Re: [microsound] OT - good essays on science fiction?

[Trace Reddell <treddell@xxxxxx>]

This is a huge area to dig into. I used to teach Science Fiction at U of 
Colorado at Boulder. A good fiction anthology is Eric Rabkin's _Science 
Fiction: A Historical Anthology_. He points to early works by Cyrano de 
Bergerac (1657), Swift's _Gulliver's Travels_ (1726), and Voltaire, before the 
field takes off in the 19th century. A couple of critical books to look for 
are Brian Aldiss's _Billion Year Spree: The True History of Science Fiction_ 
and _Age of Wonders_ by David Hartwell. Otherwise, most of the books I'm aware 
of are going to concentrate on modern and postmodern era SF.

-=trace

> >there's a lot of stuff dealing with specific works, but nothing
> >in general, about how and why sci-fi came into being... any help or
> >suggestions here would really appreciated!

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