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If every fictional text, as Eco wrote in Lector in Fabula, creates a fictional world, creating worlds is structurally intrinsic to Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. My contribution will focus on Science Fiction worldbuilding from a semiotic point of view, with particular reference to studies on possible narrative worlds (Eco, Ryan, Dolezel). Firstly, I will briefly summarize some key aspects of the theory of possible worlds with regard to the Science Fiction genre; on this basis, I will outline a definition of Science Fiction worlds before investigating their nature more throughly. Finally, an analysis of Arthur C. Clarke's classic sci-fi novel The City and the Stars will reveal the importance of spatial organization in the construction of science-fiction worlds, considered as bearer of the deep meaning that structures fantastic worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this article is to identify the narrative devices of transgression of the different Possible Worlds (PWs) that constitute the science fiction novel Nicolas Eymerich, inquisitore by Valerio Evangelisti, applying the apperception theory on fantastic linkages. In this work, the construction of the PW1 of present space-time is founded on concrete theoretical and applicative developments of specific physical theories already drawn up our Actual World (AW), materializing in the PW2 of future space-time, with narrative and ontological repercussions also on the PW3 of past space-time. Through the cognitive perspective of apperception theory and the text analytic schema, we can highlight the mechanisms of horizontal hyperlepsis of diegetic elements involving the distinct paradigmatic anomalies of PW3 and the final transgressive alteration between PW2 and PW3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay examines the relations between Russian modernism, in particular the work of Valerij Brjusov, and the philosophy of Nikolaj Fedorov and his follower and popularizer K. Ciolkovskij. The analysis of Brjusov's cosmist view, as it expressed in poetry and prose, is preceded by an excursus on the origin of Russian science fiction. In an unpublished article entitled "The Boundaries of Fantasy", Brjusov offers one of the first science fiction's theory. In the post-revolutionary period Russian cosmism is expressed by the notion of the conquest of space, which lays the foundations of Soviet science fiction. The symbolist poet Brjusov, one of the few to welcome the October revolution, follows this evolution in his sci-fi prose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Journeys to the Planet Mars (1903) and Decimon Huydas: A Romance of Mars (1906) by American writer Sara Weiss (1834?-1904) can be placed between the great utopias of the late 19th century and the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Written in the same years when astronomer Percival Lowell published his volumes dedicated to planet Mars, these romances reflect an era which was torn between spiritism and rationality, patriarchal world and female emancipation. The journey to the Red Planet is carried out through psychic energy, and the place of arrival reveals surprising affinities with the Earth. Next to religion, sciences play a fundamental role. All the spirits encountered on Mars used to be either scientists or philosophers, and among them Giordano Bruno stands out as a great thinker and the defender of liberty of thought and speech. By implicitly expressing her concerns about the betrayal of the American Dream in the end-of-Frontier age, Weiss seems to remind today's readers of their own responsibilities as regards civil rights and migratory policies in the age of Mars frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author turns his attention to two specific literary motifs from Russian science fiction literature of the early 1920s: surgically obtained rejuvenation and pioneering transplantation between animal and human organs, in particular brain transplantation. These elements are present in important, mostly contemporary literary works by Mikhail Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog), Aleksey Tolstoy (The Blue Cities) and Alexander Belyayev (Hoity-Toity). By means of a contrastive analysis of these literary motifs in the works of these writers and a reconstruction of the Russian and Soviet 1920s scientific context that generated them, when medicine made enormous strides, the author will attempt to find a connection between these works and thus determine the existence of a common pattern that justifies the similarities in the thematic and stylistic approach of their authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I examine the Possible Worlds Theory and its application to contemporary fictional universes, specifically focusing on eutopias and dystopias. I trace the historical development of the Theory from the 1970s. The Theory, emerging from formal logic and analytic philosophy, presents an alternative to binary thinking by considering all as fiction. I critique David Lewis's approach, which eliminates hierarchies between real and fictional worlds, and instead propose to analyze alternative fictions, particularly counterfactuals, fantasy, and science fiction, from their relation to the real world and their moral dimensions. The study contrasts utopias and dystopias, suggesting the use of "eutopia" and "cacotopia" for better and worse states than the current world. I explore whether these alternative fictions challenge or reinforce the boundary between reality and fiction. Through the analysis of works like Laurent Binet's Civilizations and Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem, I investigate the role of play in these narratives and their implications for understanding contemporary culture's obsession with alternative worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost all invented languages in science fiction have the same architecture as spoken human natural languages. The article discusses six exceptions: languages which appear to be unusable because of the way they handle figures of speech; speech or writing directly connected to thought; speech that is not linear; writing that is not linear and not a representation of speech; lexicon, syntax and writing but no speech; and impoverished languages. If these odd invented languages existed outside fiction, they would be untranslatable into a human natural language in much the same sense that pictures, or communications to us by non-human animals on Earth, are describable but interlingually untranslatable. The translations provided by science fiction authors to enable their plots to advance are better seen as intersemiotic renderings. The article concludes with some similarities between translation studies and science fiction studies and the benefits of considering architecturally odd languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article grapples with the uneasy intimacy between medieval, Indigenous, and queer studies through a reconsideration of Norse-Indigenous relations in Finnboga saga ramma [Saga of Finnbogi the Strong] (c. 1300–50), an understudied Íslendingasaga [Icelandic family saga]. I test the limits of what the strategic anachronisms of "Indigeneity" and "queer" can accomplish by turning to Jodi Byrd and, more specifically, their reading of Samuel Delaney's 1967 science fiction story "Aye and Gomorrah" in order to theorize how Finnboga saga appropriates Indigeneity to potentiate intimacies that run counter to an internalized sense of an ideal masculinity and sexuality. I will begin by briefly considering how medievalists tend to approach depictions of the Sámi within medieval texts to gesture to the potential of a queer, Indigenous turn within Old Norse-Icelandic studies. From there, I will unfold how Finnboga saga may intersect "Indigeneity" with "queer" by situating this text in the context of a medieval Icelandic imaginary that sees a reciprocity between gender nonconformance and racialized bodies. This reading seeks to contribute to the dismantling of persistent assumptions that attestations of Indigeneity are inconsequential in Old Norse-Icelandic literature and also to demonstrate the potential of a critical turn in medieval studies that is both Indigenous and queer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literary criticism of the speculative science fiction novel "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler is presented. Topics discussed include the portrayal of the survival of a Black teenager, Butler's re-interpretation of the parable of the sower in the Bible by depicting the Black protagonist as the sower leading the belief system for apocalyptic times called Earthseed, and how Butler illustrated learning as an unpredictable, immersive process that people should submit to.

