Fictions: Literature and Storytelling: Difference between revisions

(13 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)

Line 1:

== Contact Fictions ==

A collection of contact fictions in multiple languages, opening up imaginaries of life beyond earth, and global interest in SETI and the extraterrestrial.

== Lists and Anthologies ==

'''[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280731468_An_Annotated_Index_of_Good_Science_Fiction_with_SETI_and_Life_in_the_Universe_Themes An Annotated Index of Good Science Fiction with SETI and Life in the Universe Themes]''' Compiled by Andrew Fraknoi

* “This report provides annotated listings of science fiction stories and novels that concern the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence or the discovery of other life-forms in the universe. It can be used in courses on astronomy where students have an interest in science fiction or want to do a paper on astronomically reasonable fiction, as well as in courses on science fiction and its relationship to science.”

''Note:'' “This brief list is excerpted from a web resource [Fraknoi’s topical list below] keeping track of science fiction stories or novels that are based on good science or reasonable extrapolation.” [http://michaelomanreagan.net/ Michael Oman Reagan]

'''[https://astrosociety.org/education-outreach/programs.html Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index]''' Compiled by Andrew Fraknoi

* “This is a selective list of some short stories and novels that use more or less accurate science and can be used for teaching or reinforcing astronomy or physics concepts. I include both traditional “science-fiction” and (occasionally) more serious fiction that derives meaning or plot from astronomy or physics ideas. The titles of short stories are given in quotation marks; only short stories that have been published in book form or are available free on the Web are included. While one book source is given for each short story, note that some of the stories can be found in other collections as well.” [http://michaelomanreagan.net/ Michael Oman Reagan]

'''[https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/walking-the-clouds Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction.]''' Edited by Grace L. Dillon, 2012. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

* “In this first-ever anthology of Indigenous science fiction, Grace Dillon collects some of the finest examples of the craft with contributions by Native American, First Nations, Aboriginal Australian, and New Zealand Maori authors… Dillon's engaging introduction situates the pieces in the larger context of science fiction and its conventions.” [http://michaelomanreagan.net/ Michael Oman Reagan]*

'''[https://digitalheritagelab.liverpool.ac.uk/voyager Voyager at 50]'''

* "This exhibition explores how the genre has imagined potential problems of communicating with aliens, using items from the University of Liverpool’s Science Fiction Collections. It is inspired by the Voyager missions in 1977, which will mark their 50th anniversary in 2027."

== SETI and Science Fiction Scholarship ==

'''Baxter, S.'''

*Imagining the Alien: The Portrayal of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and SETI in Science Fiction*, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society 62 pp131-138, 2009. Adapted for ''Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: SETI Past, Present and Future'' ed. HP Shuch, Springer, 2011.

'''[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55c251dfe4b0ad74ccf25537/t/5ae22200575d1fefa564b3d9/1524769280413/Indigenous+Science+%28Fiction%29+for+the+Anthropocene+Academia+Draft+2.pdf Whyte, Kyle.]'''

*“Indigenous (Science) Fiction for the Anthropocene: Ancestral Dystopias and Fantasies of Climate Change Crises.”* Draft. Last accessed May 17, 2018.

'''[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pIffmoUX3edgYGnsVz61Tc_DwTs3pe4-/edit Lempert, W.]'''

'''2018'''

“Indigenous Media Futures: An Introduction.” Cultural Anthropology 33(2):173-179.

'''2018'''

“Generative Hope in the Postapocalyptic Present.” Cultural Anthropology 33(2):202-212. Republished in 2020 within a special issue on “Hope” in Open Anthropology 8(2).

'''2014'''

“Decolonizing Encounters of the Third Kind: Alternative Futuring in Native Science Fiction Film.” Visual Anthropology Review 30(2):164-176.

'''2012'''

“Telling Their Own Stories: Indigenous Film as Critical Identity Discourse.” The Applied Anthropologist 32(1):23-32.

