History of Science Fiction • S. 31/03/1999 00:00:000 UTC Do I have it right that Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) is considered the first science fiction writer, the first human being to imaginally write fiction about the potentials for good and evil of science? My God, we are such tiny, fragile, insignificant little evolving primitive creatures in this universe. • S. 06/04/1999 00:00:000 UTC Thanks for more thoughts along the lines of where I was earlier directed, Tog. Would it help everyone that reads that post if I took the word "insignificant" out of that thought? The evolving theological truth is quite the opposite, of course: We are co-creators of significance equal to the God who doesn't play dice with universes. I have a feeling there is an astonishing existential profundity there that you guys aren't quite getting yet. First Cause and all that in an evolving universe, you know, on a planet in the earliest stages of consciousness evolution, albeit at an exponential point of integration of body (science), mind (inner world), soul (community) and spirit (religion). Better? (I don't think human beings are insignificant.) Okay. Thanks. ;) Gary \ Tog" McCammon > wrote in message <3*******.********7@e********k.net>... >"S." wrote:   >> My God, we are such tiny, fragile,   >> insignificant little evolving primitive   >> creatures in this universe. >Well, that's a GIVEN. :) >Still, we can always either look at how >insignificant we are, or how >much poential >for growth we still have. >--Tog • S. 31/03/1999 00:00:000 UTC Sarcasm honestly isn't necessary, it really was a serious and humble question in what looked to be the appropriate newsgroup. I have it right about Mary Shelley then? El Presidente wrote in message ... >On Wed, 31 Mar 1999, S. wrote:   >> Do I have it right that Mary Shelley (Frankenstein)   >> is considered the first science fiction writer,   >> the first human being to imaginally write fiction   >> about the potentials for good and evil of science?   >>   >> My God, we are such tiny, fragile,   >> insignificant little evolving primitive   >> creatures in this universe.   >> > Wow, to think that just when science was starting to break away on its >own and be taken seriously someone would go a write a sci fi story... >Besides, do you know of any other races that aren't tiny, fragile, >insignificant little evolving primitive creatures that write better sci >fi than us humans? • S. 31/03/1999 00:00:000 UTC Thanks. Understood and very much appreciated. Stargazer wrote: >Shelley is considered to be so by many, but >one can think of >others...Johannes Kepler (yes, the astronomer) >wrote a little story called >"Somnium" about traveling to the Moon in a >dream. Cyrano de Bergerac wrote >"L'Histoire comique des ���tats et empires de la >lune" in 1656. Some even >consider Plato's "Republic" or Greek myths about >Daedalus to be SF -- though >these all are more fantasies than SF but that >depends on how broad a brush >you want to paint with! >--Doc • El Presidente 31/03/1999 00:00:000 UTC On Wed, 31 Mar 1999, S. wrote: > Do I have it right that Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) > is considered the first science fiction writer, > the first human being to imaginally write fiction > about the potentials for good and evil of science? > My God, we are such tiny, fragile, > insignificant little evolving primitive > creatures in this universe. Wow, to think that just when science was starting to break away on its own and be taken seriously someone would go a write a sci fi story... Besides, do you know of any other races that aren't tiny, fragile, insignificant little evolving primitive creatures that write better sci fi than us humans? • Stargazer 31/03/1999 00:00:000 UTC S. wrote in message ... >Do I have it right that Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) >is considered the first science fiction writer, >the first human being to imaginally write fiction >about the potentials for good and evil of science? >My God, we are such tiny, fragile, >insignificant little evolving primitive >creatures in this universe. Shelley is considered to be so by many, but one can think of others...Johannes Kepler (yes, the astronomer) wrote a little story called "Somnium" about traveling to the Moon in a dream. Cyrano de Bergerac wrote "L'Histoire comique des ���tats et empires de la lune" in 1656. Some even consider Plato's "Republic" or Greek myths about Daedalus to be SF -- though these all are more fantasies than SF but that depends on how broad a brush you want to paint with! --Doc --Doc • David N. Reiss 02/04/1999 00:00:000 UTC A lot of people do consider Frankenstein to be the first real SF work ever. But you could go into the past to some stories by others... but with most of those from before Mary Shelley in 1808 the author, if they thought about what they were writing as a genre, would have said it was fantasy most likely. And to be perfectly honest, Shelley probably would have thought that as well. Today, Frankenstein fits more into a Gothic/Horror genre as well. (I'm not saying their isn't overlap between genres. Just Frank fits more into Horror than SF.) So, you could make the arguement that it really isn't ture SF. If you had to pick the first author who thought he or she was doing something decidely different from other authors, you probably have to go to Jules Verne. And then Verne, and later H. G. Wells, never really began SF as what we think of it as today. For that....you come up all the way up to the late 1920's and Hugo Gernsback (later John W. Campbell Jr.) And he did it as an editor. (same with Campbell) S. wrote: > Do I have it right that Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) > is considered the first science fiction writer, > the first human being to imaginally write fiction > about the potentials for good and evil of science? > My God, we are such tiny, fragile, > insignificant little evolving primitive > creatures in this universe. -- David N. Reiss 716-777-5636 Frontier Global Center ***@F**********t.net East Coast Administration Team www.frontiernet.net If a person offends you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. - Mark Twain • Gary \\Tog\" McCammon 05/04/1999 00:00:000 UTC "S." wrote: > Do I have it right that Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) > is considered the first science fiction writer, > the first human being to imaginally write fiction > about the potentials for good and evil of science? Hm, I think Lucian (1600's??) was the first to consciously write SF -- I forget the title of the story but it had to do with aliens visting Earth. I've also seen Plato's "Republic" listed as an early example of SF, but he probably wasn't doing it intentionally. > My God, we are such tiny, fragile, > insignificant little evolving primitive > creatures in this universe. Well, that's a GIVEN. :) Still, we can always either look at how insignificant we are, or how much poential for growth we still have. --Tog