A literary criticism is presented of the science fiction novels "An Unkindness of Ghosts" by Rivers Solomon and "Parable of the Sower" and "Parable of the Talents" by Octavia E. Butler. Topics discussed include Solomon's response to the unfinished narrative arc in Butler's novels, the portrayal of Black mother-daughter during a climate change apocalypse in Solomon's novel, and the overrepresentation of science as Reason.

A literary criticism of the futuristic science fiction series "Binti" by Nnedi Okorafor is presented. Topics discussed include Okorafor's futuristic concept of people including the black woman protagonist, the expansion of the traditional definition of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to the concept of steminism as depicted in the series, and the potential of Black future life as addressed by Black speculative fiction.

A literary criticism of the Africanfuturist science fantasy novel "Who Fears Death" by Nnedi Okorafor is presented. Topics discussed include the exploration of Black girlhood in the novel, the tendency of Black women authors' speculative fiction to complicate the boundaries of fiction and truth and the possibilities of blackness, and the portrayal of sexual violence in the novel.

A literary criticism of the speculative narrative-poetic book "M Archive: After the End of the World" by Alexis Pauline Gumbs is presented. Topics discussed include the depiction of the evolution of Black lesbian ecological ethics, the use of short prose poems to describe an apocalypse, and Gumbs' approach to the end of the world through a common science and speculative fiction plot.

A literary criticism of the speculative science fiction novels "Wild Seed" and "Bloodchild" by Octavia E. Butler is presented. Topics discussed include the portrayal of Afrofuturism, post-human Black women's reproductive experience and slavery in "Wild Seed," the exploration of how humans can live ethically in "Bloodchild," and how Butler illustrated the disruption of reproduction leading to extinction when people refuse to embrace difference and reject power hierarchies.

A literary criticism of the fantasy science fiction novel "The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemisin is presented. Topics discussed include the literal and figurative relationship between speculative fiction and Black women and girls' experience, the portrayal of the survival of Black women during an apocalypse, and the role of fiction in historical retellings as depicted in the social world of The Stillness in the novel.

