LITR 4632: Literature of the Future

Sample Student Final Essay 2003

Kate Payne
LITR 4632
Final Exam
June 30, 2003  

            The future is an unknown realm that people constantly attempt to unveil.  In the stories we have read we see examples of the many possibilities that the future may hold.  Because the future is unknown to us, it is not fixed to our present minds, so the only limit that we know of, to the future, is our own minds.  That being said, there is also a balance that must be found in the reader.  In each story the reader makes a judgment value on the plausibility of the story.   Deciding whether or not a futuristic story is probable or not is a different process for each individual, but there are certain characteristics in stories that can push the reader one way.  So, what makes a story seem likely or unlikely?

            One major force in the debate over a story’s probability is the tone and style of the story.  William Gibson’s stories often take place in world’s that are completely unfamiliar.  The characters are not like the humans we know today.  In Johnny Mnemonic, the title character seems to have robotic capabilities, and there are characters that are half machine, half dolphin.  In another Gibson story, Burning Chrome, the character Automatic Jack, has a mechanical arm.  Also in this story the characters are in an extremely high-tech environment that most readers are unfamiliar with, yet, Gibson writes in a very straightforward, understated style that lends plausibility to the story.  Often, Gibson’s tone seems very cynical, sarcastic and jaded.  This lends credibility to the story because if the story were told in flowery descriptions by characters in awe of their surroundings, the reader would quickly become the cynical, skeptical force in relation to the story. 

            In Gibson’s Hinterlands, the setting is once again unfamiliar.  The characters interact on a space station with astronauts that go insane after their missions.  Again, Gibson’s self-deprecating tone keeps the reader grounded in the plot of the story.  Other authors employ similar methods to allow their stories to seem very realistic portrayals of possible futures.  The story, Newton’s Sleep, by Ursula K. Le Guin is an example of a similar straightforward storytelling that allows the reader to focus less on the unfamiliar and more on the human plot aspects.  As the story unfolds, the reader sees traditional struggles within a family, which readers can relate to.  As Ike, the father, begins to adapt to changes in the SPES society in which they live, the intimate, conversational tone of Le Guin’s writing lets the reader become very comfortable with the characters. 

            One key to making futuristic writing seem more likely to happen is whether the reader can imagine (him/her)self in the story.  Again tone and style have huge impact on this aspect of the stories.  The stories that are most easily identified with are those that have strong characters, and some resemblance to the world that we now exist in.  In Octavia Butler’s Speech Sounds, the world is a bleak place, but as Rye searches for her remaining family members, a traditional chord is struck.  Despite the chaotic, broken down world that is portrayed in the story, the maternal figure of Rye and her desire to care for others makes the story very accessible to readers.  In a very similar way, the story The Onion and I uses traditional sentiments to make an unfamiliar world seem more probable.  The story has a strong high-tech aspect, as a family moves into a virtual reality lifestyle, but a strong theme throughout the story is the father’s connection to nature.  The mother is first attracted to the earthiness of the father and later in the story the father and son bond while they sit on the ground and discuss the growing onions.  Here again, traditional character struggles make the stories more familiar, and therefore, more likely. 

            The stories that we have read as example of scenarios of the future have differed in many ways, but some similarities arise and one of the strongest is whether or not the story seems probable, given the world that we are now in.  The author’s style and tone play a large role in whether or not the story is believable.  The stories that seem the most reasonable are ones that can be identified with, in which human characters can be related to and recognized.  Stories that are told in ways that are too technical or whimsical are difficult to relate to and, therefore, the stories seem very improbable. 

            One story that seems very unlikely is Gibson’s The Belonging Kind.  While Gibson maintains his straightforward style, his lack of explanation regarding the setting of the story makes it difficult to follow.  Also in the story, there is no strong character for the reader to identify with.  Because the main character is going through such a bizarre change, the he himself doesn’t understand it, the reader also doesn’t understand it, and in turn, doesn’t care what happens in the story.  Another story that fails to define the situation satisfactorily is The Poplar Street Study.  While the story is enjoyable, the lack of explanation as to what the alien contact is really about keeps the reader distant from the characters.  The neighbors all seem to be very stereotypical and flat, and are difficult to relate to.  With the child-hero ending, the story fails to overcome a romantic plotline and become a plausible story. 

            The importance of tone and style to a story’s credibility as a likely portrayal of the future cannot be overlooked.  While The Poplar Street Study and They’re Made Out of Meat are fairly enjoyable stories their tones make them seem less realistic.  They are not bad stories by any means, but they are much easy to dismiss because of the way they are written.  In Meat, the comical tone of the story makes it very easy to discredit as a real scenario.  Also, the fact that aliens are dismissing humans as worthless beings is too unbelievable a concept for many readers.  While the story does have some sense of straightforward truthfulness to it, most readers would not view this as a likely future scenario.

 Similarly, Homelanding is told in such a flippant style that it seems hard to grasp as a real possibility for the future.  In Homelanding, the lack of a character to relate to also plays against the probability of the story.  It is difficult to imagine a human describing the species in such a way, but this story does overcome stereotypical alien encounters because the human retains enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life.  Another story that is somewhat successful in its believability is House of Bones.  This story seems rather unlikely, simply because most futuristic stories have time travels sending humans to the future, while this story sends a character (and strands him there) to the past.  The group that he encounters there is a good example of a non-traditional ancient culture, but the story lacks the depth to make it seem credible.  Another problem in the story is the lack of explanation as to the time travel itself.  It is hard to believe that a story could take place in the future if the reader cannot understand how it took place at all.

All of the stories that we have read this semester put forward entertaining, interesting scenarios of the future that are worth considering, but several stories combining plot, style and tone manage to become very realistic ideas of the future.  The stories that readers can find characters to relate to are particularly effective for seeming most likely to actually take place.  That does not mean that they are any more probable, but simply that they seem more probable.  The stories that seem the most probable are those that deal with a gritty, dark world that is inhabited by humans that still retain a sense of hope and a value system. 

While there are many similarities and differences that can be discussed in the stories, and the worlds that they portray, one of the key reasons that future scenarios are interesting is because the reader wants to evaluate the story to see if it fits with their personal idea of what the future will be.  I believe that some of the stories this semester have succeeded much more than others, but that is because they fit into my personal idea of the future more easily.  The future is going to happen, but that is the only truly likely future scenario.