=== Chinese Language (Mandarin) ===

Line 15:

Line 55:

| 2015 || 三体X: 观想之宙 "The Three Body X: Aeon of Contention" || 宝树 (Baoshu) || Novel || Continuation of first contact with Trisolarans and new extraterrestrial challenges. || Translated to English by Ken Liu (unofficial, 2019); Translated to Spanish by Jorge Roberto Perez and Yinhe Wang (2018) || Adversarial aliens, Philosophical depth, Trust and conflict ||

|}

=== English Language ===

Line 21:

Line 60:

{| class="wikitable"

! Year !! Title !! Author !! Publication Type !! Context !! Translation Details !! Meta Tags !! Files & media

|-

| 1666 || "The Blazing World" || Margaret Cavendish || Novel || A female traveller finds and describes a parallel world reached via the North Pole || || Utopia, First Contact, Philosophy ||

|-

| 1898 || "The War of the Worlds" || H.G. Wells || Novel || Humanity's first contact with Martian invaders leads to a terrifying war. || || Alien war, First contact, Human survival, Martian invasion ||

Line 27:

Line 68:

|-

| 1953 || "Childhood's End" || Arthur C. Clarke || Novel || Peaceful alien invasion leads to humanity's evolution into a higher existence. || || Existential dread, Human evolution, Peaceful invasion, Utopia ||

|-

| 1954 || "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet" || Eleanor Cameron || Novel || Two boys from California build a spaceship and travel to a pale green planet. || || First contact, Crisis, Scientific Discovery ||

|-

| 1959 || "The Sirens of Titan" || Kurt Vonnegut || Novel || Aliens manipulate humanity for their own ends, exploring existentialism and free will. || || Alien manipulation, Existentialism, Free will, Satire ||

|-

| 1961 || "Solaris" || Stanislaw Lem || Novel || Humans attempt to communicate with an alien intelligence manifesting as a living ocean. || || Alien intelligence, Communication, Living ocean, Mystery ||

| 1961 || "Solaris" || Stanislaw Lem || Novel || Humans attempt to communicate with an alien intelligence manifesting as a living ocean. || Translated from Polish || Alien intelligence, Communication, Living ocean, Mystery ||

|-

| 1969 || "The Andromeda Strain" || Michael Crichton || Novel || A deadly extraterrestrial microorganism threatens humanity's survival. || || Biological threat, Extraterrestrial microorganism, Scientific response, Thriller ||

Line 54:

Line 97:

| 1985 || "Ender's Game" || Orson Scott Card || Novel || A young genius is trained to combat an alien insectoid race. || || Adversarial aliens, Insectoid, Military training ||

|-

| 1986 || "Stanislaw Lem's Fiasco" || Stanislaw Lem || Novel || Establishment of contact and communication with a mysterious alien planet. || || Alien planet, Communication, Mysterious ||

| 1986 || "Stanislaw Lem's Fiasco" || Stanislaw Lem || Novel || Establishment of contact and communication with a mysterious alien planet. || Translated from Polish || Alien planet, Communication, Mysterious ||

|-

| 1986 || "Eifelheim" || Michael Flynn || Novel || Medieval villagers encounter stranded alien visitors and attempt communication. || || Communication, Friendly aliens, Medieval ||

Line 100:

Line 143:

| 2021 || "Project Hail Mary" || Andy Weir || Novel || A lone astronaut must cooperate with an alien to save their planets. || || Astronaut, Cooperative aliens, Planetary crisis ||

|}

=== French Language ===

Line 137:

Line 179:

| 2015 || "Demain les chats" || Bernard Werber || Novel || More-than-human novel featuring a telepathic cat who communicates with extraterrestrial beings. || || Alien intelligence, Animal Communication, More-than-Human ||

|}

=== German Language ===

{| class="wikitable"

