The Pulp Era and the Gold Age of Science Fiction People loved it back then Griffith was a popular author in the early 1900s. A young married couple explores the solar system, visiting the fish people on the moon, the angels on Venus, and the giants on Mars. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and there will certainly be disputes about what deserves to be included, but the following are some of the biggest contributions to the genre.Īt the very beginning of the twentieth century, George Griffith published a book that is often cited as the genesis of space opera. While movies and TV have featured some excellent examples, we’re going to stick with the medium that birthed it: books. The following is a brief lesson on the history of space opera. That sense of wonder and exploration heavily influenced the development of space opera. It’s pretty easy to argue that the works of Jules Verne had a space opera feel back in the nineteenth century, even though they didn’t meet a lot of the criteria. The reason that people often conflate science fiction and space opera is because the two developed almost at the same time. While it’s completely possible to have space opera that tries to adhere to accepted or plausible scientific laws, it traditionally focuses less on what is plausible and more on what is engaging, thought-provoking, and most of all, entertaining. For instance, Star Wars and Star Trek are both good examples of space opera, even though they have very different styles and tones (or rather, they did before JJ Abrams showed up). There are a few examples that should spring readily to mind. The focus can be tight, but the setting is writ large. Space opera isn’t about the alien eating Reese’s Pieces in a kid’s bedroom it’s about entire races of aliens, fleets of ships, civilizations on the brink of disaster, solar systems and galaxies. This sort of thing is less true of modern space opera, but there’s another common characteristic of space opera: a vast scale.
Which isn’t to say that pretty women are scientifically unrealistic, but in space operas they do wear unrealistic clothing. Originally, it was the kind of science fiction involving the more “romantic” (read: scientifically unrealistic) tropes, such as faster-than-light travel, alien races, laser guns, and of course, pretty women who need saving. The reason we know space opera is a viable genre is because it fits the academic requirements common to all accepted genres: it’s vaguely defined, incorrectly applied to a wide variety of styles, and means different things to different people. We know space opera is a viable genre is because it fits the academic requirements common to all accepted genres: it’s vaguely defined, incorrectly applied to a wide variety of styles, and means different things to different people.
0 kommentar(er)
