Science Fiction

The Five Elements Common to All Stories David Louis Edelman July 26th, 2006 I've been thinking about the purpose of telling stories. Simply for amusement or diversion, as the most cynical critics suggest? For education, as those in the ivory tower suggest? For enrichment of the soul, as the spiritually inclined might say? I tried to break down the story into its most base elements. What are the ingredients that no story can possibly do without? Every time I tried to think of something that fit this description, I kept coming up with exceptions. Eventually the only things that remained were somewhat… metaphysical. Here's what I've come up with. 1. Change. We can argue about whether the classic Aristotelian concepts of storytelling (inciting action, rising action, climax, etc.) apply in every case. But in every story ever told, something happens. Characters move from place to place, characters grow in their understanding of something, characters fight and deal with conflict and come to decisions. I'm not saying it's impossible to write a story in which characters don't change. Not every story has to end with our protagonist learning a Very Important Lesson, and it's certainly possible for your protagonist to be the same stubborn, ignorant son-of-a-bitch in the story's last sentence as he was in the first. But something has to happen in the interim, or it's simply not a story - it's a description. 2. Causality. Not only does something happen in every story ever written, but the cause-and-effect principle has to be present as well. If event B follows event A and there is absolutely no causal link between them - even a thematic one - then you haven't written a story, you've written a series of descriptions. Keep in mind that cause is a different thing than reason. A bolt of energy from the QX-5 dimension may strike your character dead for no apparent reason, but there is a cause-and-effect principle at work here. 3. Viewpoint. We are incapable of completely comprehending the universe in all its infinite complexity. Douglas Adams reminds us of this in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe with a torture device called the Total Perspective Vortex, which shows you the entirety of the universe with a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot marked "You Are Here." Every story ever told stakes out its own microscopic dot in the Total Perspective Vortex. For every word you write, there are several hundred thousand words you didn't write. For every action you choose to describe, there are an infinite number of actions you didn't describe. You as author are actively choosing to focus on this particular time and place. 4. Audience. There is an implied audience to every story, otherwise there would be no reason to use the medium of language to communicate it. Language by its very definition implies that there's a listener. Beings with perfect mental telepathy wouldn't need to tell stories. So who is your audience? Is it the teenage MySpace crowd? Is it the Western SFF audience that grew up with Heinlein and Asimov? Is it the entirety of humanity? You don't necessarily need to have a nice, neat spreadsheet of every person you're trying to reach (although wouldn't that make marketing so much easier?), but if you have at least a general idea, that helps. Note that even if the intended audience for your story is just yourself, the author, you've still got an audience. You're still filtering your thoughts through the medium of words and sentences. Otherwise, you'd simply be sitting and thinking to yourself. 5. The Human Experience. I suspect this point may prove controversial, but I'm going to state it anyway. The very act of telling a story is the act of filtering the universe into human terms. You can't write a story that's completely divorced from the human perspective. Your story might be a very distant satellite floating in a very distant orbit, but ultimately it's still tethered to humanity. Why? Because you're using the medium of language, which (with a few exceptions) is inimical intrinsic to humans. You're expressing the concepts of change, audience, and viewpoint, which plants and animals don't understand. And so, I would argue, every story ever written has the common elements of human experience as part of its backdrop: birth, growth, communication, longing, death. The Five Elements Common to All Stories David Louis Edelman July 26th, 2006 I've been thinking about the purpose of telling stories. Simply for amusement or diversion, as the most cynical critics suggest? For education, as those in the ivory tower suggest? For enrichment of the soul, as the spiritually inclined might say? I tried to break down the story into its most base elements. What are the ingredients that no story can possibly do without? Every time I tried to think of something that fit this description, I kept coming up with exceptions. Eventually the only things that remained were somewhat… metaphysical. Here's what I've come up with. 1.Change. We can argue about whether the classic Aristotelian concepts of storytelling (inciting action, rising action, climax, etc.) apply in every case. But in every story ever told, something happens. Characters move from place to place, characters grow in their understanding of something, characters fight and deal with conflict and come to decisions. I'm not saying it's impossible to write a story in which characters don't change. Not every story has to end with our protagonist learning a Very Important Lesson, and it's certainly possible for your protagonist to be the same stubborn, ignorant son-of-a-bitch in the story's last sentence as he was in the first. But something has to happen in the interim, or it's simply not a story - it's a description. 2.Causality. Not only does something happen in every story ever written, but the cause-and-effect principle has to be present as well. If event B follows event A and there is absolutely no causal link between them - even a thematic one - then you haven't written a story, you've written a series of descriptions. Keep in mind that cause is a different thing than reason. A bolt of energy from the QX-5 dimension may strike your character dead for no apparent reason, but there is a cause-and-effect principle at work here. 3. Viewpoint. We are incapable of completely comprehending the universe in all its infinite complexity. Douglas Adams reminds us of this in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe with a torture device called the Total Perspective Vortex, which shows you the entirety of the universe with a microscopic dot on a microscopic dot marked "You Are Here." Every story ever told stakes out its own microscopic dot in the Total Perspective Vortex. For every word you write, there are several hundred thousand words you didn't write. For every action you choose to describe, there are an infinite number of actions you didn't describe. You as author are actively choosing to focus on this particular time and place. 4.Audience. There is an implied audience to every story, otherwise there would be no reason to use the medium of language to communicate it. Language by its very definition implies that there's a listener. Beings with perfect mental telepathy wouldn't need to tell stories. So who is your audience? Is it the teenage MySpace crowd? Is it the Western SFF audience that grew up with Heinlein and Asimov? Is it the entirety of humanity? You don't necessarily need to have a nice, neat spreadsheet of every person you're trying to reach (although wouldn't that make marketing so much easier?), but if you have at least a general idea, that helps. Note that even if the intended audience for your story is just yourself, the author, you've still got an audience. You're still filtering your thoughts through the medium of words and sentences. Otherwise, you'd simply be sitting and thinking to yourself. 5. The Human Experience. I suspect this point may prove controversial, but I'm going to state it anyway. The very act of telling a story is the act of filtering the universe into human terms. You can't write a story that's completely divorced from the human perspective. Your story might be a very distant satellite floating in a very distant orbit, but ultimately it's still tethered to humanity. Why? Because you're using the medium of language, which (with a few exceptions) is inimical intrinsic to humans. You're expressing the concepts of change, audience, and viewpoint, which plants and animals don't understand. And so, I would argue, every story ever written has the common elements of human experience as part of its backdrop: birth, growth, communication, longing, death.

