Last night Sharon quoted Raman of having said to writers when they bring him their manuscripts for publishing, "How many books have you read? Have you read a thousand books? If not, get out and go read a thousand books, then come back with your manuscript." His point being, you've got to have read a lot if you want to be a writer. And I thought to myself, a thousand books isn't so bad. I've probably read more. Er...Wrong. After some quick calculations, we determined that if a person read a book per week, it would take around 20 years to reach a thousand. I'm a slow reader. I'm only 25. There's no way I've read 1000 books my whole life! When I got home I counted the books in my house. I estimate I own around 300 books, probably another 300 left at my parents's house. That's only around 600 books that I own... and a lot less that I've read! So with that number in mind, I have resolved to start keeping track of my book reading. I ne
To each his own. You could argue that both of them showed distinct versions of scientific use. Verne prefers science gone right strengthening the industrial revolution, and Wells showcased things that effed up in the name of science and cause havoc to a typical British mind. Whom you chose might be indicative of your perpectice on life.
ReplyDeleteAsk me who the daddy is, I'd call Asimov. Coz in the end, it was his take on sci-fi that determined how other authors write their story.
The final argument could be that 'science fiction' as a term is really badly overgenerallized.
Yes, Verne wanted to show how science could benefit man, while Wells wanted to warn the dangers it could bring.
ReplyDeleteBut personally, I would hesitate in calling Asimov "The Daddy". He plays a big role in influencing the sci-fi scene certainly, especially with robot fiction, but I think the title should go to either Wells or Verne.
But you're right, sci-fi as a term is too generalised.
Albert Robida is often overlooked, yet more than most science fiction writers, many of his technologies are part of our modern world eg flat screen TVs, iPod.
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