! Year !! Title !! Author !! Publication Type !! Context !! Translation Details !! Meta Tags !! Files & media

|-

| style="vertical-align: top;" | 1897 || style="vertical-align: top;" | "Auf zwei Planeten" ("Two Planets") || style="vertical-align: top;" | Kurd Laßwitz || style="vertical-align: top;" | Novel || style="vertical-align: top;" | Humanity establishes contact with a technologically advanced Martian civilization, leading to cooperation and conflict; regarded as a foundational German science fiction novel. || style="vertical-align: top;" | English translation by Hans H. Rudnick, 1971. The English edition is abridged, with about 40% of the original text cut. || style="vertical-align: top;" | First contact, Martian civilization, Cooperation, Conflict, Classic SF ||

|-

| style="vertical-align: top;" | 1961 || style="vertical-align: top;" | "Unternehmen Stardust" ("Operation Stardust", Perry Rhodan Series Vol. 1) || style="vertical-align: top;" | Karl-Herbert Scheer & Walter Ernsting (series concept); later continued by multiple authors || style="vertical-align: top;" | Pulp novel series || style="vertical-align: top;" | First contact with the stranded alien race of the Arkonides on the far side of the Moon; triggers humanity’s entry into galactic politics and encounters with many extraterrestrial civilizations. || style="vertical-align: top;" | Translated into English (as "Enterprise Stardust" / "Operation Stardust"), French, Japanese and several other languages. || style="vertical-align: top;" | First contact, Alien species, Galactic empire, Expansion, Long-running serial fiction ||

|-

| style="vertical-align: top;" | 2015 || style="vertical-align: top;" | "Paradox: Am Abgrund der Ewigkeit" ("Paradox: On the Brink of Eternity") || style="vertical-align: top;" | Phillip P. Peterson || style="vertical-align: top;" | Novel || style="vertical-align: top;" | Humanity encounters alien megastructures and signals that warn of cosmic threats; first contact elements framed as a cautionary scenario. || style="vertical-align: top;" | Translated to English by Laura Radosh (2017). || style="vertical-align: top;" | First contact, Cosmic warning, Extraterrestrial probes, Humanity under threat ||

|}

=== Orcadian Scots Language ===

{| class="wikitable"

! Year !! Title !! Author !! Publication Type !! Context !! Translation Details !! Meta Tags !! Files & media

|-

| 2021 || "Deep Wheel Orcadia" || Harry Josephine Giles || Novel in Verse || A visitor from Mars arrives on a space station. || Bilingual text in Orcadian and Scots || First Contact, Human survival ||

|}

=== Spanish Language ===

Line 150:

Line 213:

|-

| 2001 || "La Llamada de la Luna" || Elia Barceló || Novel || Female protagonist experiences contact with an alien entity that challenges her understanding of reality. || || Feminism, First contact, Ontologies, Other Worldly Beings, Reality ||

|}

=== Ukrainian Language ===

{| class="wikitable"

! Year !! Title !! Author !! Publication Type !! Context !! Translation Details !! Meta Tags !! Files & media

|-

| 2021 || "Victor_Robot Diary of a Planet Collector" || Anastasia Lavrenishyna || YA Novel || A boy in the future designs an artificial planetary system and robot mechanic || Ukrainian. || First Contact, Exoplanets ||

|}

Line 159:

Line 230:

| 1976 || "Arzach" || Moebius (Jean Giraud) || Bande Dessinée || A silent narrative following a lone warrior encountering strange, alien creatures. Largely wordless. || Originally French publisher; Published in multiple languages. || ET encounter, Science Fiction, Surreal, Wordless ||

