The document is a revision checklist for a paper on the nature and value of science fiction. It contains 18 questions to guide the author in revising their paper, checking for issues like topic scope, thesis clarity, organization, grammar, citations, and following assignment guidelines. The checklist aims to help the author strengthen and polish their paper prior to final submission.

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REVISION CHECKLIST
1. Is the topic manageable? Is it too narrow or too broad?
2. Is the thesis clear? Is it based on a careful reading of the work?
3. Does the opening paragraph introduce the topic in an interesting manner?
4. Is the paper logically organized? Does it have a firm sense of direction?
5. Should any material be deleted? Do any important points require further illustration or
evidence?
6. Are the paragraphs developed, unified, and coherent? Are any too short or long?
7. Are there transitions linking the paragraphs?
8. Is the tone appropriate? Is it unduly flippant or pretentious?
9. Does the concluding paragraph provide a sense of closure?
10. Is the title engaging and suggestive?
11. Are the sentences clear, concise, and complete?
12. Are simple, complex, and compound sentences used for variety?
13. Have technical terms been used correctly? Are you certain of the meanings of all the words
in the paper? Are they spelled correctly?
14. Have you documented any information borrowed from books, articles, or other sources?
Have you quoted too much instead of summarizing or paraphrasing secondary material?
16. Have you used the MLA format for citing sources?
17. Have you followed your instructor's guidelines for the manuscript format of the final draft?
18. Have you carefully proofread the final draft?

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Dana Hollis
Dr. Clohessy
Eng 235-901
May 15, 2016
“The Future is Now”
(On the Nature and Value of Science Fiction)
Science Fiction, unlike any other genre in literature, inherits the differences between fact
and fiction. In so doing, it is hard to define, because it encompasses so many aspects of so many
diverse components. One of its main values is that it provides an outlet for creative speculation
and serves as a conduit for literary style for non-literary fields. In a sense, the genre relates to
the practition of real science by being an arena for though-experiments while real science is an
arena for physical-experiments. It is one of the most versatile of literary genres, and offers an
opportunity for pondering new possibilities that extrapolate from current situations, and it is one
of the most compelling modes for showing the best or worst that we can be.
From A True Story of 201 to A Space Odyssey of 2001, science fiction has enthralled the
public. In the ancient narrative, A True Story, written virtually two millennia before the tales of
Verne and Wells, the Greek satirist Lucian describes voyages to the moon and Venus. This work
is often considered the first foray into the realm of ‘science fiction’. (Gunn) Sometime later in
post-Renaissance, during the Age of Reason, Gulliver’s Travels came along as a more distinct
tale of ‘science fantasy’. Then there was the classic gothic tale of Frankenstein, which due to the
recent rumblings regarding electricity, was popularly regarded as the first work of ‘science

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fiction’. From this mist of gothic science emerged Edgar Allen Poe who was generally known
for tales of terror, but he did write a tale of an eccentric man taking a journey to the moon in a
balloon.
The short story was known as The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall. The genre of
science fiction was beginning to take hold in literature. However, many writers in these early
days of scientific speculation weren’t too successful at making it seem plausible. This began to
change with the writings of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells in the late 19th Century. The two
“Fathers of Science Fiction” (Stableford) infused the genre with an air of plausibility unlike
anyone before. These authors brought to the newly developing genre elements that were still
fantastic to a degree, but also were more grounded in feasible science. In Verne’s 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea, there was much plausibility, as it simply entailed torpedoes and speedy
submarines, which were surely ahead of their time but not particularly far-fetched. Of course
back in 1870 such things as a versatile submarine travelling through the vast oceans was akin to
spaceships travelling through space, but nevertheless an idea like this was still grounded and
reasonable, since recently in the American Civil War iron warships had been briefly used. In
fact, this tale is probably a great example of ‘hard’ science fiction, wherein the elements are
closely attuned to real natural science. (Taormina) Written later, Wells’ War of the Worlds refers
to more fantastic and speculative features, such as aliens from space and exotic heat-rays, but
then remember that it was written later when those notions had become more seeded in society
and therefore the elements still remain within the horizon of plausibility. The point being that
what makes science fiction is the idea of a story’s elements being related to current notions and
sometimes current methods, and then extrapolating from that to stronger visions of what could be
possible.

