Science Fiction (26:350:553) Fall 2010
Professor H. Bruce Franklin Office: Hill
515. Phone: 973-353-5444.
Office hours: Mon. 12:30-1:30; Wed. 12:30-1:30; and by appointment.
E-mail: hbf@andromeda.rutgers.edu
Home page: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~hbf
REQUIRED TEXTS (Editions listed are available at New Jersey Books and Bradley Hall. Except where indicated, it's o.k. to substitute other editions):
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; Or the Modern Prometheus. Bantam. [This
is the 1831 edition, which
differs considerably from the 1818 edition.]
H. Bruce Franklin, Future Perfect: American Science Fiction of the 19th
Century.
University Press, 1995. [Do not use earlier editions.]
William Gibson, Burning Chrome. Ace Books.
H. G. Wells, The Time Machine. Bantam.
Octavia Butler, Kindred. Beacon.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five .
Stanislaw Lem, Solaris. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
James Gunn, ed., The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here. Various publishers. [Any edition
is o.k., but be sure you get “#3:
From Heinlein to Here,” not any of the other five volumes of this
series. A few used copies are available
on the internet. A few used copies of
this book will also be available for purchase in class.]
Assigned readings must be completed by the indicated date:
September 8 Organization, description, and methodology of the seminar. Prehistory of science fiction.
September 13 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus (1818; 1831).
September 20 Octavia Butler, Kindred (1979).
September 27 In Future Perfect: Introduction; Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Birthmark" (1843) and "The Artist of the Beautiful" (1844); Fitz-James O'Brien, "The Diamond Lens" (1858); "Automata"; "Herman Melville and Science Fiction"; Melville, "The Bell-Tower" (1855); "Humans as Machines"; Frederic Jesup Stimson, “Dr. Materialismus” (1890); "Space Travel"; Washington Irving, "The Men of the Moon" (1809); "Dimensional Speculation as Science Fiction"; "Four-Dimensional Space" (1885); "From `Four-Dimensional Space'" (1896); "Medicine Men"; Edgar Allan Poe, "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" (1845) and “Mellonta Tauta” (1849); "Thomas Wentworth Higginson and His Dreamer"; Higginson, "The Monarch of Dreams" (1886); Jack London, "A Thousand Deaths" (1899).
October 4 In Future Perfect: "Women's Work"; Annie Denton Cridge, "Man's Rights" (1870); Mary E. Bradley Lane, Mizora (1880); "Time Travel"; "The Perfect Future"; "Edward Bellamy and Science Fiction"; Bellamy, "The Blindman's World" (1886); William Harben, "In the Year Ten Thousand" (1892); "Mark Twain and Science Fiction"; Twain, "From the 'London Times' of 1904" (1898).
H. G. Wells, The Time Machine (1895).
In Road to Science Fiction: Frederik Pohl, “Day Million” (1966); Joanna Russ, "When It Changed" (1972).
October 11 In William Gibson, Burning Chrome: "The Gernsback Continuum" (1981).
In Road to Science Fiction: Isaac Asimov, “Reason” (1941); Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore) “Mimsy Were the Borogoves” (1943); Arthur C. Clarke, "The Sentinel" (1951); Tom Godwin, “The Cold Equations” (1954); Robert Sheckley, “Pilgrimage to Earth” (1956); Harry Harrison, “The Streets of Ashkelon” (1962); Gordon R. Dickson, “Dolphin’s Way” (1964); Philip K. Dick, “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” (1966).
In Year's Best SF: Nicola Griffith, “It Takes Two” (2009). Compare this story with “Pilgrimage to Earth” as expressions of the culture of their respective periods.
October 18 Stanislaw Lem, Solaris (1961).
October 25 In Road to Science Fiction: Theodore Sturgeon, “Thunder and
Roses” (1947); Judith Merril, "That Only a Mother" (1948);
William Tenn (Philip Klass), “
November 1 Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).
November 8 In William Gibson, Burning Chrome:
"Fragments of a Hologram Rose" (1977); "Johnny Mnemonic"
(1981); "New
November 15 In Year's Best SF (please read in this order): Mary Rosenblum, “Lion Walk” (2009); Maureen McHugh, “Useless Things” (2009); Adam Roberts, “Hair” (2009); Nancy Kress, “Act One” (2009); Ian Creasey, “Erosion” (2009); Jay Lake, “On the Human Plan” (2009); Robert Charles Wilson, “Utriusque Cosmi” (2009); Vandana Singh, “Infinities” (2009).
November 22 By this date, everybody should have at least
one meeting with me to discuss your essay.
I will be available for most of that afternoon. Because of the lunacy of
November 29 Presentations by members of the seminar.
December 6 Presentations by members of the seminar.
December 13 Presentations by members of the seminar.
Final day for submission of original essay (minimum length 3,500 words). Extensions without penalty will be granted only for medical or other emergencies.
The essay must be an original work relating to one or more of the issues or works explored in the seminar. It should have something significant to communicate, and it should be worth its readers' time. Please note that after November 15, there is no assigned reading. This allows four weeks to finish your essay, which is your only major project for the course. Your aim should be to produce a work of potentially publishable quality in both form and content.
The physical appearance of your work should be attractive and professional looking. Citations and format should follow the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers or The Chicago Manual of Style.
Presentations by Members of the Seminar
During the last three meetings, each member of the seminar will lead a discussion relevant to his or her essay. When leading this discussion, you will be entirely in charge of the seminar. You may use this as an opportunity to develop your essay and get feedback on that project. You may use the time to pose problems you have encountered in developing your essay, to explore the subject of your essay more deeply, to present a brief version of your essay, or whatever you think most valuable. Or you may simply explore some issue, concern, or work we are studying. Before your presentation, you should supply all other members of the seminar with any written materials to be read in preparation. The easiest way to provide these materials is by e-mail through the listserve we’ll set up. Everybody needs to prepare for each discussion by studying the appropriate materials before that seminar meets.
Tests and Responsibility to Complete the
The success of the seminar depends on
each member reading each assigned text on time and then contributing to our
discussion on a level to be expected of a graduate student. If it becomes apparent that some people are
not adequately prepared, it may be necessary to resort to brief tests on the
readings the date they are due.
Let’s try to avoid that.
There will be no midterm or final examination.
Grading
In determining the grade for the course, approximately equal weight will be given to your essay and to your contribution to the seminar (including your presentation).