Predictions and illustrations of life in the future are often integrated in works of science fiction, which could not be immediately proven yet possibly fascinating when looked back on several decades later or at the times predicted in the works. Science fiction authors foretell such events by borrowing theories, concepts, or simply terms used by scientists. Those theories, concepts, and terms can be written in scientific journals or in more popular media. American science fiction works, for instance, illustrate the future by their adaptation in the forms of more popular media such as movies, video games, and the works categorized as the subgenres of cyber literature. All of them are discussed in this paper from the lens of New Historicism, which believes in equality between literary and nonliterary texts in viewing phenomena that exist in society, one of which is the relationship between science fiction works, their writers, their readers, and society. Technology is seen as a product of society, so it becomes broadly part of culture. Meanwhile, emerging technology is sometimes coincidental and random, so it can also be seen that technology determines people’s movements and lifestyles. This study contributes to ongoing discussions on the ethical and societal implications of speculative narratives by highlighting the interconnectedness between literature, science, technology, and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each of the functions of fantasy described by J. R. R. Tolkien in his essay "On Fairy‐Stories" can be reframed through affordance theory into a kind of re‐visioning. Such re‐visioning is comparable to the formalist notion of defamiliarization or the science fiction technique that Darko Suvin called "cognitive estrangement." Whereas science fiction projects alternative futures, fantasy's affordances allow writers to generate alternative worldviews grounded in real or invented mythic pasts. The initial move away from claiming to imitate reality allows fantasy writers to project inner experience onto an outer storyworld (there is no pathetic fallacy in fantasy), to depict multiple contradictory selves (housed within a single body or spread out over several characters), and to invite readers to consider alternatives to commonsense assumptions and seemingly inevitable social orders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé: La crise climatique devient de plus en plus souvent le sujet des œuvres de fiction, non seulement dans l'aire culturelle anglo‐saxonne. Le présent article soumet à l'analyse un exemple de fiction climatique postcoloniale francophone, à savoir La fantastique Odyssée de l'Algérien Chérif Arbouz, dans le but de reconstruire la vision du futur y proposée. L'étude des procédés littéraires engagés par l'auteur tels que le héros collectif, l'étendue spatiale et temporelle de l'intrigue, l'insertion des passages essayistiques et scientifiques, démontre que l'écrivain arrive à représenter habilement la crise climatique et ses conséquences, à avertir les lecteurs des dangers y liés, de même qu'à faire partie du débat mondial concernant le futur de notre planète. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the stories "Abel" (2013), "La incompleta" (2015) and "La esperada" (2019), by the Costa Rican writer Anacristina Rossi, this article explores the ways in which this narrative trilogy draws from science fiction to reconfigure the notions of identity, nature, and what it means to be human. Drawing on the theories of ecocriticism, postcolonial ecocriticism, and ecofeminism, Rossi's discursive strategies to interconnect anthropocenic concerns about the sustainability of civilization with the idea of the end of the world and a new genesis are analyzed to unravel her critique against all systems of domination that prevail today: patriarchal, economic, colonial, racial, and gendered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lavanya Lakshminarayan is the author of Analog/Virtual and other simulations of your future which has recently been released in the UK and the USA as The Ten Percent Thief as part of a three-book deal. She is a Locus Award finalist and is the first science fiction writer to win the 'Times of India AutHer' Award and the 'Valley of Words Award', both prestigious literary awards in India. Her work has also been longlisted for a BSFA Award. Lavanya has been published in several magazines and anthologies, and her short fiction is forthcoming in the anthologies, The Best of World Science Fiction: Volume 2 and Someone in Time, among other publications. Lavanya's occasionally a game designer, and has built worlds for Zynga Inc.'s FarmVille franchise, Mafia Wars, and other games. She lives between the cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad in India and is currently working on her next novel. Lavanya is in conversation with E. Dawson Varughese is a Snr Fellow at Manipal Centre for Humanities, (MAHE), Manipal, India whose research on post-millennial fiction in English currently focusses on speculative and dystopian fiction. She has recently completed a manuscript for Bloomsbury on Indian speculative fiction in English and ideas of desi dystopias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harley Quinn has become an important and popular character in the DC Universe, especially for representations of women scientists in comics and the associated cinematic and TV adaptations. Understandably, much of the analysis of this character has tended to focus on her relationship with the Joker and the gender-based dimensions of this dynamic. However, to distill her identity to these dimensions would be unnecessarily, even unfairly, reductionist, and would narrow our understandings of a rich and complex character. By focussing on her identity as a scientist, this article offers a different analytical lens through which to understand Harley Quinn. Drawing primarily from Stjepan Šejić's Harleen (2020), with supporting insights from appearances in other DC comics, we examine the ways in which her scientific training and aspirations shape her transformation from Harleen Quinzel to Harley Quinn. Specifically, we demonstrate how symmetry, as an orienting concept, is useful for analysing how scientific logics and practices inform and enable this transformation. In doing so, we hope to both enrich understandings of Harley Quinn and foreground science as a potentially useful broader lens through which to understand other significant themes and characters in the DC Universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Movies and news reports represent for many the first source of interaction with social robots. Congruently, as tools for the dissemination of popular representations of robots, movies can have a direct impact on public perception, acceptance, and discourse about this type of technology. In this article, a content analysis of popular movies and franchises involving (fictional) social robots was conducted (k = 34). With this analysis, we sought to understand a) the main tropes used in movies involving robotic characters, b) the type of human-robot relationships depicted in those movies, and c) how the fictional robots compared with real robots in terms of their abilities. The results suggest that robots tend to be typically depicted in a polarized way that either emphasizes their extreme social abilities or their violent and destructive motives, with the former being slightly more prevalent. As a result, the relations between humans and robots tend to be either friendship or antagonism. Fictional robots are often portrayed as having advanced technical abilities that allow them to navigate multiple complex social settings and engage in different occupations typically performed by humans, in contrast with the abilities held by the most popular commercially available robots we have today. Movies and news reports represent for many the first source of interaction with social robots. Social robots tend to be portrayed in a very polarized way. Recommendations for future research and robot development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes climate fiction utopia ‘Ministry for the Future’ by Kim S. Robinson. The analytical method relies on the framework of sociotechnical imaginaries proposed by Sheila Jasanoff and Sang-Hyun Kim and combines it with the critical history of science and feminist studies of care. Since in the process of writing the novel its author went through numerous consultations with scientists, in the article this oeuvre is analyzed both as a piece of science fiction and as a futurology essay. It is examined how the institutions of science are portrayed, how society of citizens is imagined and how this vision of the future remains trapped in the misconceptions regarding science that result from the Cold War modernistic propaganda of science. On the basis of this analysis, the article offers a discussion of how the imaginaries of Anthropocene are likely to repeat such tropes, unless history of science and sociology of science during the Cold War becomes a necessary part of the Anthropocene studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of IBEROAMERICANA. América Latina - España - Portugal is the property of Vervuert Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bulletin of Ablai Khan KazUIRandWL: Series 'Philological sciences' is the property of Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations & World Languages and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

