The purpose of this paper is to explore Soviet science fiction; that is, all science fiction published in Russia after 1917 to about 1967. The selection of literature from the 1960's was random; the selection from previous years was determined principally by its availability: about three-fourths of all the works examined belong to the last decade insofar as I can determine from publishing dates and critical sources; somewhat less than three-fourths of all the authors whose works were read wrote mainly in the post World War II era, and half of the novel-length works used in the preparation of the paper were published before World War II. It is impossible to ascertain if these proportions accurately reflect the varying production of science fiction during this period, but it is probably true that much more sf was published in the last decade in Russia than in previous years. What are the themes with which the authors of science fiction are occupied? Have they changed since the 'twenties? How closely does science fiction resemble the rest of Soviet literature? Has it become, as American science fiction after World War II became, a vehicle for social criticism? It is a rapidly growing body of literature that has just recently begun to attract serious consideration of its literary merits. It has a small but devoted audience. I intend to explain what this audience reads and evaluate the genre objectively and critically. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.A.). / Written for the Dept. of Russian and Slavic Studies. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2007/08/29). Includes bibliographical references.

viii, 62 p. / Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are the most prolific Soviet science fiction writers, who focused, above all, on the social themes and with satire discussed the political and social agendas in the Soviet society. This thesis explores the contribution of the Brothers Strugatsky to the genre of Russian science fiction and looks into the main themes of their most famous novels. At the beginning, I present a short overview of the history of Russian science fiction. Further on, I explore the Brothers Strugatsky's role in the development of science fiction in the Soviet Union and single out the two phases of their literary career: utopian and anti-utopian. Furthermore, I examine the Strugatskys' most prominent novels and their main themes: human nature and Soviet bureaucracy. Finally, I analyze to what extent the Strugatskys' novels fit into the Soviet reality and how they shape the genre of science fiction in Russia. / Committee in charge: Susanna Lim, Chair; Yelaina Kripkov, Member; Katya Hokanson, Member

Thesis (M.A.)--Kutztown University, 1985. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2853. Typescript. Translation of: Tolsti︠a︡k nad mirom. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [133]-137).

Thesis (M.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1985. / Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as 2 preliminary leaves. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2853. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [80]-84).