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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]

In many respects, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and His Master’s Voice (1968) could not be more different. Kubrick/Clarke’s mystical and affirmational visions of space exploration and humankind’s technological evolution are decisively countered by Lem’s downbeat tale about failed communication with the aliens. Rather than conventional first-contact stories, these texts are more specifically about the impact of messages received from outer space, which sf fans either reading or going to the movie theatres were surely encouraged to evaluate within the context of “space-age” technology and lifestyle. What did it mean to be space-faring humans, leaving the Earth behind? What were the political and social consequences of technocracy and the space race? How was “big science” changing politics and society, both in the East and West? How was it changing the ways that humans might take the measure of themselves? These are big questions, and I have chosen the Kubrick/Clarke and Lem works, created on either side of the Iron Curtain, because I believe that their juxtaposition helps us to appreciate the central role of the Cold War struggle in shaping the sf genre’s responsiveness to the times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insignificance and cosmic solitude are found with great frequency in science fiction, philosophy, art, scientific dissemination and in the collective imagination. The origin of cosmic insignificance dates back to the dawn of modernity, with the emergence of scientific rationality and heliocentrism. Cosmic solitude is typical of the 20th century and it emerges in the context of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the terrible possibility that humanity is on the brink of self-destruction. This article will analyze the origin, development and some variations of these two important ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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While both are internationally acclaimed science fiction writers with remarkable attainments, Liu Cixin says that Arthur C. Clarke has been an important influence in his work. Their thematic concerns are similar, as they both represent the awe of indeterminacy in a vast universe, but they differ in their exploration of possibilities that expose the parochiality of anthropocentrism. Clarke's, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Liu's, The Three-Body Problem, describe scenarios where humans confront an alien civilization. This article presents a literary interpretation of these powerful alien images and their relationship with humans, which reveal the authors' ideas about anthropocentrism in the age of technology, a leading force shaping society. By contextualizing their respective cultures, we hope to impress readers with Clarke and Liu's craftsmanship in science fiction writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper consists of the translation analysis of the lexicogenic elements (or neologisms) used to build the fictional world described in a literary work included in the science fiction genre. The chosen book is 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, one of the masterpieces of science fiction literature, written by one of the most influential authors in this literary sphere. Clarke is responsible for works such as Childhood's End or The Nine Billion Names of God, which created new standards for this kind of narratives, but 2001: A Space Odyssey has been chosen due to its conceptual depth and its writing virtuosity. This translation study has been carried out by comparing the original version of the novel (written in the English language and published by Hachette UK in 2010) and the sole target text available in Spanish, translated by Antonio Ribera and published by Debolsillo in 2014. The different examples included in this article will be shown in their original as well as their translated forms (inserted in their contexts of origin) and they will be analyzed using a contrastive method, after which conclusions about the functionality of the new terms that transfer the concepts described in the novel will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay investigates the work of the contemporary Chinese science-fiction writer Liu Cixin in the context of his relation to the British sf icon Arthur C. Clarke. Liu identifies himself as a great fan of Golden Age Anglo-American sf, and I argue that Liu is no more original, no more distinctively "local" a writer, than when he is channeling the ghosts of his Anglo-American forebears, especially Arthur C. Clarke. My aim is to consider the relation between Liu and Clarke in terms of a dynamic that the translation theorist Emily Apter refers to as "repositioning". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looking back at his research on tachyons in the 1960s and 1970s, the physicist Gerald Feinberg recalled that he started thinking about particles that go faster than light after reading James Blish's 1954 science fiction story "Beep." While the technical conceits of Blish's tale may have stirred Feinberg's curiosity, its literary implications were yet more significant. As a story about faster-than-light messages that travel backward in time, "Beep" thematizes the capacity of speculative fictions to affect the present and reorient the future. For Feinberg, stories like "Beep" and Arthur C. Clarke's 1953 novel Childhood's End offered conceptual resources as well as models for practice, affirming a science fiction way of doing science. By attending to Feinberg's work on tachyons as well as his ventures in futurology, such as The Prometheus Project , this essay shows how Feinberg's reading of science fiction reinforced a speculative approach to knowledge and innovation, an understanding of theoretical science as intimately aligned with science fiction, and a conviction that science fiction was a vital instrument for science policy and social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the subject of alien encounter in science fiction (SF). Topics discussed include H.G. Wells' "War of the World," alien encounter films, the merging of humanity and extraterrestrial in Arthur C. Clarke's SF classic "Childhood's End," stories of genuine human-alien contact including Octavia Butler's trilogy "Lillith's Brood," and an analysis of the works by Butler, Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari and Donna Haraway.

