The actual word comes from the Greek 'ou -- not' and 'topos -- place,' and was coined in the modern sense by the title of a 1516 book written by Sir Thomas Moore. More's Utopia describes a fictional island possessing a seemingly perfect society in which social, legal, political and cultural systems act in harmony and are ideal for humans (Manuel)
In this, there must be a reason that we are so attracted to the utopian/dystopian potential; why we are defined by this idea and use it to validate our own culture. "Disobedience to the… law stands out not only as an aspect of negative conduct in general but… as leading to death: the first human couple missed the chance to attain immortality… it was the act of disobedience that barred the way to the tree of life and brought about the expulsion from Eden" (Mettinger 71)
Indeed, what is ideal for some is less than ideal for others. Interestingly, prior to 1900 more than 400 utopian works were published, after 1900 literally thousands have been published, while a good many have made the jump from the page to film (Sargent)
2 years because of a heart defect, but dreams of being an astronaut He impersonates a "Valid," Jerome, who botched his own suicide and became paralyzed. By "purchasing" blood and urine from Jerome, Vincent's gifts allow him to rise to the top of his class in aerospace school, ending up next in line for a space mission, thus defeating the utopian society (Schellenberg)
Returning to the house the next day, the reader finds The Time Traveller preparing for yet another journey. While he promises to return in 30 minutes, three years later there is no sign of him (Wells)
The symbolism of the novel derives in part from biblical references and centers on the handmaids' colonies where the unwomen live, on the unified names of the handmaids, and on the ambiguous view taken of the future and the changes in position for women. As the protagonist states, "We yearned for the future" (Atwood 3), much as we may do today, though Atwood points out that we might not like it when we get there
, 2003). Fortunately, the genre has evolved from its early days when Isaac Asimov called it "that branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advance upon human beings" (Asimov, 1952 in Wilson, 2009)
For example, the cold war issues are obvious in a number of TZ episodes; a stereotypical view of Fidel Castro is portrayed in another; and a satirization of Khrushchev vis-a-via a used car salesman being forced to tell the truth are just some examples of the innovation used. And, Serling pushed the buttons of many in the episode "For O'Clock" (April 6, 1962) which comments on McCarthyism through its focus on a fanatic who is obsessed tabs on his fellow citizens (Booker, 2004, 9)
And, we now have a story, set in New York and Boston, in which a scientist is recovered from an asylum to help the FBI search for a super-secret organization that is using fringe science to experiment upon citizens, ostensibly to control the world. Fringe, somewhere between X-Files, The Twilight Zone and Dark Angel premiered in September 2008 on Fox; Season 2 premiered in September 2009 to highly successful ratings, showing that the public still demands its "Sci-Fi Fix" (Davenport, 2008)
Within the genre of science fiction, though, television not only embraced weekly serials (Twilight Zone, for example), but an outlet for motion pictures both made for television and those previously released in theaters. We see, though, that once the concept of advertiser sponsorship became a reality, programming of differing genres, including science fiction, rapidly grew (Edgerton, 2009)
Science Fiction Television As a genre, science fiction is medium that allows imaginary elements that are largely possible/probably within scientific laws, imaginative speculation, or building upon principles that are unproven but might be likely at some future time. It has been called "the literature of ideas," and is largely based on alternative possibilities or, as in the case of the ever popular Star Trek series of the 1960s, using the genre to address contemporary social issues (Gilks, et
Executives and media scholars believe the current state of television has reached a "tipping" point and the future of viewing and programming may evolve in a number of exciting, highly technological, and active audience involvement. From The Twilight Zone to the most recent SyFy offering, audiences are involved in the science fiction process -- it helps reimagining human's relationships with each other, television as a form of entertainment, and asks individuals to step away from the comfort zone into a world of the possible (Hall, 2007)
The reason the series was both so innovative and successful was because it used top-notch writers, innovative plot lines, and quality directors. Additionally, the original Twilight Zone included episodes that really stretched what the television audience watched: horror, space exploration, alien invasion, time travel, and imaginative (actually mostly dystopian) view of the future of human society (Presnell and McGee, 2008)
Certainly, like its predecessors, it pushes the envelope in story ideas, plot development, and the continuing sense of the "what if." The public, after two decades of Stephen King, are used to speculation and clamoring for stories in which "all is not as it appears" (Stafford, 2006)
In particular, Stargate, The X-Files, and Babylon 5 continued on the tradition of utilizing the television medium to both entertain and offer choices within the medium. In fact, Stargate followed a number of complex archetypes that have their roots in ancient fables and myths (and not just the explanation of the Egyptian Gods), but a thoughtful and sometimes complex juxtaposition of "metatextual" humor and fable bordering on the metaphysical nature of Plato and Aristotle (Telotte, 2008, 278-84)
That is why Mattpoisett is a utopia, because everyone is allowed to love and respect freely with limitations. Keith Booker points out that most dytopian and utopian literary works only give lip service to the equality of genders, and they are still places where men are men and women are women (Booker 337)
G. Wells," that Wells' novel, "posits a scientific advance, then explores its implications, in this case, a vision of degenerate humanity" (Morrow pp)
First World culture as depicted in the novel is thoroughly corrupt and decadent, since 'jacking' technology allows people to live out the experiences of others, which often involve violent death, rape, orgies, warfare and car crashes. There are many stores that sell these experiences, which are called "feelies" for the benefit of those who can longer feel any emotions except through 'jacking' (Haldeman 56)
His political philosophy is Machiavellian rather than feminist, as demonstrated by his statement that "only fear rules men. Nothing else works. Nothing else lasts long enough" (LeGuin 40)
Perhaps the most well-known name was that of Mary Shelley and her work Frankenstein as published in 1818. Many, but not all, people who are scholars of the science fiction genre assert that this was the first contribution to the genre (Armitt, 1991)