Science Fiction and the Two Cultures

Essays in this volume demonstrate how science fiction can serve as a bridge between science and the humanities. Essays are arranged chronologically and form a historical survey of science fiction, showing how early writers like Dante and Mary Shelley revealed a gradual shift toward a genuine understanding of science; how H.G. Wells first showed the possibilities of a literature that could combine scientific and humanistic perspectives; how writers influenced by Gernsback's ideas, like Isaac Asimov, illustrated the ways that literature could interact with science and assist in its progress; and how more recent writers offer critiques of science and its practitioners.