The History of Science Fiction

Podcast Transcript

One of the most popular genres of literature, film, and television is science fiction.

Science fiction is relatively new, and by its very nature, it is always evolving and reinventing itself.

Also, unlike other genres, science fiction isn’t just about storytelling. It is about generating ideas that have had an actual impact on the world we live in.

Learn more about the history of science fiction and how it has impacted the world on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.

All of you know what science fiction is, and you can easily identify it if you see it. However, defining it can be a bit trickier.

Science fiction is a storytelling genre concerned with imagined futures, alternative worlds, or transformed presents that arise from speculative changes in science, technology, or the systematic application of rational inquiry.

That definition seems straightforward enough, but it is so vast that there are many edge cases where people can argue over what is and what is not science fiction.

Another popular genre, often considered distinct from science fiction, is fantasy. This would include works like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones.

Science fiction builds its imagined worlds on speculative extensions of science and natural laws, while fantasy relies on supernatural forces or magic that operate outside scientific explanation.

Some people have claimed that Star Wars isn’t science fiction and is actually fantasy. It takes place long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, and none of the technology is ever really explained…..and there are mitochlorians.

In a normal piece of fiction, the characters, their relationships, and the circumstances they find themselves in are the focus of the story.

Science fiction has those elements, but there is usually another level to the story. Some greater idea is being examined, or it is exploring how technology might affect the world.

If we are looking at the origins of science fiction, the big question is when it began and what the first science fiction story was.

Long before science fiction emerged as a recognized genre, writers were imagining voyages beyond the known world, artificial life, and technological marvels. Ancient and medieval literature contains numerous speculative narratives that resemble later science fiction in structure, if not in scientific rigor.

These works often used imaginary technologies or journeys as satirical devices or philosophical thought experiments rather than as serious predictions.

One frequently cited early example is True History by Lucian of Samosata, written in the second century. The work describes a fantastical voyage to the Moon and encounters with extraterrestrial life. Lucian openly framed the story as a parody, mocking travelers’ tales and philosophers who claimed access to hidden truths.

Despite its satirical intent, True History includes elements that later became staples of science fiction, including space travel, alien societies, and interplanetary warfare.

Johannes Kepler’s “Somnium”, written in 1608 and published 1634, holds a stronger claim as the first science fiction story for many scholars. This Latin work describes a journey to the moon and speculates about what astronomical observations might look like from the lunar surface.

Unlike Lucian, Kepler was a renowned astronomer whose narrative, though framed as a dream vision, incorporated genuine scientific knowledge and astronomical theory. He attempted to work within the constraints of contemporary scientific understanding, even addressing the problem of how humans might survive the journey to the moon.

The extensive footnotes Kepler added demonstrate his scientific intentions, explaining the astronomical principles underlying his story. “Somnium” represents perhaps the first attempt to ground an imaginative tale in rigorous scientific thought, making it a watershed moment in the prehistory of science fiction.

Several other significant early works in science fiction include:

Margaret Cavendish’s The Blazing World was written in 1666. This novel describes a utopian society reached via the North Pole and incorporates scientific discourse and technological conjecture.
Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, from 1627, portrays a society distinguished by its scientific progress.
Cyrano de Bergerac’s works, such as Voyage to the Moon from 1657, featured imaginative, though pseudoscientific, methods for space travel.

These early works often prompt debate over whether they qualify as science fiction. The first work which is almost universally agreed upon as being science fiction is Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published in 1818, is probably the most widely accepted candidate for the first true science fiction novel. Shelley’s work emerged from the scientific and philosophical environment of the early nineteenth century, particularly debates about galvanism, the nature of life, and the ethical boundaries of scientific inquiry.

If you remember, I discussed this on my episode on Frankenstein.

What sets this novel apart is that Victor Frankenstein’s creation of life through scientific means, however vaguely described, marks a departure from supernatural or divine explanations.

The novel grapples with the consequences of scientific hubris, the creator’s responsibility to the created, and the dangers of unchecked technological advancement. These themes would become central to science fiction as it developed throughout the following two centuries.

The thing that should be noted about Frankenstein is that Mary Shelly was only 18 when she wrote it.

The 19th century saw an explosion in science fiction stories, even though the term hadn’t yet been coined.

Following Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe made significant contributions to proto-science fiction with stories such as The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall, published in 1835, which is about a balloon voyage to the moon, and A Descent into the Maelström, published in 1841, recounts a sailor’s survival of a deadly Norwegian whirlpool by calmly observing its patterns and using reason to escape certain death.

Poe’s emphasis on logical extrapolation and detailed technical description influenced later science fiction writers, particularly his attempts to make the fantastic seem plausible through the accumulation of realistic details.

Everything I’ve mentioned so far has been authors who wrote one or a few stories that might be considered science fiction. The late 19th century saw the emergence of the science fiction author who specialized in the genre.

One of the first authors to develop a reputation as a science fiction writer was Jules Verne.