|}

== Transcultural Science Fiction Scholarship ==

Conflicting Times. [https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1764466/FULLTEXT01.pdf Multiple Temporalities in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction] by Mo Welin, E. Erik. Ph. D. Dissertation, Uppsala Universitet, 2023.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Contact Fictions ==
+A collection of contact fictions in multiple languages, opening up imaginaries of life beyond earth, and global interest in SETI and the extraterrestrial.
+== Lists and Anthologies ==
+'''[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280731468_An_Annotated_Index_of_Good_Science_Fiction_with_SETI_and_Life_in_the_Universe_Themes An Annotated Index of Good Science Fiction with SETI and Life in the Universe Themes]'''  Compiled by Andrew Fraknoi
+*  “This report provides annotated listings of science fiction stories and novels that concern the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence or the discovery of other life-forms in the universe. It can be used in courses on astronomy where students have an interest in science fiction or want to do a paper on astronomically reasonable fiction, as well as in courses on science fiction and its relationship to science.”
+''Note:'' “This brief list is excerpted from a web resource [Fraknoi’s topical list below] keeping track of science fiction stories or novels that are based on good science or reasonable extrapolation.”  [http://michaelomanreagan.net/ Michael Oman Reagan]
+'''[https://astrosociety.org/education-outreach/programs.html Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index]'''  Compiled by Andrew Fraknoi
+* “This is a selective list of some short stories and novels that use more or less accurate science and can be used for teaching or reinforcing astronomy or physics concepts. I include both traditional “science-fiction” and (occasionally) more serious fiction that derives meaning or plot from astronomy or physics ideas. The titles of short stories are given in quotation marks; only short stories that have been published in book form or are available free on the Web are included. While one book source is given for each short story, note that some of the stories can be found in other collections as well.” [http://michaelomanreagan.net/ Michael Oman Reagan]
+'''[https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/walking-the-clouds Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction.]'''  Edited by Grace L. Dillon, 2012. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
+*  “In this first-ever anthology of Indigenous science fiction, Grace Dillon collects some of the finest examples of the craft with contributions by Native American, First Nations, Aboriginal Australian, and New Zealand Maori authors… Dillon's engaging introduction situates the pieces in the larger context of science fiction and its conventions.” [http://michaelomanreagan.net/ Michael Oman Reagan]*
+'''[https://digitalheritagelab.liverpool.ac.uk/voyager Voyager at 50]'''
+*  "This exhibition explores how the genre has imagined potential problems of communicating with aliens, using items from the University of Liverpool’s Science Fiction Collections. It is inspired by the Voyager missions in 1977, which will mark their 50th anniversary in 2027."
+== SETI and Science Fiction Scholarship ==
+'''Baxter, S.'''
+*Imagining the Alien: The Portrayal of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and SETI in Science Fiction*, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society 62 pp131-138, 2009. Adapted for ''Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: SETI Past, Present and Future'' ed. HP Shuch, Springer, 2011.
+'''[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55c251dfe4b0ad74ccf25537/t/5ae22200575d1fefa564b3d9/1524769280413/Indigenous+Science+%28Fiction%29+for+the+Anthropocene+Academia+Draft+2.pdf Whyte, Kyle.]'''
+*“Indigenous (Science) Fiction for the Anthropocene: Ancestral Dystopias and Fantasies of Climate Change Crises.”* Draft. Last accessed May 17, 2018.
