Oct 7, 2008

Nightfall | Topics for Further Study

Asimov was considered one of the three greatest writers of science fiction in the 1940s along with Robert Heinlein and A. E. Van Vogt. Read a work by each of these other two authors and comment on the science fiction of this time period.

The climax of ‘‘Nightfall’’ is a total eclipse. Research this phenomenon and write a report on the frequency of occurrence on Earth and the folklore surrounding a total eclipse of the sun.

Asimov was an atheist and a secular humanist whose skepticism about religion can be seen in his fiction, including ‘‘Nightfall.’’ Define secular...