It is an important attempt of the contemporary Chinese science fiction to creatively transform traditional writing resources by using science fiction to creatively adapt and reconstruct mythological history. This creative adaptation and reconstruction of Chinese science fiction originates from the narrative tradition of "rewriting old stories". Science fiction writers have made active exploration in terms of content sourcing, narrative construction, adaptation techniques, and the combination of mythological history and science fiction. Currently, there are still issues in the creative adaptation and reconstruction of Chinese science fiction, such as the lack of a scientific fiction core, stereotyped plot formulas, and ambiguous science fiction attributes. On this basis, contemporary Chinese science fiction novels can effectively transform traditional writing resources through setting up reasonable scientific cores, skillfully connecting with suitable points, activating Chinese excellent traditional culture, and integrating local genre novels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science fiction conventions are places where the convergence of science fiction and science is discussed within diverse communities. Many of these science fiction conventions offer programming focused on science, often described as science tracks, for science experts to share their experiences, expertise, scientific findings, and applications related to current research in connection to science fiction with the public. Framing the study within a socio-cultural context, this study surveyed experts' (n = 19) perceived beliefs of science communication at science fiction conventions. Experts cited accessibility and promoting scientific curiosity as the greatest benefits and identified misconceptions or misinterpretation by the audience as challenges. Overall, experts agreed that communicating science is important and science fiction has a great impact on science. Because of the public access to experts, it is important to highlight the potential influence science fiction conventions may have on science communication via socio-cultural experiences and contexts within popular culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Perspectives on Culture / Perspektywy Kultury is the property of Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main objective of the research titled "Science Fiction and Architecture as an Elective Course in Architectural Education" is to investigate the course "Science Fiction and Architecture" developed in accordance with the goal stated in the "UNESCO/UIA Charter for Architectural Education" to improve the skills of architecture students to develop solutions for the future. The Science Fiction and Architecture course selection is based primarily on the fact that science fiction directly addresses the future and inevitably deals with the future of space and place. It is hypothesized that the study of science fiction can help develop ideas about the future of space. Students received theoretical explanations of the topic and were recommended written and visual resources to read and view. They were expected to conduct various studies. The corresponding studies were analyzed and compared using a descriptive analysis method. The study and comparison revealed the achievement of the specified learning outcomes. The data obtained suggest that engaging in science fiction enhances and enriches students' abilities to develop ideas about the future of spaces, design, and architecture. To develop architecture students' abilities to think about the future of architecture, buildings, design, spaces, and cities, it is recommended that courses be offered that explore the relationship between science fiction and architecture in architectural education curricula or that the topic be incorporated into other courses. If the topic is not covered in the curricula, students should be encouraged to do their research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philip K. Dick -- both in his function as a science fiction and Californian author -- infused his novels with dimensions of crisis and catastrophe. Crisis being defined by an individual, often psychological state; and catastrophe being defined by a cataclysm that happens society-wide but is mythical rather than psychological. Crisis and catastrophe were also constants in Dick's life. Along with contextualizing the manifestation of crisis and catastrophe in his life story, this article aims to elaborate upon -- and contextualize -- three different manifestations: political crisis, spiritual crisis and apocalyptic catastrophe. How do crisis and catastrophe find their place in Dick's homegrown vision? And how does this relate to other facets of his work, like the concept of alternate realities? The greater context is Dick's vision of his home state as a "trash land". This article will also touch upon the ramifications crisis and catastrophe as constants in Dick's novels have upon the literary understanding of the state of California. And, by default, the rest of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this article is the relationship between urban spaces and a fictional present time in an apocalyptic or dystopian key. The city is no longer the place where progress takes place, but where social relations are defined by the destruction and the end of Latin American aspirations for a better future. Taking into account four contemporary Argentine graphic novels, I propose to review the role of the city as a space for action in Argentine comics. The objective is to verify what political and aesthetic readings of the Argentine and Latin American reality can be found in line with the context of the last decade, but also with the tradition in the use of science fiction as a privileged genre for social criticism.

