Selma Lagerlöf är en författare som sällan förknippas med genren science fiction, men i denna uppsats analyseras två av hennes ovanligare berättelser med hjälp av science fiction-teori. Berättelserna är ”Kevenhüller”, ett kapitel ur Gösta Berlings saga från 1891, och ”Slåtterkarlarna på Ekolsund”, en versifierad berättelse från samlingsvolymen Troll och människor I från 1915. Syftet är dels att undersöka texterna från ett nytt perspektiv, dels att se hur texternas teman förhåller sig till andra i samtiden. De tre främsta aspekter som används i analysen är novum, det sublima och det groteska, alla tre begrepp använda enligt den science fiction-tolkning som Csicsery-Ronay gör i The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction från 2008. Ett novum är en uppfinning, upptäckt eller socialt förhållande genom vilken berättelsens handling får sitt ursprung. Det sublima är upplevelser där läsaren i texten möter ting av så storslagen natur att det inte går att omfatta med sinnet. Det groteska är läsupplevelser där gränser och förändringar är så vaga att det inte går att klassificera det som skapar känslan. Alla dessa aspekter återfinns i berättelserna och ger fördjupade insikter inom de teman som ofta associeras med science fiction, som framtid, teknik och mänsklig identitet. Lagerlöfs texter visar sig också passa in i tankegångar om framsteg som var populära i hennes samtid. Människans dominans över naturen ifrågasätts inte nämnvärt. Den stora uppgiften för människan är att hantera sin teknik ansvarsfullt, så att alla människor kan gagnas av teknikens under. / Selma Lagerlöf is an author who is seldomly associated with the Science Fiction genre, but in this thesis two of her more unusual stories are analysed with the help of Science Fiction Theory. The stories are “Kevenhüller”, a chapter from the novel Gösta Berling’s saga from 1891, and “Slåtterkarlarna på Ekolsund” (“The Mowers at Ekolsund”), a story written in verse from the collection volume Troll och människor I from 1915. The purpose is in part to analyse the texts from a new perspective and in part to see how the themes of the text relate to the author’s contemporaries. The three foremost aspects that are used in the analysis are Novum, the Sublime and the Grotesque, all three concepts used according to the Science Fiction interpretation that Csicsery-Ronay makes in The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction from 2008. A Novum is an invention, discovery, or social state of affair from which the story evolves. The Sublime is experiences where the reader is introduced to things in the text of such greatness that it’s not possible to grasp with the mind. The Grotesque is reading experiences where borders and transformations are so vague that it’s impossible to classify that which creates the feeling. All these aspects appear in the stories and gives expanded insights into themes who are often associated with Science Fiction, like future, technology, and human identity. The texts of Lagerlöf also fits in with trains of thought that were popular amongst her contemporaries. The human domination over nature is hardly ever questioned. The great mission for humanity is to handle its technology with responsibility, so that all people can gain from the wonders of technology.

