LSSL 5360 Textbook Chapter 12: Fantasy and Science Fiction


FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION

What did I already know about the topics?
Fantasy and science fiction often base their stories off of worlds similar to ours but with a twist. Sometimes this may be a world with incredible technology or a world where people can do extraordinary things. I imagine futuristic, dystopian, space, dragons, technology, the exploration of possibilities and changes, considering implications of our current actions and their negative impacts on society in the future. I think of books I have enjoyed like 1984, Brave New World, Anthem, and Fahrenheit 451 on one side, but know that books like the Hunger Games, World War Z, and Divergent are also included.

What did I learn after I completed the assignment?
Science fiction is a sub-genre of fantasy. To critically evaluate science fiction and fantasy, it is important that the work is consistent and believable, that there still be rules, that the author helps suspend disbelief, and that themes explore a universal truth--I think this is important because it gives real world meaning and depth to these unrealistic worlds. It offers opportunities to learn and explore autobiographically and without the confines of reality. 
There is a huge variety of topics explored, a well-known one being apocalyptic or post apocalyptic literature. There are also more niche varieties of steam punk, cyber punk, and bio punk. Booming in popularity over the past decade, although it has been around for some years, is dystopia. This classification often includes propaganda, thought and information being restricted, a worshiped figurehead, individuality being looked down upon or even prohibited, society being the illusion of a perfect world but really is not, surveillance of citizens, fear of the outside world, and conformity. A common subject dystopian books often explore is resistance to the government in which a main character is disillusioned, joins the resistance, and then fights back. Extra sensory perceptions is an additional group that can contain telepathy, clairvoyance, or precognition. Lastly, time travel/ parallel universes writing is often filled with vivid creativity. After viewing the video, I definitely learned there is much more variety than I was aware of and was making lists of books I plan on reading in the future!
What do I still need to learn?
I hope to continue learning about the vast number of works fantasy and science fiction cover. I would like to continue working on making connections among these books to real-world situations that help support the idea that reading is important, even (and sometimes especially) fiction!



How will I share this information with others?
I plan to ensure there is a variety of these books available for my students because I believe they are a great way to encourage further reading with their creative stories and engaging worlds. In addition, many topics can also be explored such as consequences of technology use, consequences of our current actions, and ethical decision making in a vast variety of situations. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LSSL 5360 Textbook Chapter 5: Anatomy of a Book

Image
                                  What did I already know about the topics? K:  Before learning about this topic, some things I understood about the anatomy of books related to basic placement of sections (where copyright information was located, table of contents, author information) as well as a few basic terms like the cover, spine, and binding. I did not know of specific or technical terms for many important parts of a physical book. What did I learn after I completed each assignment? W:  After researching the terms, I am now more familiar more technical labels like the backbone, gutter, and endpapers. The graphics were especially helpful to understand where these are located and their purpose. The hidden images or designs on the link examples of some casewraps and book blocks were especially interesting. What do  I still need to learn? L: S ome things I want to loo...
Read more

LSSL 5360 Textbook Chapter 4: Awards

Image
                                  What did I already know about the topics? K:  Prior to looking into the listed awards, I did not have much knowledge at all. I realized awarded books were recognized for being high quality or meeting certain standards and these were typically visible with some identification on the front cover. What did I learn after I completed each assignment? W:  I had much to learn! First, typically the award medal on the front cover is gold for the winner and silver for others that were honored. Next, I was happy to learn of the variety of awards given for many different forms of media including: nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and audio books. In addition to the variety of formats, there are also many different criteria used to select the winners; some I noticed were based on history, diverse cultures, or even chosen by the people and children reading t...
Read more

LSSL 5360 Textbook Chapter 11: Nonfiction

Image
NONFICTION What did I already know about the topics? Nonfiction covers a vast range of information. Anytime I have I needed information, I have been able to find a book that relates to it. The information is factual, based on true events, it may be historical or detail important current events and new studies. My appreciation for nonfiction has increased as I have gotten older and realized the amount of research and effort it takes to compile a single book. What did I learn after I completed this assignment? The very first piece of information I learned was that nonfiction is defined by what it is not, because it can include other forms and genres. To evaluate it, the author's qualifications are important to keep in mind. Some ways to do this include looking at the acknowledgements of who the author credits for assistance, simply looking at the back of the book where there is basic information on the author, and to also explore online for resources. Some authors have...
Read more