Science And Fiction — Olaf Stapledon, lecture notes

Original manuscript — sheet 1

Transcription

25.1SCIENCE & FICTION Lewis's
canal to Mars Book Exhibition
Introductory teratology, hippopine Manchester
canal to Mars — bad science fiction OCT (1947)
fitting creatures to environments ⊕ ///
not everyone's cup of tea
not interested
base materialism F25.1
ð aim of fiction (in general)
to construct imaginary situations
true “in spirit”
to interest, delight, stimulate
to epitomize aspects of life
to be symbols, quickening ð mind
& feelings
to create new awareness
significant
opening windows
ð straight novel:
accepts current back ground of science
puts personal relations in ð focus
is “about” people ⊖ //
X author's imagination plays upon —
& makes concrete) human character
& events
ð historical novel: barbarous?
combines history & fiction
to make a period live
X imagination plays upon —
& makes concrete) a past human society
ð propaganda novel: barbarous?
uses fiction to put across ideas
social, religious, political
X (Bunyan) Pilgrims Progress
but as genuine art —
must subordinate propaganda
to art.
& makes concrete) X imagination plays upon — ð idea

Original manuscript — sheet 2

Transcription

⊕ orthodox novel standards

not applicable

no hero!

no people!

no love! !!

× no talk!

# but ð focus is God + man

Original manuscript — sheet 3

Transcription

2
any fiction, to be art, must —
fuse its materials into a whole
must attain unity of form
& harmony of emotion
but— beware tyranny of a convention
too poeticð novel critic's demand—
a title!pucker novels
strict as sonnets
place for other kinds of fiction.
>science in fiction, general barberous? # ///
any fiction must either —
1. assume current science. Galsworthy
or 2. violate it for a purpose
eg Lady into Fox (David Garnett)
Animal Farm (Orwell)
science in early fiction
? Dante's Divine Commedy
accepts current science
& consciously uses it
for religious purpose # ///
SinbadFairy stories — accept it
lifted by a big bird+ magic
(too big to fly!)× (a science beyond science)
unicornMilton accepts old & new science
griffin
dragon
Angels; plausible to Middle Ages
but not to us —
fictitious mechanically bad
centre of gravity

Original manuscript — sheet 4

Transcription

⊙ angels formerly plausible
now impossible.
centre of gravity wrong
* orthodox novel standards not applicable
no people, no heroine, no love!
no tale!
# new chances of scientific interest
from Newtonian physics to Relativity
X eg travel by entering ð timeless
& back
from φ physics to biology
from this to paranormal? telepathy
precognition
c.p Haldane: “Possible Worlds”
specious presents linked
time circular lives
Priestley: Berkeley Square (Ouspensky)

Original manuscript — sheet 5

Transcription

3
as science becomes more precise —
fiction must keep pace with it ⊙ // ///
Swift's Lilliputians —
did not violate his science
not viablebut would  "  ours
we forgive him, adopting his conventions
& may ourselves break our conventions —
for a purpose (Animal Farm)
but — ð truer to current science,
# //ð more plausible.
ð case of "science fiction" ☆ ///
scientific ideas in ð focus
distinguish:
1. imaginative doodling (escapism)
= old fairystories(ð science fiction mags)
robotssheer marvels
giant spidersoften scientifically poor
& humanly atrocious
(Comites Zeppelin)ð love theme
2. serious science fiction
eg Wells's early stories
aim — mind stretching
/to give concrete life to —
abstract possibilities
eg. The Star
tripod MartiansWar of ð Worlds
ape…Star begotten
Time machine
ð pill ð made one light

Original manuscript — sheet 6

Transcription

4
rules of ð game of science fiction
1. conform to current scientific ideas
be plausible
no serious prophecy2. imaginatively explore —
further possibilities
i e must create
(within ð framework)
3. be humanly plausible
& significant
i e a symbol for current Man
Myths for a scientific age
notes on masters//
Wells, dealt with
Jules Vernes: Voyage to ð Moon
20,000 leagues
Haldane: "stories for children" "Mr Leakey"eg Rats
2. ð abolition of pain, & reversal
Karel Capek: War of ð Newts
Insect Playanti-capitalist Sy symbol
Régis Messac: La Citée des Asphyxiés
Quinzinzinzilli
M P Shiel: ð Purple Cloud
John Gloag: Tomorrow's Yesterday
flaws: intelligent cats —
wouldn't evolve
× Manna — makes people lazy
ð new pleasure
Pendulum (of postdeath experience)
99%. (inherited memories)

Original manuscript — sheet 7

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⊕but high aesthetic symbolism value.
& spiritual symbolism.
#"Screwtape" (overtones!) :
good psychology
witty,
fundamental assumptions false

Original manuscript — sheet 8

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5-
contrast science fiction & other fantasies
or fantasies not primarily scientific
David Lindsay : Voyage to Arcturus
science poem (yellow water) ⊕
///
C S Lewis: Out of ð Silent Planet (Satan vs angel)
Perilandra etc   anti science
XScrewtape Letters: #
///
Morland Bishop: ð Star Called Wormwood
Anatole France: L'Isle des Penguins
Revolte des Anges
Balzac: Peau de Chagrin
J C Powys: Morwen — anti science
magic
Samuel Butler: Erewhon
Murray Constantine: Proud Man
Swastika Night
T H White: ð Sword &in ð Stone   anti modern
fine play with time
Merlyn's collection:
cig cards
ð hat incident
boy Arthur — King Arthur

Original manuscript — sheet 9

Transcription

“ð artificer” gets to work:
scientific friends
rules of ð game
- cp “ð Vital Art”
⊕ Last & First Man: Anglesey vision; stout Cortes
successive species: 1. super-man; 2. extravagances —
missed time scale - 2 000,000 000 years Great Brains
Hitler, but - transcendence of time flying men
atomic power spirit Martians
Venusians
Star Maker: larger canvas
more philosophical
types of beings: plant men; “Other Man”
societies of worlds
cosmical progress, & death
fiction of ð Maker - artist
Odd John: aim - a plausible superman
By— 1. extrapolation of human powers.
2. hints at qualitatively new powers
Sirius: original “vision”
Waddington’s story of experiment on rats
problem: non-human mammal - human intelligence
work out ð consequences
choice of beast
& of environment
conflict of natures

Original manuscript — sheet 10

Transcription

6
L H Myers on Last + First Men
my own aims
(what Rebecca West said of Star Maker:
Milton gave Paradise Lost to
ð author of Bradshaw to rewrite
to write modern myths. (will seem very crude
scientifically plausible later)
working out possibilities
& possible futures & juggling with time
true in principle?) make symbols of —
man – in – ð-cosmos
to relate science to religion
potentialities of man
as vessel of ð spirit
note: man's vicissitudes in L&FM ⊕
X spirit & ð other in Star Maker ////
& in Death into Life
my best sp-fictn?) Odd John — glimpse of a super human
Sirius — human intelligence in dog
Flames — wild biology
spirit again
special examples:
ð use of atomic power
Great Brains
ð Flying Men
ð Martians
ð Vegetable world
ð longlegged race follow ð sun

Original manuscript — sheet 11

Transcription

↓① psychological exploration
of effects of person on person
 
 
⊕  we had to invent environments
(normal environments lead to —
normal creatures.
some hard work here)
queer environments
no gravity
great gravity
fire

Original manuscript — sheet 12

Transcription

LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
STAP.
F 8/5