The Wellsian Influence on Science and Technology"

Intro: Science fiction as a genre was not referred to as such until 1926 and the publication of the magazine Amazing Tales even though the format dates back to Lucian the Greek historian and author. The works of the formative period of "Scientific Fiction" can be broken down into major camps. The most notable of these being the Utopian idealist who follow in the path of Moore; the Possible Futures, who contemplate the possibilities for scientific advances beyond the present scope; the Effects of Science, writing about contemporary science and its possibilities. Marc Agenot lays out a premise for the science fiction of Verne and Wells, who would be in the futures category, as "fiction about science in its global, historical effect, not in its scattering in specific discoveries."

Science Fiction has a reactionary and still developing definition, as science changes the fiction that comes out of it evolves. Some of the most compelling definitions of Science Fiction from Sam Moskowitz, Edmund Crispin and Kingsley Amis who each offer unique perspectives on the subject. The First definition is from Sam Moskowitz who is acknowledged as

"A science fiction story is one which presupposes a technology, or an effect of technology, or a disturbance in the natural order, such as humanity, up to the time of writing, has not in actual fact experienced."

With this as a working definition of the genre, the arguments made throughout the work will be more understandable. Keep in mind that H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and Mary Shelly are the three most well known Science Fiction authors of the 19th century.

The origins of the popular literature know as Science Fiction were often discussed in the post W.W.II literary climate and in 1961 Kingsley Amis attempted to define and criticize the genre in his landmark book New Maps of Hell. This publication caused uproar in the unusually tight knit and defensive group of authors, fans and publishers of Science Fiction. At this time many apologist for the genre began to rebut Amis and his intellectual dismissal of Science Fiction. Many "Complete Checklist" and "Authoritative Collections" were produced over the next 15 years as people built their arguments. Sam Moskowitz became generally respected as the premiere science fiction historian of this period by fans and scholars. This was the case because Moskowitz was the first to do extensive research into the origins of Science Fiction as detailed largely in his seminal works Science Fiction by Gaslight and Men and Milestones in Science Fiction. The period extending from 1967 to 1981 s!

This was a time that was inundated with reform in all aspects of daily life in England. From military reorganization to work, equality, and church reform, English society was beginning to move into its 20th century form through a trestle of forward thinking ideas and idealistic notions. Science Fiction filled a void in the literature of the time and offered an accompanying reading to the rapid reform of the era.

This work seeks to examine the early years of the Science Fiction genre focusing on its effects in society and reactions to the work in Victorian England. During this period, there was a moment of definition for these "scientific works of fiction" that brought the genre into its own and began a trend for authors to flex their creative muscles while at the same time offering views of the future and thinly veiled social criticisms. Early works of science fiction were sparse, largely in part to a general lack of interest in the sciences by the middle class and therefore the lack of a large audience. This changed drastically with scientific advances becoming more fantastic and useful; by the 1890's there were more Science Fiction stories published then the last 90 years co

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Approximate Word count = 1781
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)