Description
Book Synopsis''Few travelled in these days, for, thanks to the advance of science, the earth was exactly alike all over. Rapid intercourse, from which the previous civilization had hoped so much, had ended by defeating itself. What was the good of going to Peking when it was just like Shrewsbury?'', The Machine Stops, E. M. Forster.This anthology provides a selection of science-fiction tales from the close of the ''Romantic'' period to the end of the First World War. It gathers together classic short stories, from Edgar Allan Poe''s playful hoaxes to Gertrude Barrows Bennett''s feminist fantasy. In this way, the book shows the vitality and literary diversity of the field, and also expresses something of the potent appeal of the visionary, the fascination with science, and the allure of an imagined future that characterised this period. An excellent resource for those interested in science fiction, and also an essential volume for understanding the development of the genre. In his introduction, Michael Newton draws together literary influences from Jonathan Swift to Mary Shelley, the interest in the irrational and dreaming mind, and the relation of the tales to the fact of Empire and the discoveries made by anthropology. He also considers how the figure of the alien and non-human ''other'' complicated contemporary definitions of the human being.
Trade ReviewThese are some of my initial impressions on this useful collection...It is a great mystery just what captivates readers in a story and these ghostwriters have certainly achieved the pinnacle of this craft. * Pennsylvania Literary Journal *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Texts Select Bibliography A Chronology of the Origins of Science Fiction Mary Shelley: The Mortal Immortal Edgar Allan Poe: The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion Nathaniel Hawthorne: Rappaccini's Daughter Edgar Allan Poe: The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar Fitz-James O'Brien: The Diamond Lens George Eliot: The Lifted Veil Grant Allen: Pausodyne: A Great Chemical Discovery Frank R. Stockton: The Water-Devil. A Marine Tale H. G. Wells: The Crystal Egg Rudyard Kipling: 'Wireless' Mary E. Wilkins Freeman: The Hall Bedroom H. G. Wells: The Country of the Blind E. M. Forster: The Machine Stops Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The Terror of Blue John Gap Jack London: The Red One Gertrude Barrows Bennett: Friend Island W. E. B. Dubois: The Comet Explanatory Notes
