The true history of science fiction

The true history of science fiction

Author: Damien Walter March 19, 2022 Duration: 1:03:55
“With Jules Verne and the publisher Hugo Gernsback, H.G. Wells invented the genre of science fiction.” Tweet by @nytimesbooks, November 2021 A badly worded tweet by the New York Times revealed a deep anger at the false history of science fiction. Written out of that history were hundreds of women writers of the 1800s who created what today we call science fiction. The true history of science fiction is deeper and richer than many fans and readers know. It reaches back to the Enlightenment and the collapse of belief in the Christian mythos. It is the search for a new mythos for the modern world, that continues into the 21st century. 00:00 The forgotten authors of science fiction 02:30 Welcome to the Science Fiction podcast 07:07 The true history of science fiction...why does it matter? 09:21 Commercial Genre vs Creative Movement 17:12 The Problem : the collapse of the Christian mythos 23:36 All science fiction is myth, not all myth is science fiction 26:38 The seeds of science fiction 29:01 The Novel Experiment 36:20 Birth of Genre 38:41 The ideological capture of science fiction by John W Campbell 43:47 The New Mythic 50:01 The process of genrefication 54:44 Writing the 21st century myth Follow the the Science Fiction podcast and become a member https://damiengwalter.com/podcast/ Join the discussion on the Science Fiction community https://www.facebook.com/groups/324897304599197 Read my top science fiction to rewire your consciousness https://amzn.to/3gQqfGR Pre-1950 Utopias and Science Fiction by Women https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/_collections/utopias/utopias.html

Damien Walter has spent years thinking about how the future shapes our present, and in his Science Fiction podcast, he shares those conversations. Rather than just reviewing books or films, this series digs into the ideas that make the genre so vital, using it as a unique lens to examine everything from current technology and social change to ancient myths and human psychology. Each episode feels like a thoughtful discussion with a well-read friend, one who can draw a line from classic novels to the latest TV series with ease. You’ll hear analysis of stories that predicted our world, explorations of how fictional futures reflect our deepest anxieties and hopes, and considerations of why certain narratives endure. Walter’s background as a writer and storyteller informs a approach that is both accessible and deeply insightful, making connections across the arts, science, and popular culture. This isn't about escapism; it's about using the imaginative tools of science fiction to better understand the reality we're all living in. For anyone who finds themselves wondering about the world that's coming next, this podcast offers a compelling and regular dose of perspective.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 88

Science Fiction
Podcast Episodes
Arthur C Clarke’s forgotten masterpiece of hard SF [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:48
It's Arthur C Clarke's greatest novel and a classic of "hard" science fiction. The Fountains of Paradise is a brilliantly realized story of humankind's ascent to the stars, not on rockets, but by building the first space…
Lord of the Rings and the fascist fantasy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:40
Fascism lures people in with a fantasy of return to older, better times. A golden age before the modern world. Nazi Germany had the fantasy of the Third Reich and the Ubermensch. Today the Russia of Vladimir Putin has a…
A science fiction history of World War 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:55
Humankind had it within our grasp to become a K1 civilization, the first stage of the Kardashev scale. But we allowed K1 to slip through our fingers. As the scientist Carl Sagan argued, much of 20th century history can b…
Severance – what does it mean? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:57
Severance is sophisticated science fiction for grown up audiences in the style of J G Ballard, Philip K Dick or Haruki Murakami. But what does it mean? Follow the the Science Fiction podcast https://damiengwalter.com/pod…
An interview with Adam Roberts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:04:20
“It’s trying to thread that needle between the wonder and the splendour in this mythology without being beguiled into actual fascism.” ~Adam Roberts Adam Roberts is a professor of nineteenth century literature, a prolifi…
The thematic genius of Iain M Banks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:59
This episode of the Science Fiction podcast is re-published from an original video essay first published in September 2018. I spent years searching, after I first read the Culture novels of Iain M Banks, for other space…
What is Solarpunk? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:32
Solarpunk is the newest genre of science fiction, a joyous and optimistic vision of a future where humans and our technology live in balance with nature. Solarpunk is an artistic, cultural and political movement that enc…
The prophetic visions of Philip K Dick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:03
We are living in strange times. Politics. Society. Culture wars. Things have gone weird. We're looking for knowledge and wisdom to guide us in strange times. I can think of no better guide to the year 2022 than Philip K…
The best Scifi & Fantasy of the 21st century (Part 1 of 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:16
We are 21 years into the 21st century. What better time to look at the century we are living in...the century of science fiction. A special double episode of the Science Fiction podcast. Part 1 of 2. 00:00 The science fi…
The Matrix and the archetypes of Carl Jung [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:25
There's a question about The Matrix I've been asking myself since the franchise established itself in the collective unconscious of humanity back in the early 00s. What is Sigmund Freud doing in these movies? 00:00 What'…