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Later in the 20th Century, a writer and historian for science fiction, Sam Moskowitz, was
one of the champions for research into the origins of science fiction, and he produced a seminal
work called, Science Fiction by Gaslight; A History and Anthology of Science Fiction in the
Popular Magazines, 1891-1911. Works like this were the natural offshoots of an intense
interest in defining science fiction. Science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein has stated that
science fiction is, “……realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on
adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the
nature and significance of the scientific method”. (Heinlein) It can involve such things as aliens,
robots, androids, ray-guns, teleportation, and computers, anything that can reasonably be seen as
somewhat possible. For instance, computers were once thought of as quite possibly too far-
fetched, but as we know now they are commonplace. A key aspect of science fiction then is that
it must involve elements or actions that at least have some plausible level of association with
what can really be an actual future. If it does not have this, then it probably should be considered
as fantasy. Fantasy does not concern itself with accuracy. Science fiction may not have to prove
accurate, but it should at least suggest accuracy. In science fiction it is the events that happen
that matter more, not so much the characters. Science Fiction can be seen in a snapshot as a
rocket window with puppet people at the controls just as much as real human people; the
message is just as effective.
Science Fiction is closely related to works of speculative fiction, or fantasy, and the
line between them can often be blurred and hard to judge. An important contrast between
fantasy and science fiction can be seen with the two novels, A Connecticut Yankee in King
Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain, and The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells. In Wells’ story the time
traveler uses a machine that can operate purposefully and selectively, whereas in Twain’s book

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the traveler is simply struck on the head. The difference being that with the Yankee there is no
association with science, while with the Wellsian traveler there is a clear connection with science
through the machine. A contrast from fantasy is that science fiction is ideally attuned to
scientifically established or postulated physical laws. Settings in science fiction may be contrary
to consensus reality, such as the future, or alien planets, or alternative timelines, or can
sometimes contradict known historical facts, but generally a work in the genre tries its best to
still adhere to scientific plausibility and not go too far off the beaten path. Science Fiction is
bound more by historical materialism than magic, or supernatural forces. (Jameson) Science
fiction is a product of its time. It may set in the future, or in the past, but its key barometer is a
connection with the present. This differs it from fantasy, which has no inherent relation to the
present. Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone, once gave a definition that, “fantasy is
the impossible made probable, science fiction is the improbable made possible”. (Serling)
New scientific principles, such as time travel, wormholes, or warp speed, can be excellent
fodder for stories of science fiction, but so can topics of new political and social systems; topics
that suggest utopian, dystopian, or post-apocalyptic conditions. For instance, novels such as A
Brave New World, 1984, or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, can all be classified as
science fiction. (Hartwell) This is because science fiction serves to not only enlighten us on raw,
physical science, but also on psychological influences. Eileen Gunn declares, “Science fiction,
at its best, engenders the sort of flexible thinking that not only inspires us, but compels us to
consider the myriad potential consequences of our actions. Samuel R. Delany, one of the most
wide-ranging and masterful writers in the field, sees it as a countermeasure to the future shock
that will become more intense with the passing years.” (Roberts) Science Fiction can take a
physical idea or social issue and exaggerate it, and then contemplate the implications of that