Science fiction is a literary genre which provides the ground for scientific discoveries. One of the subgenres of science fiction is apocalyptic literature, which deals with the end of the world. Arthur C. Clarke is considered one of these apocalyptic writers whose Childhood's End indicates an alien invasion and the outcome of their interference with the affairs of human beings. This article intends to emphasize the apocalyptic elements within Childhood's End and, further, it will highlight how the writer uses this genre in order to deal with the delineation of religion and science, the mutation of children and the destruction of Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will examine applied usages of popular culture works in the classroom for the execution of innovative programmes and will also serve as a progress report on the ongoing course at the Meiji University School of Commerce, titled “Introduction to Astrosociology”, part of the Special Themed Activity Classes (Tokubetsu-teema jissen kamoku). For this purpose I will describe my own lesson plan and ultimately illustrate the importance of not only the usefulness of these works as tools for education, but also the issues which they bring to the mind of the young individual living in our current postmodern age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents literary criticism of several books including "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke, "More than Human" by Theodore Sturgeon, and "The Ophiuchi Hotline" by John Varley. It explores the relationship between bioethics, posthumanism, and science fiction. It is suggested that science fiction as a genre is largely optimistic about the biological enhancement of human beings. Particular focus is given to the historical context of attitudes towards the human within science fiction.

The article discusses moral extrapolation in the works of science fiction authors C. S. Lewis and Arthur C. Clarke. Topics discussed include space explorations by Lewis and Clarke, the authors' assumption of a tight relationship between the speaking voice and personal identity, and the challenges in Lewis' space trilogy over moral extrapolation involving speech.

This article seeks to explore a notion of ‘British outer space’ in the mid 20th century with reference to the British Interplanetary Society and the works of Patrick Moore and Arthur C. Clarke. Geographies of outer space have been examined following early work by Denis Cosgrove on the Apollo space photographs. Cosgrove’s work has encouraged a growing body of work that seeks to examine both the ‘Earth from space’ perspective as well as its reciprocal, ‘space from Earth’. This article aligns itself with the latter viewpoint, in attempting to define a national culture of ‘British outer space’. This is found to have an important connection with the British Interplanetary Society, founded in 1933 near Liverpool, which went on to influence the works of Patrick Moore, who edited the magazine Spaceflight and presented the television programme The Sky at Night, and Arthur C. Clarke, who became known as a science fiction writer through his early novels in the 1950s. The themes of audience participation and human destiny in outer space are examined in a close reading of these two case studies, and further engagement with cultures of outer space in geography is encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the depiction of the prehistory of posthumanity in Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction (sf) novel "2001: A Space Odyssey," which was made into a film under the direction of Stanley Kubrick. It explores the characterization of astronaut Dave Bowman in the novel, who is considered to be a powerful posthuman being. It also states that the novel exaggerates a diegetic trend in paleoanthropology that opposes the biology on which it draws.

In this article the author discusses how science fiction might hold the answers to news of the future. The author recounts how speculative fiction, or science fiction, has not been highly regarded by academics. Science fiction produces so many thoughts about things or situations that no one is ever likely to encounter that they occasionally produce an idea that is not out of the realm of possibility. The article also notes some futuristic science fiction predictions that have actually come true, such as photography predicted by writer Arthur C. Clarke in 1842.

This article explores the dynamic of decline in four examples of epic science fiction including Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" trilogy, Arthur C. Clarke's novels "Against the Fall of Night" and "The City and the Stars," Frank Herbert's "Dune" and Michael Moorcock's "Elric" cycle. The concept of dynamic of decline pertains to a situation where over time a vital and strong state experience decadence, stagnation and internal decay and eventual ruin. Texts on empires, imperialism and colonialism are used to provide the framework.

Discusses the origins of British science fiction writers. Comparison of the quality of work with earlier writers like H. G. Wells and Arthur C. Clarke; Factors that contributed to the writing styles and skills of these writers; Analysis of the British science fiction boom.

Discusses sources of sorrow in Arthur C. Clarke's 1953 science fiction novel "Childhood's End." Importance of understanding the relationship of Clarke's work to colonialism; Factors overshadowing humanity's first steps toward space exploration in the novel; Sacrifice of colonial administrators in the novel; Extrapolation of a colonial future.

The article presents a discussion on the ideas of Arthur C. Clarke which are contained in his works. The article implies that his essays, stories and novels revolve around his perceptions about future possibilities, human history, and ambitions of science fiction. It also mentions Isaac Asimov and the literature and creativity behind every work in the field of science fiction.

The article presents a tribute to Arthur C. Clarke. This writer died at his house in Sri Lanka wherein he spent most of his remaining years reminiscing on his career. It is implied that Clarke can be leveled with Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein in terms of contributions given to the field of science-fiction. The article explains why he is regarded as one of the giants of that field.

The article focuses on using science fiction literature and language arts skills in the science classroom. Making the students read these books help them enrich the science content and abstract concepts found in science textbooks. Moreover, the plot of science fiction stories makes students motivate to learn science through the story and its is more interesting to them than reading science textbooks. Meanwhile, the author has used science fiction stories in his class to address the definite decrease in the level of learning his students achieve. Among the fiction books he used were Arthur C. Clarke's "The Wind From the Sun," "2001: A Space Odyssey," and "3001: The Final Odyssey."