Analysis of SF short stories

DUE: Tues Oct 16, 2007, at the start of class

Length: 3 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font

Value: 20%

Assignment: Write a 3-page argumentative essay that compares and contrasts "That Only a Mother" and "Aye, and Gomorrah…". Your interpretations should be based primarily on close reading of the stories themselves. Some basic information about the contexts in which these texts were produced will also enrich your reading. The goal of this assignment is to make you think (and write) explicitly about "how to read SF." You will be identifying and analyzing some of the genre conventions and social functions of SF.

You are encouraged (but not required) to refer to the analyses of SF genre found in other sources, especially the critical scholarship by Delany and Suvin in the course readings for Oct 9. Delany's critical article notes some of the differences readers should expect between SF discourse and "mundane fiction," while Suvin introduces the influential concepts of "narrative novum" and "cognitive estrangement."

My evaluation of your essay will be based on how thorough and appropriate your interpretations are. You should respond to all of the prompts below, although I realize that your comments will have to be brief. You are arguing not only for what the texts mean but also how the text and reader work to create that meaning. You will also be graded for quality of writing and documentation. Be sure to proofread your work.

Format: Your essay must be organized around a clear thesis statement that sums up the main points of your interpretation. Defend the claims you make with copious references to specific textual evidence (mainly cite the stories, but you can also use other readings or research). Do not use long quotations but instead paraphrase. You must give citations for all material borrowed and all passages referred to, e.g. (Merril 279). All direct quotations, paraphrases, information, and opinions taken from another person's work must be identified. You must include a complete bibliography at the end of your paper.

Questions to address in your essay:

1. What are the key themes of the texts?

2. Which particular elements within the texts are used to convey the themes? How exactly do they do so? Consider a few examples of the use of narration, terminology, literary devices such as metaphors, details about the setting, and so on. In other words, compare and contrast the genre conventions used in the two texts to create fictional worlds.

3. What aspects of the stories' social contexts are important for interpreting the themes? Relevant factors might include authorship, when and where the text was produced, contemporary scientific developments, ethical dilemmas, socio-political issues, etc.

4. Are the texts open to multiple meanings, and if so why?

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY #2: Themes in early SF

DUE: Tues Nov. 6, 2007, at the start of class

Length: 3 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font

Value: 20%

Assignment: Choose one of the topics listed on this handout and write a 3-page argumentative essay that compares and contrasts TWO science fiction texts from the course readings through week 6. The topics broadly cover the principal themes we have encountered in works dating from the 1890s to the 1950s. Within each topic, prompts are provided to help you generate ideas about meaningful comparisons to make in your essay. The goal of the assignment is to identify and analyze some of the important social functions of early SF. How does this genre hold up a mirror to the reader's world, as Darko Suvin puts it? You must write about at least ONE BOOK (WOTW, RUR, We, or F451). Your other chosen text may be a short story, film, or book (do not write about the Merril or Delany stories).

Focus your analysis on specific elements within each text that work to convey the meanings, such as significant passages, symbols, allusions, characters, terminology, images, or other conventions for introducing the setting. No additional sources are required, but you are always encouraged to cite critical materials from the readings or outside research. In particular, you may find it helpful to defend your interpretations with reference to information about contemporary social-political issues and/or scientific knowledge. Evaluation of your essay will be based on how thorough, appropriate, and sophisticated your interpretations are. You will also be graded for quality of writing and documentation, so be sure to proofread your work.

Format: Your essay must be organized around a clear thesis statement that sums up the main points of your interpretation. The thesis might be a couple sentences long if your arguments are complex. Defend the claims you make with copious references to specific textual evidence (mainly cite the stories, but you can also use other readings or research). Do not rely on long quotations but instead paraphrase where possible. You must give citations for all material borrowed and all passages referred to, e.g. (Zamyatin 104). All direct quotations, paraphrases, information, and opinions taken from another person's work must be identified. Be especially careful to evaluate and fully cite any web resources you use. Include a complete bibliography.

TOPICS:

1. How does SF reveal and/or challenge definitions of what it means to be human? Such devices as aliens, machines, and dystopias are used in SF stories to critically examine ideas about the nature of humanity in comparison with some "other." What social and ethical issues are raised regarding human behavior, human rights, or human relationships? What do they say about attitudes towards group differences, such as class, gender, race, or disability? Compare and contrast TWO texts that develop some aspect of this theme in the SF genre.

2. How does SF explore and/or criticize the interactions between science and society? What ethical issues are raised in stories that depict the public effects of controversial scientific research or technologies? One SF device involves extrapolating from current scientific knowledge to possible future developments. Some stories comment on the uses and abuses of science for war, industry, health, etc.; the dilemma of who benefits vs. who bears the costs; the social responsibilities of scientists; and science's relationship to politics, religion, etc. Compare and contrast TWO texts that develop some aspect of this theme in the SF genre.

3. How does SF present ideas about transforming society and culture? The device of the utopia/dystopia is one technique used to establish worlds characterized by radically different social structures and norms. In these scenarios, the conditions of life may be the result of conflict or new technologies. What issues are raised in stories that depict altered forms of government and politics, economics and work, arts and leisure, religion, education, the family, media and communication, etc.? Compare and contrast TWO texts that develop some aspect of this theme in the SF genre.

