Full Details
Added By: Engelbrecht
Last Updated: Engelbrecht
Into the Unknown: The Evolution of Science Fiction from Frances Godwin to H. G. Wells
| Author: | Robert M. Philmus |
| Publisher: |
University of California Press, 1970 |
| Series: | |
|
This book does not appear to be part of a series. If this is incorrect, and you know the name of the series to which it belongs, please let us know. |
|
| Book Type: | Non-Fiction |
| Genre: | Science-Fiction |
| Sub-Genre Tags: | |
| Awards: | |
| Lists: | |
| Links: |
|
| Avg Member Rating: |
|
|
|
|
Synopsis
Robert M. Philmus' Into the Unknown will be welcomed as a map of the tradition of science fiction from its beginnings in English through the period of H. G. Wells' great achievements in the genre. The author deals not only with relatively well-known works such as Gulliver's Travels, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Time Machine, but also with obscure or neglected fantasies such as those of Robert Cromie, whose Crack of Doom (1895) narrates the fate of a scientist who proposes to destroy the world with an atom bomb.
This study is not, however, a literary history or a series of synopses. It begins by defining science fiction as a kind of fantasy making use of a "scientific" rationale, and proceeds to show how that rationale enables the writer to transcend pure fantasy. What emerges from the essay is not a simple definition of the genre but an idea of how science fiction works, of its thematic inventiveness, of its range and possibilities. The book is indispensable for scholar and aficionado alike.
Excerpt
No excerpt currently exists for this novel.
Reviews
There are currently no reviews for this novel. Be the first to submit one! You must be logged in to submit a review in the BookTrackr section above.
Images
No alternate cover images currently exist for this novel.