Après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, la littérature de science-fiction s’est développée en France sous la forme d’un sous-champ isolé au sein du champ littéraire, avec ses collections, ses critiques et ses lecteurs spécifiques. Cette littérature produit des univers fictionnels en tension entre la réalité conventionnelle et des états alternatifs de cette réalité, selon une modalité dénommée dans la thèse le « régime ontologique matérialiste spéculatif ». Le corpus des romans a été analysé d’abord dans une perspective diachronique, en présentant une histoire des acteurs, des structures éditoriales et des thèmes de la science-fiction en France, articulée à une réflexion sur les conditions et les perspectives d’écriture des auteurs français. Les romans ont ensuite été analysés de manière à permettre une théorisation à plusieurs niveaux de l’écriture de la science-fiction : le mot et le texte de science-fiction, les mondes fictionnels extrapolés à partir du monde réel et enfin la mémoire collective mise en place par l’ensemble des œuvres, que nous nommons le « macrotexte » de la science-fiction. Notre contribution principale à l’histoire littéraire est l’étude de la manière dont évoluent les représentations communes en science-fiction, sous la forme de paradigmes dominants successifs où les écrivains réinterprètent les images et idées de la science-fiction. Nous avons établi selon quelles modalités le corpus des romans de science-fiction fournit à l’analyse du discours narratif, à la théorie de la fiction et à l’étude de l’intertextualité, des exemples remarquables en raison des dispositifs destinés à mettre les univers de science-fiction en concurrence avec la réalité. / After the Second World War in France, science fiction literature took the form of an isolated subaltern field within the literary field, featuring specific publishing series, critics and readership. In science fiction novels, fictional worlds are created by mixing conventional reality and alternate states of reality, a process I call “régime ontologique matérialiste spéculatif” (“speculative materialistic ontological status”). I have studied French science fiction novels first from a historical perspective, by describing the protagonists, the publishers and the themes of French science fiction, as well as by assessing how and to what end French science fiction writers wrote their novels. I have then studied these novels at several levels: how words and texts are shaped in science fiction, how fictional worlds are extrapolated from the real world and how science fiction texts generate a collective memory, which I call the “macrotext” of science fiction. Our thesis contributes to literary history by studying how the perception of science fiction gradually changes over time, each main paradigm morphing into a new one as writers adapt science fiction images and ideas to their needs. I have also pointed out how science fiction novels may prove of a keen interest to narrative discourse analysis, fiction theory and intertextuality approach, because of various devices meant to allow science fiction worlds to compete with reality.

This thesis deals with the depiction of meaningfulness and meaning-making, as seen in human characters in the 2000 animated science fiction film Titan A.E. (directed by Don Bluth). The analysis aims to show how Titan A.E. portrays a collective humanity in their search for a meaningful existence, given the outer space setting of its story. Evil is also brought up, in the context of how it creates meaning within the main narrative of the story. The emotions expressed by the story's characters are treated as if they were real. Meaningfulness and meaning-making get exemplified in both dialogue and visual components seen in the film. In addition to this, some reflection is made on the promotional trailers of Titan A.E. and how their displayed contents differ from the finished product. In parallel to the main analysis, there is a wider discussion made about the relationship between films and their real-world process of production, especially regarding whether theological reflection and the film industry can intersect or not.

Science fiction, like any other genre, is sub-divided into categories. Yet scholars in the field have long debated the existence of multiple, regional sf genres. The most critiqued of these classifications is between sf produced in Britain, and America. Though Britain remains the birthplace of sf, American author have undoubtedly left a mark on the genre. Scholars mark this difference in the writing styles and themes of authors in these regions. To examine this difference, I analyze two authors that have worked on a common theme: religion and in particular, the concept of hell. Evaluating the arguments put forth by critics such as Peter Kuczka, Cy Chavin, Franz Rottensteiner, and others; I examine works by Scottish author Iain m. Banks, and American author Cordwainer Smith to determine the validity of this classification. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Techronomicon Techronomicon is a science fiction novel that examines far-future military actions from several different perspectives. Human beings have colonized several planets with help from the enigmatic and more technologically advanced Zhir, who gave spaceships and habitable worlds to those they deemed suitable and their descendants. The Joint Expeditionary Force is the military arm of the Universal Faith, called in when conflicts arise that the Faith decides are beyond the local government and militia and require their intervention. Leneveldt and Roader are JEF officers assigned to Operation Techronomicon, investigating what seems to be a Zhir-built defence shield around the planet Lassana. Another JEF company sent to Kalaabhavan after the murder of the planets Confessor-General loses its CO to a land-mine, and Lieutenant Hellerman reluctantly accepts command. Chevalier, a civilian pilot, takes refugees fleeing military-run detention camps on Ararat to a biological research station on otherwise uninhabited Lila. The biologists on Lila discover a symbiote that enables humans to photosynthesize, which comes to the attention of Operation Techronomicon and the JEF's Weapons Research Division. Leneveldt and Roeder, frustrated by the lack of progress on Lassana, are sent to Lila to detain the biologists, who flee into the swamps. Hellerman's efforts to restore peace on Kalaabhavan are frustrated by the Confessors, and his company finds itself besieged by insurgents. The novel explores individuals' motives for choosing or rejecting violence and/or military service; the lessons they learn about themselves and their enemies; and the possible results of attempts to forcibly suppress ideas.

