The Tin House Books blog posted an interesting article by Cory Doctorow about writing science fiction in a world that’s changing so fast, and what it can means in terms of trying to predict the future – and instead perhaps predicting the present. Having just read Fahrenheit 451 and noticing disturbing similarities between his book (discussions of articles reduced to headlines, headlines banished, books banned, interactive whole-wall television as family) and the actual world (Twitter’s 140-character limit, projector televisions, the slowing of newspaper and print media, reality television), I was interested to read what he had to say. Seems he felt that literal interpretations might make the reader miss the point, somewhat.

“Mary Shelley wasn’t worried about reanimated corpses stalking Europe, but by casting a technological innovation in the starring role of Frankenstein, she was able to tap into present-day fears about technology overpowering its masters and the hubris of the inventor. Orwell didn’t worry about a future dominated by the view-screens from 1984, he worried about a present in which technology was changing the balance of power, creating opportunities for the state to enforce its power over individuals at ever-more-granular levels.”

Read the whole article on Tin House Books blog.