Into the Unknown: The Evolution of Science Fiction from Francis Godwin to H. G. Wells

Philmus, Robert M.

ISBN 10: 0520013948 / ISBN 13: 9780520013940

Published by University of California Press, 1971

About this Item

A copy that has been read, remains in good condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine and cover show signs of wear. Pages can include notes and highlighting and show signs of wear, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships via media mail.

Seller Inventory # OTV.0520013948.G

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Into the Unknown: The Evolution of Science Fiction from Francis Godwin to H. G. Wells
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication Date: 1971
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520013948
• ISBN 13: 9780520013940
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

Robert M. Philmus' "Into the Unknown" will be welcomed as a map of the tradition of science fiction from its beginnings in English through the period of H. G. Wells’ great achievements in the genre. The author deals not only with relatively well-known works such as "Gulliver’s Travels," "Frankenstein," "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," and "The Time Machine," but also with obscure or neglected fantasies such as those of Robert Cromie, whose "Crack of Doom" (1895) narrates the fate of a scientist who proposes to destroy the world with an atom bomb. This study is not, however, a literary history or a series of synopses. It begins by defining science fiction as a kind of fantasy making use of a "scientific" rationale, and proceeds to show how that rationale enables the writer to transcend pure fantasy. What emerges from the essay is not a simple definition of the genre but an idea of how science fiction works, of its thematic inventiveness, of its range and possibilities. The book is indispensable for scholar and aficionado alike.