Science Fiction: Ten Explorations

259 Pages·1986·26.896 MB·English

by  C. N. Manlove (auth.)

SCIENCE FICTION: TEN EXPLORATIONS
AlsobyC.N. Manlove
MODERN FANTASY: FIVE STUDIES
LITERATURE AND REALITY, 1600-1800
THE GAP IN SHAKESPEARE: THE MOTIF OF
DIVISION FROM RICHARD II TO THE TEMPEST
THE IMPULSE OF FANTASY LITERATURE
SCIENCE FICTION:
TEN EXPLORATIONS
c.
N. Manlove
M
MACMILLAN
©C. N. Manlove 1986
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1986 978-0-333-36919-7
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission
of this publication may be made without written permission.
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or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance
with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended).
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to
this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and
civil claims for damages.
First published 1986
Published by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS
and London
Companies and representatives
throughout the world
Typeset by Wessex Typesetters
(Division of The Eastern Press Ltd)
Frome, Somerset
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Manlove, Colin N.
Science fiction: ten explorations.
I. Science fiction-English-History and
criticism 2. English fiction-20th century
-History and criticism
I. Title
823' .0876'09 PR888.S35
ISBN 978-1-349-07261-3 ISBN 978-1-349-07259-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-07259-0
To theMemory ofMy Father
We are not going to end with a bang.
We are notgoing to end with a whimper.
We are notgoing to end.
That's all.
Donald Wollheim, The Universe Makers
Contents
Preface IX
Acknowledgements
X
Introduction
2 Isaac Asimov,The Foundation Trilogy (1951-53;
serialized 1942-49) 15
3 FrederikPohl, AlternatingCurrents(1956) 35
4 BrianAldiss, Hothouse (1962) 57
5 FrankHerbert,Dune(1965) 79
6 RobertSilverberg,Nightwings(1969) 100
7 PhilipjoseFarmer,ToYourScatteredBodiesGo(1971) 121
8 ArthurC.Clarke,RendezvouswithRama(1973) 143
9 Clifford D. Simak,Shakespeare'sPlanet (1976) 161
10 A.A.Attanasio,Radix(1981) 181
11 GeneWolfe, TheBookoftheNewSun(1980-83) 198
12 Conclusion 217
Nous 225
Bibliography 239
Index 245
vn
Preface
This book began from a feeling which must be common to many
readers ofscience fiction. With the story read and a whole new
world ofimages lived in and explored, there isa sense ofmystery
and powerabout these works which no meredismissal in termsof
'well thought-out story', 'interesting twist', 'subtle intellectual
argument' or 'superb imagination' will suffice. All these phrases
are true, in their place, yetone feels that what has been explored
by the minds that made these works needs foradequate response
an explorationon the partofthe readeralso.We have totry tofind
outwhy thesestrangeworlds and events are as they are.We have
tojourneyinto the interiorofthe text and discoverin the end that
actually all the details can be part of patterns and the whole
work become rich with unity and unsuspected significance.This
has been one ofthe primarypleasuresofwritingthis book;and the
communication ofthat pleasure is its first object.
Most of the chapter on Gene Wolfe's The Book riftheNew Sun
originally appeared as an article in Kansas Quarterly for summer
1984. I am grateful to the editors for permission to reprint.
lowe a considerabledebt to Edinburgh University Libraryfor
its ready acquisition oflarge numbers of books making possible
essential research into current criticism of science fiction. My
thanks also to my colleague Ian Campbell for kindly lending me
hiscollectionofjournalsonsciencefiction. And Iam gratefulonce
more toSheilaCampbellfortypingthe manuscriptsowell:no-one
could ask for more care and diligence than she has given.To the
dedicateeofthis book I havefeltperhapslessasense ofobligation
thanofrenewed kinshipwith amindwhichwhilesternlyscientific
also liked to speculate among the interstellar spaces.
C.N.M.
IX
Acknowledgements
The author and publishers wish to thank the following who have
kindly given permission for the use of copyright material: the
Hutchinson PublishingGroup Ltdand Simon & Schuster, for the
extractfrom GeneWolfe, TheClawoftheConciliator; and Laurence
Pollinger Ltd and Kirby McCauley, for the extract from Clifford
D. Sinak, Shakespeare'sPlanet.
x