This study comprises a close reading and textual analysis of The Sentients of Orion, a space opera series by Australian author Marianne de Pierres, with a view to investigating the representations of gender in modern, popular science fiction by women authors. I hypothesise that de Pierres will pose a fictional enquiry into gender, based on the richness of science fiction by women, but that a closer examination of physical and emotional intimacy (both positive and negative) in these ‘less literary works’ will prove de Pierres’ gender enquiry to be superficial and inconsistent in nature. My main approach is a qualitative exploration of selected incidents through the theoretical lenses of feminist literary criticism, gender theory and, where applicable, queer theory. While I draw eclectically on these interpretive paradigms, my approach is most closely aligned with poststructuralist feminism. Proving the first part of my hypothesis, my findings show that de Pierres does pose an enquiry into gender through her portrayal of plot and character. The particular focus on the intimacies involving the heroine, women, men, and alien characters, proves the second part of my hypothesis incorrect as it reveals how de Pierres not only deeply and consistently challenges the heteronormative status quo, questioning dynamics in relationships, gender roles, ageism, sexism and societal stereotypes, but also provides possible alternatives. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

[ES] Esta investigación de Tesis tiene como objetivo principal analizar un determinado corpus de producciones de la ciencia ficción cinematográfica reciente. Estas películas parecen compartir unas claves visuales que, lejos de mantener los parámetros tradicionales del género, abordan otras referencias estéticas relacionadas con lo familiar, lo orgánico y lo nostálgico. La investigación comienza con el planteamiento de los objetivos, el marco teórico y las metodologías de trabajo y avanza con la delimitación del corpus y la justificación del mismo. A continuación se profundiza en el género de la ciencia ficción y en el lenguaje visual como herramienta fundamental para abordar la cultura visual reciente. Gracias a esta exploración, se propone una línea temporal de la evolución estética de la ciencia ficción cinematográfica mediante la que definir las corrientes mayoritarias del género, detectando a su vez los giros y propuestas alternativas más relevantes. Al realizar este ejercicio se localizan una serie de producciones de los años sesenta que, por su discurso en torno a la nostalgia y la subjetividad parecen inspirar al corpus actual. A partir de esa información se aborda el análisis del corpus, desde sus elementos conceptuales y narrativos -relacionados con la estética de la dirty scifi- a su expresión formal, precisada en tres claves definidas: lo natural -en un género que tradicionalmente rechaza lo orgánico-, lo espiritual -en tramas definidas por la razón- y lo físico y lo íntimo -que vuelve la mirada del afuera y del futuro al aquí y al ahora-. Por último, al profundizar en estas claves, se exploran determinados elementos que actúan como figuras simbólicas de cada relato. Elementos referidos en este análisis como artefactos que representan visualmente la propuesta conceptual -o novum- de cada película y que, como construcciones diegéticas, permiten ciertas reflexiones sobre el modo en el que la sociedad que las ha diseñado se relaciona con los conceptos de memoria, nostalgia y futuro. Finalmente, las conclusiones dan cuenta de aquello que -previamente planteado en los objetivos iniciales- ha quedado resuelto, de qué preguntas se han podido responder y de qué otras han surgido a partir del análisis realizado. Como resultado, la investigación propone un recorrido que abarca las generalidades de la ciencia ficción cinematográfica y su cualidad simbólica para detectar un impulso estético que, si bien se intuye en la contracultura de los años sesenta, asume hoy una presencia compartida. Esta perspectiva trata de ofrecer al lector un desarrollo explicativo equivalente al desarrollo investigador, de forma que le resulte posible descubrir esta tendencia y reflexionar acerca de cómo sus motivos visuales podrían evidenciar el carácter de su contexto creador. / [CA] Aquesta investigació de Tesi té com a objectiu principal analitzar un determinat corpus de produccions de la ciència-ficció cinematogràfica recent. Aquestes pel·lícules semblen compartir unes claus visuals que, lluny de mantindre els paràmetres tradicionals del gènere, aborden