How Great Science Fiction Works
By: Gary K. Wolfe, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Gary K. Wolfe
Series: The Great Courses: Genre Fiction
Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
Lecture
Release date: 01-08-16
Publisher: The Great Courses
Genre: Nonfiction, Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
Publisher's Summary
Robots, spaceships, futuristic megacities, planets orbiting distant stars. These icons of science fiction are now in our daily news. Science fiction, once maligned as mere pulp, has motivated cutting-edge scientific research, inspired new technologies, and changed how we view everyday life - and its themes and questions permeate popular culture. Take an unparalleled look at the influence, history, and greatest works of science fiction with illuminating insights and fascinating facts about this wide-ranging genre. If you think science fiction doesn't have anything to do with you, this course deserves your attention. And if you love science fiction, you can't miss this opportunity to trace the arc of science fiction's evolution, understand the hallmarks of great science fiction, and delve deeply into classics while finding some new favorites.
These 24 captivating lectures reveal the qualities that make science fiction an enduring phenomenon that has been steadily gaining popularity. You'll grasp the context and achievements of authors like Arthur C. Clarke, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. LeGuin, and many more. You'll experience the wonder, horror, and incredible imagination of works like Frankenstein, the Foundation series, Stranger in a Strange Land, and dozens of more recent stories as well. You'll also see this genre's influence in movies like Star Wars and TV shows like The Twilight Zone.
Science fiction can take us places in time and space where no other form of fiction can - outer space, the far future, alternate universes, unfathomable civilizations. The best science fiction expands our imaginations and makes its mark on our reality. And while few writers would ever claim to predict the future, sometimes authors get it almost eerily right: Gernsback describing radar in 1911, Bradbury describing giant flatscreen TVs in 1951, Gibson inventing "cyberspace" in 1984, and so on.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
©2016 The Great Courses (P)2016 The Teaching Company, LLC
Review:
This lecture is very informative on the history of science fiction writing themes, notable authors and their works. The material is presented in logical groupings, and it kept my interest. It supplies a great resource for me to look for more authors and works in the genre that I will want to read/listen to. What this course DID NOT clearly include, though implied by the title, is what writing features make great science fiction. I know that I have often commented on the “irony” aspects of science fiction stories that I read. I was hoping to learn the elements of the genre to look for as I read.
There were some genre features shared such as the fact that science fiction is deemed to be a category presenting future worlds although time travel and alternate worlds fit too. Science fiction is distinguished from fantasy which generally contains more world building than connection to possible realities. The material presented described the creative use of futuristic technologies that often became real in a matter of years. It made me wonder if science developed on the creative ideas or if the authors had leaks of real projects.
Another part of the features that did contribute to the writing of science fiction are subsets such as the various means to make space travel possible and “The Artifact” as a specific theme to build stories on. The course also covers post-apocalyptic and dystopian themes. I enjoyed hearing authors and titles that I am familiar with. And now have more to look for. I do recommend this to anyone interested in the history of science fiction.
Audio Notes: The author does a good job narrating this lecture material. As noted in my comments above, the material is grouped well and makes the listening move along well. I am glad that I got to listen to the free book while available in my library. But I am also very glad to have the pdf available for future resource material.
Source: September 2022 Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2023TBR, 2023Audiobook, 2023Alphabet, and 2023Nonfiction goals.