Turok and Andar, from the "Turok: Son of Stone" comic book series, are typically trapped in the lost valley of the dinosaurs known as the "Valley of the Gwangi" where they face various prehistoric threats and adventures.

The evil side of Dr. Jekyll was Mr. Hyde, a malevolent alter ego created by a potion that Dr. Jekyll concocted to separate and indulge his darker impulses. Mr. Hyde embodied all of Dr. Jekyll's repressed desires and immoral instincts, leading to a downward spiral of destructive behavior.

help the reader see the experience from inside the mind of someone who experienced it firsthand.

He is referred to only as The Time Traveller and by personal pronouns. I cannot fathom out why Wells made the all-important lead character anonymous. It could not have been to merely add suspense, which the tale has enough touches of the unknown to begin with... it does not grok.

The main theme of H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man" is the consequences of unchecked power and the isolation that can result from obsession and disregard for others. It also explores themes of identity, morality, and the impact of scientific experimentation on society.

yes pulp is good for you because it is a good source of fiber , not only that but it also helps slow down digestion of sugars .

First cousin of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's classic tale. Victor marries Elizabeth and the creature kills her all on the same scene.

Because Uglies is set at least 300 years into the future, and is loaded with technology.

"Fantasy Worlds of Science Fiction Authors" refers to the imaginative and often intricate universes created by writers in the science fiction genre, where they explore speculative concepts, futuristic technologies, and alternate realities. These worlds can encompass diverse elements such as alien civilizations, dystopian societies, and advanced artificial intelligence. Authors like Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and Ursula K. Le Guin have crafted unique settings that allow readers to engage with complex themes and ethical dilemmas, all while pushing the boundaries of human understanding and creativity.

Don't talk to strangers, don't leave your child unattended, don't get involved in a murder/kidnapping scheme.

The entire story takes place in Dr. Heidegger's office/den. His four friends come to visit and he offers them a drink...

In the novel, Dr.Jekyll is pot rayed as the good version of his soul, having been separated into two. However, it is also debatable as to whether Dr.Jekyll is a good man because he facilitates the existence of the evil Hyde. The simple answer is that he is good but this can be explored in more depth.

Science Fiction is a form of literature (or movie) that takes place in the future with space ships and such. The subject and plot usually involves some technical aspects of space travel or time travel. Supernatural is an event or story that involves interaction with something that can not be detected by your natural senses or that is caused by other than natural phenomena. A story that has the people of earth attacked by alien space travelers is a science fiction. A supernatural story would have a ghost attak the people of earth.

A character in the book 'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier.

from a lawsuit with Georg Zhaeym's family

In Vigo bay. In the remains of shipwrecks long ago.

Copyright 1951. I believe the book says at some point that it's 1965. I could be wrong on the specific date, but the book is set at some time close to that. It's also set in the UK- specifically London for good portions of it.

Fluff is anything light, soft or fuzzy, for example, fur, hair or feathers.

Could be Gulliver, from Gulliver's Travels (first published 1726), although there could be an earlier work that I am unaware of with similar events.

'From the Earth to the Moon' written in 1865 by Jules Verne.

Two of the defining traits of Science Fiction are interpolation and extrapolation. Most sf is extrapolation and wild extrapolation at that and has lost much of its impact. So when some subtle interpolation comes along people (sf readers) take notice. It also touches on our own frailty as humans, giving us a new perspective on reality, something that is difficult to do in sf.

One of the themes is loneliness of being in the bush and also the hardships that the bush presents to the woman. The snake represents the danger of the bush. the story is also on the side of women and what they have to deal with in the bush.

The other three lesser themes are:

Female gender Representation

Humour in the face of adversity

Larrikinism (scruffy clothes, ragged outlook and colloquilism's ie. slang)

The Color Purple tells the story of Celie, a black woman who has never been happy. The book is written in forms of Celie's letters to God, acting as some sort of diary. At first we know about Celie's childhood, we get to know her father, who raped her and had two sons with her, but supposedly killed them in the woods. We get to know Nettie, Celie's sister, who is always protected by Celie. After some years Celie is given in marriage to Mr. ____. He is in love with another woman called Shug, who used to be a singer, but is said to be a w***re. Celie is constantly being abused by her husband and eventually loses contact with her sister. After some time Shug comes to Celie's house to stay with her and her husband. At first they become enemies but then they become really close friends, and Shug changes Celie's point of view of life and religion. They even get to the point of sexual intercourse, and we see that this is the first time that Celie is happy in her life. After some months Shug presents to Celie some letters from Nettie that Mr.___ was hiding. We get to know Nettie's fate as a missionary in Africa. We also get to know that Nettie was with a couple of other missionaries that had adopted Celie's babies. Inspired by Shug, Celie leaves Mr. ____ and gets her own place, in which she starts a business of pants for women. After many events where Celie lost her faith in life once again she meets with Nettie and her two kids, Celie is now an old woman, but ends up thanking everything and everyone for this last chance to be happy

The Time Machine

The Invisible Man

War of the Worlds