altres referències estètiques relacionades amb allò familiar, orgànic i nostàlgic. La investigació comença amb el plantejament dels objectius, el marc teòric i les metodologies de treball i avança amb la delimitació del corpus i la justificació d'aquest. A continuació s'aprofundeix en el gènere de la ciència-ficció i en el llenguatge visual com a eina fonamental per a abordar la cultura visual recent. Gràcies a aquesta exploració, es proposa una línia temporal de l'evolució estètica de la ciència-ficció cinematogràfica mitjançant la qual definir els corrents majoritaris del gènere, detectant al seu torn els girs i propostes alternatives més rellevants. En realitzar aquest exercici es localitzen una sèrie de produccions dels anys seixanta que, pel seu discurs entorn de la nostàlgia i la subjectivitat semblen inspirar al corpus actual. A partir d'aqueixa informació s'aborda l'anàlisi del corpus, des dels seus elements conceptuals i narratius -relacionats amb l'estètica de la dirty scifi- a la seua expressió formal, precisada en tres claus definides: allò natural -en un gènere que tradicionalment rebutja l'orgànic-, allò espiritual -en trames definides per la raó- i allò físic i íntim -que gira la mirada del fora i del futur a l'ací i a l'ara-. Finalment, en aprofundir en aquestes claus, s'exploren determinats elements que actuen com a figures simbòliques de cada relat. Elements referits en aquesta anàlisi com a artefactes que representen visualment la proposta conceptual -o novum- de cada pel·lícula i que, com a construccions diegétiques, permeten unes certes reflexions sobre la manera en què la societat que les ha dissenyades es relaciona amb els conceptes de memòria, nostàlgia i futur. Finalment, les conclusions donen compte d'allò que -prèviament plantejat en els objectius inicials- ha quedat resolt, de quines preguntes s'han pogut respondre i de quines altres han sorgit a partir de l'anàlisi realitzada. Com a resultat, la investigació proposa un recorregut que abasta les generalitats de la ciència-ficció cinematogràfica i la seua qualitat simbòlica per a detectar un impuls estètic que, si bé s'intueix en la contracultura dels anys seixanta, assumeix hui una presència compartida. Aquesta perspectiva tracta d'oferir al lector un desenvolupament explicatiu equivalent al desenvolupament investigador, de manera que li resulte possible descobrir aquesta tendència i reflexionar sobre com els seus motius visuals podrien evidenciar el caràcter del seu context creador. / [EN] To delimit and analyze a certain corpus of productions of recent cinematographic science fiction is the main objective of this Thesis research. These films seem to share some visual keys that, far from maintaining the traditional parameters of the genre, approach other aesthetic related to familiar, organic and nostalgic references. Research begins with the statement of the objectives, the theoretical framework and the working methodologies and it progresses with the delimitation of the corpus and its justification. It then delves into the genre of science fiction and visual language as a fundamental tool for approaching recent visual culture. Thanks to this exploration, a timeline of the aesthetic evolution of cinematic science fiction is proposed to define the main currents of the genre, detecting in turn the most relevant turns and alternative proposals. In carrying out this exercise, a series of productions from the sixties are located which, due to their discourse on nostalgia and subjectivity, seem to inspire the current corpus. Based on this information, the analysis of the corpus is approached, from its conceptual and narrative elements -related to the aesthetics of dirty sci-fi- to its formal expression, specified in three defined keys: natural -in a genre that traditionally rejects the organic-, spiritual -in plots defined by reason- and physical and intimate -that turns the gaze from the outside and the future to here and now-. Finally, by delving deeper into these keys, we explore certain elements that act as symbolic figures in each story. Elements referred to in this analysis as artifacts that visually represent the conceptual proposal -or novum- of each film and that, as diegetic constructions, allow certain reflections on the way in which the society that has designed them relates to the concepts of memory, nostalgia and future. Finally, the conclusions give an account of what -previously raised in the initial objectives- has been resolved, which questions have been answered and which others have arisen from the analysis