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As a product of cognitive linguistics and critical discourse analysis, proximization theory is one of the emerging research directions in the field of linguistics. Most of the current research using this theory focuses on political conflict topics, and there are fewer studies using it for analysis of literary works. The present study examines The Time Machine from the perspective of proximization theory (PT) to unveil the legitimation strategies of science fiction qualitatively and quantitatively. The objectives are to enrich the explanation power of this theory and analyze how it can avail the expression and description of the implicit theme of science fiction. We apply CLAWS to annotate the whole novel, search and calculate the frequency of each lexicogrammatical item through AntConc 3.5.9, and then analyze the novella through proximization theory in spatial, temporal, and axiological dimensions. Findings show that: spatially, the author subsumes the most salient Time Traveler to the camp of IDC, and with the first-person narrator and sense verbs, the whole picture of decay can make the readers horribly feel on the spot in person toward a dim human destiny; temporally, Wells prefers the past-present concept shift than the future-present. The former is to legitimize his critique of over-reliance on science and severe class exploitation, and the latter is to make predictions of a future society that may face decay. The use of contrasting construal makes the novel's plot more mysterious, stimulates the reader's interest, and paves the way for the revelation of the theme; axiologically, considering that England put science and industrial development on the pedestal at that time and that prevailing evolution theory puts people in a period of blind optimism, Wells cautions against the trap of utopia and the swamp of materialism with emphasis on negative ideologies and values of ODC. The analysis of literary works from the perspective of PT is conducive to the visualization of the implicit themes expressed in the novel, full of absurdity and exaggeration with data support, highlighting the author's humanistic concern and broadening the research object of proximization theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the "Strangers in Strange Lands: Mapping the Relationship between Anthropology and Science Fiction" conference that was held at the University of Kent on November 15-16, 2014. Highlights mentioned include a panel discussion on themes as the transmission of tradition and cultural memory in oral societies and the screening of short science fiction-related films such as "Helsinki" (2012) and "A Living Soul" (2013).

The Last Man's description of the atmosphere's role in spreading apocalyptic plague poses a problem for scholarly arguments associating the plague with the sins of empire. This article argues that the relationship between the plague's miasmatic transmission and imperial trade can be understood in relation to Romantic aeronautical imagery and the emergent concept of international airspace. Whereas late eighteenth-century depictions of atmosphere tended to portray national air as isolated from that of the rest of the world, the invention of balloon flight had helped usher in an era in which Britain's “pure air” could be seen as entangled with that of its current and former colonies. Like some contemporary abolitionists, Shelley draws on the idea of a shared planetary atmosphere to suggest that fates of “the inhabitants of native Europe” and “the swarthy African” (332) are linked, and that Britain's toleration of slavery elsewhere in the world will contaminate the moral atmosphere of the nation. Through her depiction of the realization, and subsequent destruction, of the navigable air balloons “foretold in by-gone time by . . . poets” (55), Shelley is also raising the question of whether literature can shape a better future, or whether the best efforts of writers will, in the end, be unable to overcome the poisonous atmosphere generated by human greed.The Last Manthus serves as an example of how the Romantics used atypical forms of space such as the atmosphere to meditate on the relationship between national cultures and global circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The genre of drum 'n' bass emerged in early 1990s England, as part of a burgeoning yet underground electronic dance music scene. The musical characteristics of drum 'n' bass reflected the dire socioeconomic conditions of inner city London, as well as the social and cultural dislocation experienced by its producers. Ideologies of Afrofuturism, as well as sound clips, affects and themes from science fiction film served as a means of expression in drum 'n' bass, and producers drew upon the genres of funk, hip-hop, techno and ambient, utilizing sounds and techniques pioneered by dub reggae producers. In this paper, I will uncover the sonic history of science fiction in drum 'n' bass, and examine sci-fi's musical manifestations within drum 'n' bass. Ultimately, I will focus on how the incorporation of science fiction creates emotional complexity and narrative in drum 'n' bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the problem of appropriation in the novel Besnilo (1983) by Borislav Pekic. In that respect, two forms of appropriation are detected, which are important not only for Borislav Pekic's oeuvre but for Serbian literature as well. The appropriation of England as the setting led to the appearance of the original Pekic's chronotope, while the appropriation of the disaster novel, that is, science fi ction genre was a pioneering contribution to the postwar Serbian mainstream literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the multifarious interpretations and influences of the story of the two green-skinned children who, as it was reported by two medieval writers, suddenly appeared in the fields of an English village in the middle of the twelfth century. Some have explained it as a folktale, some as a garbled account of unusual but mundane events, and some as a record of intervention by extraterrestrial begins in human affairs. Other authors have found in it inspiration for fiction in it inspiration for fictions for their own: not just simple retellings, but stories that draw on it or refashion it in unexpected ways. In particular, the paper considers two cases where the Green Children have found a place in works of science fiction: Francis Godwin's "The Man in the Moon" in the seventeenth century and Herbert Read's "The Green Child" in the twentieth. Some of the most effective versions have been those that have best retained the inherent mystery and romance of the original story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the "Stage the Future 2" conference that was held at Arizona State University on March 6-7, 2015. Highlights mentioned include Arizona State University's talk about the benefits of interdisciplinary practice which combines empathy and ethics in science with the exploration of ideas through art and a panel discussion on imaginary landscapes with speakers such as Matthew Watkins, artistic director of Orange Theatre.

Part III. Reports on the Science Fiction Foundation Library at the University of Liverpool. History of the archive of the future; Reflections on activities of librarianship; Reconception of the term library resource.

The article discusses the highlights of the Helen Oyeyemi Symposium that was held in Teesside University on February 18, 2015. Highlights mentioned include a panel discussion on race, racism, and postcolonialism and Chloe Buckley's talk on how Gothic fiction uses a child figures often functions as a repository for adult desires, specifically for stability and futurity.

INTERVIEW Using sci-fi to promote physics Robert Flack, a research fellow at University College London, talks to David Smith about science writing and the consequences for physicists of books like Angels and Demons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

States that the H.G. Wells Society is organizing a conference in London, England September 18-20, 1998 to mark the centenary of Wells' science fiction work `The War of the Worlds.' Contact information provided.