+'''[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pIffmoUX3edgYGnsVz61Tc_DwTs3pe4-/edit Lempert, W.]'''
+'''2018'''
+“Indigenous Media Futures: An Introduction.” Cultural Anthropology 33(2):173-179.
+'''2018'''
+“Generative Hope in the Postapocalyptic Present.” Cultural Anthropology 33(2):202-212. Republished in 2020 within a special issue on “Hope” in Open Anthropology 8(2).
+'''2014'''
+“Decolonizing Encounters of the Third Kind: Alternative Futuring in Native Science Fiction Film.” Visual Anthropology Review 30(2):164-176.
+'''2012'''
+“Telling Their Own Stories: Indigenous Film as Critical Identity Discourse.” The Applied Anthropologist 32(1):23-32.
 === Chinese Language (Mandarin) ===
@@ Line 15: / Line 55: @@
 | 2015 || 三体X: 观想之宙 "The Three Body X: Aeon of Contention" || 宝树 (Baoshu) || Novel || Continuation of first contact with Trisolarans and new extraterrestrial challenges. || Translated to English by Ken Liu (unofficial, 2019); Translated to Spanish by Jorge Roberto Perez and Yinhe Wang (2018) || Adversarial aliens, Philosophical depth, Trust and conflict ||
 |}
 === English Language ===
@@ Line 21: / Line 60: @@
 {| class="wikitable"
 ! Year !! Title !! Author !! Publication Type !! Context !! Translation Details !! Meta Tags !! Files & media
+|-
+| 1666 || "The Blazing World" || Margaret Cavendish || Novel || A female traveller finds and describes a parallel world reached via the North Pole || || Utopia, First Contact, Philosophy ||
 |-
 | 1898 || "The War of the Worlds" || H.G. Wells || Novel || Humanity's first contact with Martian invaders leads to a terrifying war. || || Alien war, First contact, Human survival, Martian invasion ||
@@ Line 27: / Line 68: @@
 |-
 | 1953 || "Childhood's End" || Arthur C. Clarke || Novel || Peaceful alien invasion leads to humanity's evolution into a higher existence. || || Existential dread, Human evolution, Peaceful invasion, Utopia ||
+|-
+| 1954 || "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet" || Eleanor Cameron || Novel || Two boys from California build a spaceship and travel to a pale green planet. || || First contact, Crisis, Scientific Discovery ||
 |-
 | 1959 || "The Sirens of Titan" || Kurt Vonnegut || Novel || Aliens manipulate humanity for their own ends, exploring existentialism and free will. || || Alien manipulation, Existentialism, Free will, Satire ||
 |-
-| 1961 || "Solaris" || Stanislaw Lem || Novel || Humans attempt to communicate with an alien intelligence manifesting as a living ocean. || || Alien intelligence, Communication, Living ocean, Mystery ||
+| 1961 || "Solaris" || Stanislaw Lem || Novel || Humans attempt to communicate with an alien intelligence manifesting as a living ocean. || Translated from Polish || Alien intelligence, Communication, Living ocean, Mystery ||
 |-
 | 1969 || "The Andromeda Strain" || Michael Crichton || Novel || A deadly extraterrestrial microorganism threatens humanity's survival. || || Biological threat, Extraterrestrial microorganism, Scientific response, Thriller ||
@@ Line 54: / Line 97: @@
 | 1985 || "Ender's Game" || Orson Scott Card || Novel || A young genius is trained to combat an alien insectoid race. || || Adversarial aliens, Insectoid, Military training ||
 |-
-| 1986 || "Stanislaw Lem's Fiasco" || Stanislaw Lem || Novel || Establishment of contact and communication with a mysterious alien planet. || || Alien planet, Communication, Mysterious ||
+| 1986 || "Stanislaw Lem's Fiasco" || Stanislaw Lem || Novel || Establishment of contact and communication with a mysterious alien planet. || Translated from Polish || Alien planet, Communication, Mysterious ||
 |-
 | 1986 || "Eifelheim" || Michael Flynn || Novel || Medieval villagers encounter stranded alien visitors and attempt communication. || || Communication, Friendly aliens, Medieval ||
@@ Line 100: / Line 143: @@
 | 2021 || "Project Hail Mary" || Andy Weir || Novel || A lone astronaut must cooperate with an alien to save their planets. || || Astronaut, Cooperative aliens, Planetary crisis ||
 |}
 === French Language ===
@@ Line 137: / Line 179: @@
