English 208 - Science Fiction? Speculative Fiction?
Science Fic? Speculative Fic?
Fall
2024
01
4.00
Torleif Persson
TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
Smith College
ENG-208-01-202501
Seelye 106
tpersson@smith.edu
Today, most people probably think of science fiction in terms of big-budget movies and TV series. But SF began in print and continues to flourish in novels and stories. SF has promised cheap thrills in inexpensive pulp magazines, and aspired to seriousness between hard covers; it has been the literature of proudly distinctive, and sometimes politically radical, subcultures, yet it has also sought to break into the literary mainstream. This course introduces students to works of SF—considering the forms they take, the conventions they play with, and issues they address—from H.G. Wells to Nnedi Okorafor. Recommended for nonmajors. Prerequisite: one college-level literature course or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 30.