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condition. It often has an epistemological approach to the universe and life, and questions the
qualities of who we are, what we are, and what we may become. Because our understanding of
science is often changing, the delineation of science fiction can fluctuate. However, everything
essentially has some connection with science, and science fiction helps us to investigate broader
views of life and therefore be less inclined to take life for granted. If something is to go wrong,
we can only have ourselves to blame for not paying heed to the warnings of science fiction. Ray
Bradbury, the famous mid-twentieth century science fiction author, questioned society’s absent-
minded use of technology by revealing dystopian futures. He is considered by some to have
commented, when asked to predict the future, that all he wanted to do was prevent it.
Because of its association with technology, and oftentimes with disturbing social
conditions, and sometimes with exaggerated, fantastic settings, it is sometimes difficult for the
genre of science fiction to be taken seriously in literature. It is often too closely similar to
fantasy, and is sometimes considered to be fluff for geeks and eggheads. The blockbuster movie
Star Wars enhanced this opinion even more with its ridiculous and trite elements. But as we note
that an ample amount of science fiction covers technological advances, scientific discoveries,
natural events, and societal shifts, with serious concern through quality writing, it should be
contemplated that science fiction is indeed worthy of a respectful position in literature. Over
history, society’s perception of science and its misunderstandings of it demonstrate the
connection between science and society. It is important that this connection is well-
synchronized, and science fiction enables this. Further, since Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing
and renowned writers such as Margaret Atwood and P. D. James, among many other luminaries,
have published acclaimed works of science fiction, it is difficult for anyone but a prejudiced
critic to dismiss science fiction as unworthy of study. (Roberts)

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The year 1969 may be one of the most prominent pinnacle points in the historical
landscape of science fiction. In that year two fictional movies came out, 2001: A Space Odyssey,
and Planet of the Apes, and in real life men landed on the moon. These features brought to light
the dangers of over-reliance on technology, the threat of racial and cultural abuses and
prejudices, and the specter of nuclear war, and yet still showed us hope with the real landing on
the moon and the spectacle of what humanity can do. We witnessed an encompassing of what
science fiction can be all about, and what value it can have. The labor and triumph of science
fiction has been devoted to horizon-expansion, social extrapolation, moral resophistication.
(Stableford) Because of its diversity and connection with all things in life, science fiction can be
thought of as the one real international literary form we have today, and as such has branched out
to visual media, interactive media and on to whatever new media the world will invent in the
21st century. Crossover issues between the sciences and the humanities are crucial for the
century to come. (Slusser)
From rockets in the eye of the moon, to brave, new worlds, and flights to Jupiter, science
fiction has marvelled us, and it continues to do so. It can have a message of glory or devastation,
but if we can see its purpose we can touch the stars and not the fire. The future is now with
science fiction, and because of it we can boldly be where we’ve never been before.

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Works Cited
Slusser, George, “Le Guin and the Future of Science Fiction Criticism”. Science Fiction Studies
#53, Volume 18, Part 1, March 1991.
"Science Fiction". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
Taormina, Agatha (2005-01-19). "A History of Science Fiction". Northern Virginia Community
College. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
Jameson, Fredric (2007). Archaeologies of the Future: This Desire Called Utopia and Other
Science Fictions. London and New York: Verso. pp. 58–59.
Gunn, James E., The New Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Viking, 1988, p. 249
Heinlein, Robert A.; Cyril Kornbluth; Alfred Bester; Robert Bloch (1959). The Science Fiction
Novel: Imagination and Social Criticism. University of Chicago: Advent Publishers.
Rod Serling (1962-03-09). The Twilight Zone, "The Fugitive".
Hartwell, David G. (1996). Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction. Tor
Books. pp. 109–131.
Roberts, Robin. Oxford Journal of American Literary History. Oxford University Press.
Volume 22, Number 1, Spring 2010 pp. 207-217.
Stableford, "Science Fiction Before the Genre" From The Cambridge Companion to Science
Fiction. Ed. Edward James and Farah Mendelsohn. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2003.
Print. (15-31).
Gunn, "Toward a Definition of Science Fiction" from Speculations on Speculation, Theories of
Science Fiction. Ed. James Gunn and Matthew Candelaria. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press
Inc., 2005. Print. (5-14).