Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Group at eNotes

A cautionary tale is a story that is told to warn against a specific...

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:57:56 PST

A cautionary tale is a story that is told to warn against a specific action or practice. To state that more positively, it is told to instill certain desired behaviors in the listeners/readers, or to guide them away from socially disruptive behaviors. A classic example of this might be the story of the scorpion and the frog, in which a scorpion begs a frog for a ride across a river, promising not to sting the frog because it (the scorpion)...

What exactly is meant by "a cautionary tale?" Can you list...

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:48:06 PST

What exactly is meant by "a cautionary tale?" Can you list some examples found in both science fiction and fantasy literature?

Science Fiction is usually about the future. The stories and novels...

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:10:16 PST

Science Fiction is usually about the future. The stories and novels usually involve space ships, future technology and futuristic concepts. I have found that "fantasy" is more about faeries, witches, wizards, Fae, and goblins. In the Fantasy genre the stories usually are epic, often covering several volumes and a great deal of time. This of course is not always true, but generally speaking fantasy is about the past cultures. ...

How does science fiction as a literary 'genre' distinguish itself from...

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:56:04 PST

How does science fiction as a literary 'genre' distinguish itself from fantasy?

The Outlander series is sure wonderful - Do you know when the last one...

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 09:31:38 PST

The Outlander series is sure wonderful - Do you know when the last one is supposed to come out, Amy?

Thanks for the tip. Being a history nut and an avid reader, I'm always...

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:57:22 PST

Thanks for the tip. Being a history nut and an avid reader, I'm always looking for good things to read. I'm currently reading The Poisonwood Bible, my first Kingsolver novel. I am in love with her use of language...it's so poetic and trips melliflously off the tongue. I will be looking into more of her stuff. I will add the books Timeline and Splintered Icon to my reading list! Thanks!

Alas, Babylon is a great book, as is Farenheit 451. Anything by Ray...

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:46:18 PST

Alas, Babylon is a great book, as is Farenheit 451. Anything by Ray Bradbury is oh-so-cool. I also like teaching "The Shawshank Redemption" and other short stories by Stephen King. SR is really sci-fi, but kids love it that King wrote it and we can watch the film afterward for comparison and argument about choices in camera angles, lighting, delivery.

In reply to #4: Read the book Timeline; it's much better than the movie,...

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:53:49 PST

In reply to #4: Read the book Timeline; it's much better than the movie, as usual. I just finished a fascinating book about the lost colony at Roanoke--Splintered Icon by Bill Napier. It's very good.

I think the best science fiction doesn't just entertain but makes you...

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:33:52 PST

I think the best science fiction doesn't just entertain but makes you think about what might be possible. For instance, Crichton's Andromeda Strain was written long before 9/11, but it makes us think about biological threats. Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains is another story that makes you think about what the future might be like.You also need to decide how to define science fiction. Is The Giver science fiction? How about The Little...

Best Science Fiction for the Curriculum

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:07:50 PST

What do classroom teachers feel are the best science fiction works to introduce in a literature class, and why?

How fun! I LOVE the idea of time travel...one of my favorite series is...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:48:11 PST

How fun! I LOVE the idea of time travel...one of my favorite series is the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. My sons and I recently watched the movie Timeline. I am actually torn about where I'd want to go. Naturally I would love to visit England in the Elizabethan era. I often speak of being an archeologist (much to my husband's moaning as he already claims my salary isn't enough to sneeze at), so any historically intriguing...

Ok, so if we can manage time travel, surely we can come up with vaccines...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:26:48 PST

Ok, so if we can manage time travel, surely we can come up with vaccines to prevent getting any diseases or catching any parasites. I would love to go back and watch the aliens build the pyramids. Seriously, I really would like to visit ancient Egypt, probably around the time of Nefertiti. How did her stepson King Tut really die???

Okay...with my trusty hidden stash of antibiotics, deodorant, shampoo,...

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:20:32 PST

Okay...with my trusty hidden stash of antibiotics, deodorant, shampoo, and toothpaste, I would LOVE to see what Elizabethan England was really like. I'd go see a play at the Globe, I'd try to hunt down Shakespeare and buy him a drink (although he would probably think I was a woman of ill repute if I were hanging out in a tavern), I'd try to get a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth and her GORGEOUS clothing...LOTS and LOTS of antibiotics! :)

Time Travel

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:10:48 PST

While introducing my reluctant juniors to American Romanticism (we had just come from the land of the Puritans...they would rather read no more), I asked them if they would rather be a Puritan or a Transcendentalist. We got into a conversation about time travel and which time period and place we would choose to go if we could. So, for kicks and giggles, where would you go? Why? Be careful...even if something "looks" ideal...