Tekst przybliża swoisty fenomen kultowego austriackiego filmu 1. April 2000 (reż. Wolfgang Liebeneiner, 1952). Zarysowując tło historyczne i kulisy jego powstania, autorka analizuje efekty zastosowanej w nim strategii oraz wpisuje go w kontekst austriackiego filmu fantastyczno-naukowego i eskapistycznego, ale przede wszystkim uwypukla jego związek z Heimatfilmem. Analizując dane statystyczne, autorka wysnuwa też pewną hipotezę dotyczącą zależności między poczuciem tożsamości Austriaków, produkcją Heimatfilmów i filmów science fiction oraz dokonuje kilku ustaleń genologicznych, dotyczących austriackich filmów science fiction w odniesieniu do przyjętej przez nią definicji tego gatunku. Ponadto, zwracając uwagę na związek filmu Liebeneinera z czasami, w których powstał, sygnalizuje, jak rezonuje on współcześnie i jakie nowe konteksty otwiera.

Artykuł stanowi refleksję nad animacjami z serii Lego Jurassic World, będącymi częścią franczyzy Park Jurajski. Analiza jest podejmowana w kontekście problematyki i znaczenia aktorskich filmów o wskrzeszonych dzięki futurystycznej nauce dinozaurach (do nich animacje nawiązują w warstwie fabularnej), ale także wobec kulturowej roli klocków Lego oraz problemu reprezentacji, który w tym przypadku ma szczególnie złożony charakter. Omówieniu poszczególnych zagadnień towarzyszy refleksja na temat sposobu rozumienia dziecięcości we współczesnej kulturze wobec charakterystycznych dla niej fascynacji i niepokojów.