SF Genre Creative Project (value 35%)

DUE: Thurs. Dec. 6, 2007

Proposal due: Nov. 13 (2-3 paragraphs)

Length: 5-6 pages, typed, double-spaced (or equivalent)

Assignment:  How does science fiction work? What are the distinctive techniques and strategies for writing and reading this genre? What social functions are served by SF texts that convey themes relevant to the modern world? For this final project, you are asked to demonstrate your understanding of SF by creating a work that utilizes its genre conventions. In other words, the outcome will not be an essay but instead a work of FICTION that is recognizable as SF. It might be a short story or novel chapter, an act from a play or film script, or a section from a graphic novel. The CONTENT of your fictional work must refer to some of the themes you identify in the SF stories we’ve studied in the course. This project requires you to compare and contrast two course texts by critically analyzing their settings and themes. The objectives are to show your ability to interpret the readings and your comprehension of the SF genre.

Texts: Your paper must include substantial analysis of at least TWO fiction texts from the syllabus. One must be a book, film, or story from weeks 7-10 (the material from 1960 on). For your second fiction text, choose a reading that you did not write about in a previous essay. At least one text you analyze must be a book. Make your decisions based on significant thematic connections between the stories, as well as stylistic similarities or differences. You are also welcome to comment on other SF works, but your project must focus on the required readings.

Format: This “creative writing” assignment encourages you to draw upon the genre conventions of SF. Your task is to analyze two chosen SF texts within the structure of writing your own SF story. Use your imagination to create an alternative setting, “novum,” protagonist or “persona,” and plot, and then present your interpretations from within that framework. Since this is not an essay, you can’t rely on the thesis-body-conclusion structure. You have to devise a more clever and subtle way to get your story to refer to and interpret the settings and themes of the course texts. Think of it this way: your story won’t be commenting explicitly on “texts” but rather on the worlds or societies depicted in the texts. You might also try to give some implicit commentary on the way genre conventions are used by the authors, perhaps by imitating or parodying their rhetorical style or narrative structure. Above all, try to have fun with this opportunity to do some generic creative writing.

Proposal: I would like to consult with each student individually about the design and content of your project, so a brief written proposal must be handed in on Nov. 13. Write a few paragraphs explaining what texts you intend to analyze, what themes you’ll focus on, and what narrative form, setting, persona, and genre conventions you’ll utilize. I’ll give you some feedback asap. Your plans will likely evolve as you start working on the project. Consultations during the writing process, in person or by email, will further ensure that we’re on the same page about my expectations and your interests. Evaluation of this project will be based on how thorough and sophisticated your interpretations of the texts/societies are, and how creative and appropriate your use of genre conventions is.

Suggested formats:

A) Present your arguments about the texts from the standpoint of a specific “persona” who speaks in a voice other than you own and gives her/his point of view about the depicted societies. This would be the first-person narrator and/or protagonist of your story. The persona is not an actual character from the course texts. Instead, you will need to invent a scenario in which your persona comes into contact with or otherwise gains knowledge of the texts’ fictional worlds. As we ask when reading any piece of literature, who is speaking and why are they telling this story? Writing as the persona, try to articulate “your” interests, values, and perspectives fully and consistently. Formulate your thematic interpretations around such questions as: How would you characterize the societies portrayed in the readings? What similarities and differences do you see? What are you evaluating them for? These questions could also form the backbone for the plot, action, or dramatic conflict in your story. Your persona could be, for instance, (1) an objective anthropologist or alien visitor or time traveler observing these societies; (2) a political radical seeking a model for an ideal government and society; (3) a robot developing human characteristics; (4) an individual possessing the power to alter the nature of reality; (5) a scientist or technocrat researching methods to eliminate disease, solve social problems, establish order and efficiency.

B) Present your arguments about the texts by contrasting the societies they depict with an alternative setting that you create as a fiction writer. You will utilize (and possibly subvert) some of the conventions or rules for SF “world-building.” For example, your world might be revealed through clues such as unfamiliar terminology or techno-science, altered social-political systems (utopian/dystopian), or notable sentences, metaphors, and imagery. Be creative and come up with a novum—a weird idea that serves to convey recognizable themes about contemporary society, human nature, the social uses of science and technology, etc. The novum and/or the setting of your story should follow SF techniques in that it deviates in some significant way from the reader’s environment, or maybe better yet it deviates from the established settings of the two texts you’ve chosen to evaluate. This would give your persona a platform from which to critique the other societies.

Documenting sources: When writing a work of fiction, do you need to indicate where you have borrowed material from other writers? For the purposes of this assignment, the answer is yes. To help me follow your specific arguments about the course texts, you MUST provide documentation of your sources. Use a scholarly in-text citation or endnote format, e.g. (Zamyatin 104), to show that your story is referring to particular passages in the book. As always, defend your interpretations with copious references to specific textual evidence. I realize that citations might seem to interrupt the flow of your narrative or the appearance of your text, but put them in anyway for my sake.