carried out. As a result, the research proposes a journey that covers the generalities of cinematic science fiction and its symbolic quality in order to detect an aesthetic impulse that, although intuited in the counterculture of the sixties, assumes today a shared presence. This perspective tries to offer the reader an explanatory development equivalent to the research development, so that it is possible to him or her discover this tendency and reflect on how its visual motifs could evidence the character of its creative context. / Cuenca García, C. (2022). Claves estéticas de la ciencia ficción cinematográfica (2014-2019): la representación de lo otro a través del diseño de producción audiovisual [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/190242

This dissertation examines the figures of the shaman and the cyborg, arguing that both act as intermediaries between the organic world of bodies and the artificial world of culture and machines. Using the sf of Robert Holdstock, David Zindell and Kathleen Ann Goonan as starting points, new forms of embodiment in the context of the cyborg and the shaman's shared narrative of radical boundary dissolution are critically and imaginatively examined. Throughout this thesis, the works of Deleuze and Guattari, Sadie Plant, Manuel De Landa, Erik Davis, Donna Haraway, Terence McKenna, and other speculative theorists who operate at the nexus of technological culture and the shamanic imagination serve as guidelines. / English Studies / M.A.

Gestalt psychologists Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Köhler argue that human perception relies on a form, or gestalt, into which perceptions are assimilated. Gestalt theory has been applied to the visual arts by Rudolf Arnheim and to literature by Wolfgang Iser. My original contribution to knowledge is to use gestalt theory to perform literary criticism, an approach that highlights the importance of perception in William Gibson's novels and the impact of this emphasis on posthumanism and science fiction studies. Science fiction addresses the problem of difference and the relationship between self and other. Gestalt literary criticism takes perception as the interface between the self and the other, the human and the inhuman. Gibson's work is of particular interest as his early novels are representative of 1980s cyberpunk while his later novels push the boundaries of science fiction through their contemporary settings. By engaging with Gibson the thesis makes its contribution to contemporary science fiction criticism explicit. In Gibson's Sprawl trilogy autopoiesis defines life and consciousness, elevating the importance of perception (Chapter I). The Bridge trilogy uses the metaphor of chaos theory to examine dialectic tensions, such as the tension between space and cyberspace (Chapter II). Faulty pattern recognition is a key theme in Gibson's post-9/11 work as gestalt perception allows and limits knowledge (Chapter III). Chapter IV explains how the gestalt in psychoanalysis creates a fragmented subject in Spook Country (2007). Finally, the gestalt appears as a parallax view, a view that oscillates between the world we experience and the world as represented in the text (Chapter V). I conclude that gestalt literary criticism offers an exciting new reading of Gibson's work that recognises its engagement with visual culture and cyberpunk as a whole.

In this paper I have studied the two new religious phenomena, Temple of the Jedi Order and Whovianism, based on the cognitive concept of man dominated by schemas that characterize the outcome of adequate response to new situations. This principle is about how man faces new situations through old knowledge and experience of similar events. For this study, I analyzed selected stories in which individuals describe their religious interest and involvement in the Star Wars movies, and the related religious community Temple of the Jedi Order, as well as the television series Doctor Who, with the associated religious community Whovianism. This study was inspired by phenomenographic method by which researchers focus on the perceived and how it is conveyed in the respective story. The results of this study show that new religious phenomena, such as the Temple of the Jedi Order and Whovianism, can be explained using the theory of cognitive schemas.  The study shows that the individuals, whose stories have been examined, use ancient knowledge and experiences on the different aspects conveyed by Star Wars and Doctor Who and through this a new religious community is born.