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Frankenstein
Mary Shelley wrote what is generally considered to be the first work of science fiction. In it, she expressed fears about the contemporary ambitions of scientists. -
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Jules Verne
Verne was a prolific early SF writer, generally focusing on technological possibilities rather than moral implications. His works include "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Around the World in 80 Days", "From the Earth to the Moon", and "Journey to the Center of the Earth". -
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H.G. Wells
Wells' works were at times fantastical adventures in the realm of Verne, and at other times, critical allegories. For example, "The Time Machine" features a reversal of elitist theories of Victorian Social Darwinism. -
Brave New World
In "Brave New World", Aldous Huxley challenged the eugenics movement of the 1930s and the homogenization of society. -
Atomic Bombs Dropped
Atomic bombs are dropped, ending WW2. The public's interest in science, and resultingly in science fiction, massively increases. -
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Robert Heinlein
Heinlein was a practitioner of the "hard sci-fi" subgenre, with scientific accuracy a major ideal of his works. His "Starship Troopers", written after the U.S. ceased nuclear weapons testing, criticized society of the 1950s as being too soft, and promoted corporal and capital punishment. In "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", he espoused modern libertarian philosophy. -
1984
Orwell used "1984" to discuss erosions of privacy and truth. When Orwell was fighting fascists in Spain, he noticed left-wing journalists readily accepting Soviet fabrications. The acceptance of erasure of truth he saw from his own political allies inspired "1984". -
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Isaac Asimov
Asimov was one of the most prolific authors of all time, penning over 500 books in varied genres. The work for which he is best known, the "Foundation" series, was a fictional sci-fi telling of the story of the fall of the Roman empire. -
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L. Ron Hubbard
Hubbard was the most prolific author of all time, writing even more books than Asimov, mostly in SF. He is, however, best known as the founder of Scientology. -
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury criticized the widespread popularity of television, depicting it going to the extreme of book-burning. -
The Twilight Zone
"The Twilight Zone" was born after creator Rod Serling had trouble producing his previous, more directly confrontational morality plays. The show confronted McCarthyism through alien allegory in "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and became the first American television program to feature Black actors playing raceblind roles in "The Big Tall Wish". -
ASF changes to Analog
"Astounding Science Fiction", the leading SF magazine, changes its name to "Analog", a double entendre signifying the allegorical nature of SF. -
Star Trek
The original run of Star Trek (1966-9), was a series of morality plays featuring aliens. It also trailblazed in television, showing the first interracial kiss in a move that told a society a year removed from Jim Crow that the future was integrated. -
The Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula K. Le Gein's "The Left Hand of Darkness" helped establish feminist science fiction as a subgenre. The book is a piece of gender commentary, set among an ambisexual species. It comments on how gender roles have shaped our society. -
Star Wars
Star Wars stands as the most popular piece of science fiction media ever made. It also contains political symbolism. For example, the battle of Endor, in which technologically unequipped jungle dwellers defeat the most powerful military in the galaxy, can be seen as a stand-in for the United States' defeat in the Vietnam War. -
Snow Crash
One of the most popular SF books of the last 30 years, Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash" is set in a state of capitalism taken to its extremes, with corporations being sovereign entities and militaries. It can be seen as a reaction to the economic policies of the Reagan-Bush years. -
Modern Chinese SF
China has developed an internationally recognized SF movement in recent years, and societal criticisms can be plentifully found. In Baoshu's "What Has Passed Shall In Kinder Light Appear", the typically censored Tienanmen Square massacre is presented in full horror, as are problems of the Cultural Revolution. In "Moonlight", Liu Cixin writes despairingly about climate change, and a veiled plea for current, immediate action. Hao Jingfang warned about technological social stratification. -
Black Mirror
"Black Mirror" (2011-) is a dystopian SF show that typically revolved around the perils of our relationships with technologies. In episodes like "Nosedive", the intersections of class and social media are prodded.