Science Fiction as Social Fiction: British Sci-fi and its Antecedents

The goal of this thesis is to trace the roots of British science fiction literature and examine the evolution of the genre, noting the recurring themes, tropes and overall legacy of the canonical works of British sci-fi in contemporary literature. It also contains an analysis of the specifically British nature, pessimistic and featuring passive characters, especially in comparison to the natural counterpart that is American SF, which shows more optimistic tone, empowered human characters. Defining science fiction literature is complicated on its own, and it is therefore one of main issues tackled in this thesis. It is presented in the first chapter, focusing particularly on definitions proposed by Robert A. Heinlein, Darko Suvin, Brian Aldiss and Robert Scholes. These multiple, more or less conflicting definitions are argued to demonstrate the diversity of the subgenres of science fiction, thus exploring the genre's boundaries as they apply today. The second chapter considers works arguably identified as the first exemplary novels of the genre. The authors from pre-Victorian period mentioned include Lucian of Samosa, Jonathan Swift and Francis Godwin and their theological and satirical works are analysed in science fiction context. The second part of this chapter explores the shift that came with..