Jules Verne emerged as one of the genre’s founding fathers with his “Voyages Extraordinaires” series, beginning with “Five Weeks in a Balloon” in 1863.

Jules Verne’s influential novels, such as Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), From the Earth to the Moon (1865), and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), blended thrilling adventure stories with detailed, meticulous research into the contemporary science and technology of his era.

Verne typically extrapolated from existing technology rather than inventing entirely new scientific principles. His submarine Nautilus, in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, while more advanced than contemporary vessels, operated on recognizable engineering principles.

Verne’s work established the paradigm of “hard” science fiction, where technical accuracy and scientific plausibility are paramount.

The other great 19th-century science fiction author was H. G. Wells.

Wells, writing in the final decade of the nineteenth century, took a different approach. While Verne generally confined himself to technological extrapolation, Wells was willing to postulate radical scientific breakthroughs as premises for examining social, philosophical, and political questions.

“The Time Machine” in 1895 introduced the concept of time travel as a mechanical possibility, but used it primarily to explore social Darwinism and class division through the evolutionary divergence of humanity into Eloi and Morlocks.

“The Island of Doctor Moreau” in 1896 examined vivisection, biological engineering, and the nature of humanity.

“The War of the Worlds,” published in 1898, presented the first major alien-invasion narrative, using Martian technology to explore themes of conquest and social collapse.

“The Invisible Man” in 1897 and “The First Men in the Moon” in 1901 further demonstrated Wells’s method of beginning with a single scientific impossibility, then rigorously exploring its consequences.

Science fiction crystallized as a distinct genre during the pulp magazine era from the 1920s to the 1940s, named for the cheap wood-pulp paper on which these publications were printed. This period saw the genre gain its modern name, develop a dedicated readership, and establish many of its enduring conventions and themes.

Hugo Gernsback, a Luxembourg-born inventor and magazine publisher, played a pivotal role in this development. In 1926, he launched “Amazing Stories,” the first magazine devoted entirely to what he initially called “scientifiction.”

Gernsback believed science fiction should both educate readers about science and technology and entertain them, a philosophy reflected in his editorial choices. He published reprints of Verne, Wells, and Poe alongside new stories by emerging writers.

In 1929, Gernsback lost control of “Amazing Stories” but immediately founded “Science Wonder Stories,” where he popularized the term “science fiction.”

The Hugo Awards, science fiction’s most prestigious honors, are named in his recognition.

The period from the late 1930s through the 1950s is often called the Golden Age of science fiction. During this time, writers emphasized scientific rigor, logical problem-solving, and clear prose. The genre matured intellectually and stylistically, producing works that appealed to both popular and critical audiences.

There were many writers during the period, but three authors dominated the genre and became known as the Big Three: Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert A. Heinlein.

Isaac Asimov was a prolific author and biochemist best known for his robot stories and the Foundation series, which emphasized lessons from history, systematic thinking, and the social consequences of science.

Arthur C. Clarke was a writer and futurist whose best-known books are 2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood’s End, and Rendezvous with Rama.

Robert A. Heinlein was a highly influential author known for exploring political systems. His best-known books are Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.

The 1960s and 70s saw what became known as the new wave movement in science fiction. The New Wave movement, associated particularly with the British magazine “New Worlds” under editor Michael Moorcock, challenged science fiction’s conventions and sought to import literary experimentation from mainstream fiction.

New Wave writers emphasized psychological and sociological themes over pure science.

This period saw the rise of many influential authors, including Frank Herbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, and Stanislaw Lem.

The 1980s saw the rise of Cyberpunk, exemplified by William Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer, which explored digital networks and artificial intelligence.

As the pace of technical change in society has accelerated, science fiction has changed along with it. In fact, science fiction has also been responsible for the development of technology.

One of science fiction’s most important real-world effects is its role in expanding the range of what people believe is possible. Ideas such as space travel, artificial intelligence, and global communication networks were widely discussed in fiction decades before they became technically achievable.

Equally important is science fiction’s role in exploring consequences rather than just capabilities. Engineers and inventors tend to focus on whether something can be built, while science fiction asks what happens after it is built and widely adopted.

Stories about surveillance, automation, genetic engineering, or environmental collapse make abstract risks concrete by embedding them in narratives that illustrate human experience.

Science fiction has also had a measurable impact on individual lives by motivating career paths and intellectual curiosity. Many scientists and technologists have credited early exposure to science fiction with sparking their interest in science or engineering.

Works of science fiction and other speculative literature have been used as prior art in patent disputes and patent examinations, though this happens more often during patent invalidation or examination than in courtroom trials.

The key legal point is that prior art need not be practical, working, or intended as engineering guidance. It only needs to publicly disclose the idea in enough detail that a person skilled in the art could recognize it.

Science Fiction isn’t just interesting and compelling stories. It is a way to view our world through a different lens and to consider what it could or might be.

It also provides inspiration for those conducting research or developing new technologies, which might not be created for decades or centuries after the ideas were conceived.