Stokers Dracula has high tech

gadgetry: blood transfusions,transcribed recordings, etc.

Arthur Conan Doyles Challengerstories explores South America andfinds dinosaurs.

George Chesneys Battle of Dorkingblends foreign policy and the latest inmilitary hardware.


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Sociological SF

Other authors favored current eventsover technology.

H.G. Wells, trained as a sciencewriter. Focused heavily on political

and social issues. War of the Worlds, The Time

Machine, and The Sleeper Awakesare examples of social and politicalSF.

Later followed by authors such asOlaf Stapledon, who used speculativefiction as an avenue for commentary.


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Broad seeds of SF are planted:

Technology driven adventure stories.

Politically driven morality stories.

Not mutually exclusive: elements of both exist

in many stories.


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2nd Generation: The Pulps

Large, literary-based market,primarily weekly/monthlymagazines.

Magazines such asArgosyand

Popular Magazine carriedspeculative tales.

Incredible demand for stories:magazines coped with high-volume, low quality tales.

Many competing publicationsarose. Entire platform for a highvolume of speculative fiction.


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Edgar Rice Burroughs,dismayed at the quality offiction, set out to write his ownbad stories.

Wrote John Carter of Mars,Tarzan, Pellucidar, and Venusstories.

Hugo Gernsback arrived in USand started Modern Electronicsand Electrical Experimentermagazines focused on tech &

gadgets. Branched into dedicated SF with

Amazing Stories. Gernsbackcoined the term Scientifiction.


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Gernsbacks Amazing was influenced and carried

works by Poe, Verne and Wells.

Ideological split: Gernsbacks Sci-Fi derive more

from Verne than Wells, as a rather direct result of

Gernsback's propagandistic intentions,

Brian Aldiss: simple-minded Victorian utilitarianism.

Gernsbacksphilosophythe worst Gernsbackian

SF neither thinks nor dreams.


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Hark! A Vagrant #231


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Gernsback published

hundreds of low qualitystories.

Some, such as stories by

author E.E. Doc Smith, andJack Williamson sold

extremely well, and led to

durable sub-genres: SpaceOpera.


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Influential

Gernsback singlehandedly wrestled the SF genre

into a style of his choosing.

Pulps were enormously influential: they were widely

read by impressionable young readers.

C.L. Moore, Isaac Asimov, Leigh Brackett, Ray

Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Frederik Pohl, and many

others were inspired by pulps to read, write and

publish.


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John W. Campbell Jr.

Hired at age 28 to edit Street &Smiths Astounding Magazine,taking over from F. Orlin Tremaine.

Had been a pulp writer primarilywrote as Don A. Stuart, and wasknown for Who Goes There?

Worked underTremainesguidance until July 1939 issue.

July 1939 issue is unofficial start toGolden Age


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Campbell assembledregular & new authors

for the issue: A.E. vanVogt, Isaac Asimov,Nat Schachner andC.L. Moore wereamongst its authors.

Other new namesfollowed: RobertHeinlein, TheodoreSturgeon, and L. RonHubbard, in addition toold names: E.E. Smith,etc.


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3rd Generation of Writers

New stable of authors were 3rdGeneration fans.

Genre tropes, subjects andthemes were largely defined

science fiction had practicalmeaning.

Astounding and competitors nowlooked beyond gizmos. Stories

became more complex, refinedbeyond pulp era.

Campbell also focused on morerealistic science & plotting than

pulps.


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Science Romance to Astounding

Golden Age publications can trace lineage to

Science Romance stories.

Genre is technology-driven, and has changed

alongside it.

Authors have built upon and reacted to their

predecessors.

Continual evolution & innovation leads to further

trends in SF.

Setting Up the Golden Age of SF

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