 | 2015 || "Demain les chats" || Bernard Werber || Novel || More-than-human novel featuring a telepathic cat who communicates with extraterrestrial beings. || || Alien intelligence, Animal Communication, More-than-Human ||
 |}
+=== German Language ===
+{| class="wikitable"
+! Year !! Title !! Author !! Publication Type !! Context !! Translation Details !! Meta Tags !! Files & media
+|-
+| style="vertical-align: top;" | 1897 || style="vertical-align: top;" | "Auf zwei Planeten" ("Two Planets") || style="vertical-align: top;" | Kurd Laßwitz || style="vertical-align: top;" | Novel || style="vertical-align: top;" | Humanity establishes contact with a technologically advanced Martian civilization, leading to cooperation and conflict; regarded as a foundational German science fiction novel. || style="vertical-align: top;" | English translation by Hans H. Rudnick, 1971. The English edition is abridged, with about 40% of the original text cut. || style="vertical-align: top;" | First contact, Martian civilization, Cooperation, Conflict, Classic SF ||
+|-
+| style="vertical-align: top;" | 1961 || style="vertical-align: top;" | "Unternehmen Stardust" ("Operation Stardust", Perry Rhodan Series Vol. 1) || style="vertical-align: top;" | Karl-Herbert Scheer & Walter Ernsting (series concept); later continued by multiple authors || style="vertical-align: top;" | Pulp novel series || style="vertical-align: top;" | First contact with the stranded alien race of the Arkonides on the far side of the Moon; triggers humanity’s entry into galactic politics and encounters with many extraterrestrial civilizations. || style="vertical-align: top;" | Translated into English (as "Enterprise Stardust" / "Operation Stardust"), French, Japanese and several other languages. || style="vertical-align: top;" | First contact, Alien species, Galactic empire, Expansion, Long-running serial fiction ||
+|-
+| style="vertical-align: top;" | 2015 || style="vertical-align: top;" | "Paradox: Am Abgrund der Ewigkeit" ("Paradox: On the Brink of Eternity") || style="vertical-align: top;" | Phillip P. Peterson || style="vertical-align: top;" | Novel || style="vertical-align: top;" | Humanity encounters alien megastructures and signals that warn of cosmic threats; first contact elements framed as a cautionary scenario. || style="vertical-align: top;" | Translated to English by Laura Radosh (2017). || style="vertical-align: top;" | First contact, Cosmic warning, Extraterrestrial probes, Humanity under threat ||
+|}
+=== Orcadian Scots Language ===
+{| class="wikitable"
+! Year !! Title !! Author !! Publication Type !! Context !! Translation Details !! Meta Tags !! Files & media
+|-
+| 2021 || "Deep Wheel Orcadia" || Harry Josephine Giles || Novel in Verse || A visitor from Mars arrives on a space station. || Bilingual text in Orcadian and Scots || First Contact, Human survival ||
+|}
 === Spanish Language ===
@@ Line 150: / Line 213: @@
 |-
 | 2001 || "La Llamada de la Luna" || Elia Barceló || Novel || Female protagonist experiences contact with an alien entity that challenges her understanding of reality. || || Feminism, First contact, Ontologies, Other Worldly Beings, Reality ||
+|}
+=== Ukrainian Language ===
+{| class="wikitable"
+! Year !! Title !! Author !! Publication Type !! Context !! Translation Details !! Meta Tags !! Files & media
+|-
+| 2021 || "Victor_Robot Diary of a Planet Collector" || Anastasia Lavrenishyna || YA Novel || A boy in the future designs an artificial planetary system and robot mechanic || Ukrainian. || First Contact, Exoplanets ||
 |}
@@ Line 159: / Line 230: @@
 | 1976 || "Arzach" || Moebius (Jean Giraud) || Bande Dessinée || A silent narrative following a lone warrior encountering strange, alien creatures. Largely wordless. || Originally French publisher; Published in multiple languages. || ET encounter, Science Fiction, Surreal, Wordless ||
 |}
+== Transcultural Science Fiction Scholarship ==
+Conflicting Times. [https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1764466/FULLTEXT01.pdf Multiple Temporalities in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction] by Mo Welin, E. Erik. Ph. D. Dissertation, Uppsala Universitet, 2023.