W ostatnich latach Polski Ludowej powstało kilka filmów o UFO. Komentowały one nastroje społeczne schyłku systemu – odbijały ówczesne lęki i zdawały sprawę z kulturowych sprzeczności. Ujawniały niepokoje społeczne okresu transformacji. Zwrócenie się w stronę tego, co irracjonalne i tajemnicze, sugerowałoby odrzucenie dotychczasowego porządku socjalistycznego, fundowanego na oświeceniowej ideologii modernizacji. Tymczasem filmy te zarówno zwracają się ku płynnej rzeczywistości nowej duchowości, jak i zdradzają ślady fascynacji tym, co naukowe, przede wszystkim technologią. Analizowane w artykule produkcje zdają sprawę z napięć kulturowych, które skutkowały tworzeniem ambiwalentnych, wręcz sprzecznych narracji. Odwoływały się one do wartości wywodzących się jeszcze ze starego systemu, a zarazem zapowiadały nowy, odsyłający do wartości tak socjalistycznych, jak i kapitalistycznych. Okazuje się zatem, że filmy o UFO przygotowywały społeczeństwo na bliskie spotkanie trzeciego stopnia z nową rzeczywistością transformacji.

This book review discusses a publication titled "Mapping the posthuman: Perspectives on the non-human in literature and culture." The book explores the intersections between science and art, focusing on posthumanism and related fields such as ecocriticism and critical animal studies. It is divided into five parts, each examining different aspects of posthuman mapping and featuring contributions from various scholars and authors. The book offers a comprehensive exploration of posthumanism and provides valuable insights for researchers interested in this topic. [Extracted from the article]

The article concludes with a reflection on how young adult literature can shape educational spaces and drive social change. Topics include the use of speculative fiction to critique and envision alternatives to oppressive systems, the role of Black girl-led science fiction in fostering criticality and joy, and the integration of Asian American literature to address invisibility in school curricula.

The concept of the metaverse was first coined in the science fiction novel Snow Crash published 30 years ago, serving as the pregenesis concept of the next groundbreaking development in communication and technology fields for several decades. Today, the concept of the metaverse is complicated and often discussed as a multidimensional notion, generally referring to multiple interconnected virtual worlds where large numbers of users can simultaneously interact in embodied form. In this article, we propose the bifold triadic relationships model to help advertising scholars understand how advertising may work in the metaverse and to guide future research endeavors. Although the metaverse as a concept has yet to fully form, we hope that this primer presents a clearer layout of how advertising can be studied at the unit level of triadic relationships among consumer, media, and engagement behaviors in the metaverse space. Using what we know thus far about immersive virtual environments and how they relate to advertising practice and scholarship, the present article serves as an impetus for new directions in advertising theory and research in the metaverse in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marvel’s cinematic depiction of the Infinity Stones, six powerful artifacts capable of reshaping reality, offers a unique lens through which to explore the convergence of science, philosophy, and popular culture. In this article, we investigate the cosmological significance of the Infinity Stones within the Marvel multiverse, drawing parallels between their fictional abilities and real scientific phenomena.Our analysis reveals speculative yet intriguing connections between the Stones and scientific concepts, such as wormholes, quantum entanglement, and the nature of time. Additionally, we explore profound philosophical implications stemming from the Stones’ existence, including moral dilemmas, questions of personal identity, and the nature of consciousness. This exploration challenges conventional thinking, prompting contemplation on the essence of life and the consequences of wielding immense power. Marvel’s incorporation of science, philosophy, and popular culture not only captivates a broad audience but also inspires curiosity, critical thinking, and cultural discourse. By uniting these themes in compelling narratives, the Marvel Cinematic Universe enriches our comprehension of the mysteries and wonders of the cosmos.

Since the 1980s, Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018), one of the most influential science fiction and fantasy writers, has had an almost cult status and loyal readership in the region of former Yugoslavia. However, some ten years before her departure, interest in her work decreased. Her most important titles were out of print, new editions were not available, and she was less frequently written about in Serbian journals and periodicals. This changed after her death when, as was to be expected, interest in her work was rekindled. In this paper, we present the critical reception of Ursula K. Le Guin's work in Serbian scholarly journals and literary periodicals from her death in January 2018 until the end of 2020. The aim of the research is to establish the extent and the way in which her opus (and, with it, speculative fiction in general) was presented and evaluated in Serbian scholarly journals and literary periodicals of this period. The presented results are part of a future, larger diachronic research of the complete reception of Ursula K. Le Guin's opus in former Serbo-Croatian-speaking territory. Based on the analysed material, Ursula K. Le Guin received significant posthumous reception in Serbian scholarly journals and literary periodicals - in total, 21 texts were published from January 22, 2018, until December 31, 2020. The quality of the academic articles does not differ from the quality of Serbian scholarly production in general, and they examined the work of Ursula K. Le Guin from feminist, postcolonial, and cultural points of view.