I heard from a friend that this course was an absolutely extraordinary class. For that reason, I filed its title under the "remember to take this course" section of my brain. My friend never really gave me a description of the course, so I was left to draw my own conclusions about its content. At first, I thought the course might deal with new writers. My second thought was that it might involve reading various texts from the internet, clearly the technological future. However, as I thought more and more about the course, I figured that neither of these views could be correct. I finally came to the conclusion that the course must be about science fiction, and though I was not thrilled with this idea, I trusted my friend’s judgment. Then, when you passed out the reading list for the course last semester, I found that my conclusion was partially wrong. In your description of the course, you explained that we would discuss various scenarios of the future. Knowing this, the reading list blew me away. Being a Christian, I had only thought of one future, the one in the Bible. Yet, as an intellectual, I pride myself in learning things from other people’s points of view. As luck would have it, Literature of the Future has given me a chance to conduct a more in-depth study of the future I believe in as well as an opportunity to examine many other futuristic scenarios. Every day, I am excited to come to class!

The uniqueness of this course makes it difficult to describe to others. Yet I am constantly sharing the course material with my family, my boyfriend, and friends. This, of course, forces me to ask myself, "Well, how do I describe it?" There might not be a right way to describe this course, but I usually compare and contrast it with other Literature courses. Much like those other Literature classes, Literature of the Future has clear objectives and involves the use of many texts. It often involves student discussion of particular literary patterns, symbols, etc. Yet, its difference from other Literature courses may make it appealing to students other than Literature majors. Unlike other Literature courses, this course focuses on the future. Thus, various cultural elements are often discussed. Not only this, but there seems to be a freshness in the subject matter that is not present in other Literature courses. This is simply to say that the course lends itself to discussion of previously unexplored ideas, leading students on a wonderful voyage of knowledge.

As a course in higher education, I believe that Literature of the Future is essential, regardless of content areas or majors. A truly educated person has the ability to be open-minded, and this is a quality that I believe this class teaches. From my own experience thus far, I am able to say that it is effective in presenting options of the future that require me to go beyond my own beliefs. As one of the midterm samples stated, I believe that a course such as this one should be included in high school curricula because of its emphasis on thinking outside the box. Surely, in my case, the presentations and readings have succeeding in leading me to do this.

A narrative, also known as a story, can be defined as a sequence of meaningful events. Another definition of narrative elaborates on this, describing it as a story about people moving and talking together in time. Whichever definition one chooses to subscribe to, the fact remains that narratives are essential to our lives. As human beings, we define ourselves by the ability to tell stories. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that we want our stories to outlive us, ringing in the ears of generations to come. Such is the case in the popular story, "The Story Telling Stone." In any case, the importance of narratives in our culture rolls over into artistic forms such as literature. As Plato said, art imitates reality. Concordantly, literature is not life itself, rather an intense representation of it. This mimesis can be seen in a course such as this one, where the narratives of the future can be categorized into three types: apocalyptic, evolutionary, and alternative.

Though one might be inclined to discuss these narratives of the future separately, this is not the most effective method of analysis. Frequently, as in the famous Creation / Evolution bumper sticker war, the narratives cross each other. Thus, to the greatest degree possible, the narratives should be viewed as interrelated.

Each narrative of the future is unique in its own way. Even so, they each contain some similarities. Due to their constant interrelation, it might be best to examine their basic definitions, the terminology frequently used to describe them, their qualities, their model of time, and their appeal.

In general, apocalyptic literature can be described as literature that depicts the triumph of good over evil in an often cataclysmic end. It usually portrays the world as falling apart and forces readers to ask themselves if they will be among the saved. Revelation is the chief narrative of apocalyptic literature. Yet apocalyptic literature is not limited to Christianity. Secular apocalypses such as global warming and the millennium are also a part of this literature.

Much less dramatic than apocalyptic narratives is the evolutionary narrative. Simply put, an evolutionary narrative is a cyclic form of literature that is based on the concept of change. This type of narrative, unlike apocalyptic narratives, does not always guarantee redemption. Parable of the Sower, The Time Machine, and "Stone Lives" are examples of this genre. As with apocalyptic material, evolutionary narratives can be found in modern culture, as in Gattaca, business metaphors, and even sports.

The final narrative of the future, alternative, resembles the previous two in that it is a plan for events to come. Yet it is often more "eerie" than apocalyptic or evolutionary. Alternative narratives of the future, such as "Gernsback," "Mozart," "Garden," and "Rich Space Traveler, Poor Space Traveler" (Andrew’s presentation) present various options for the future. Often the familiar past is visited and sometimes changed. Alternative narratives are popular in modern culture as well. The X-Files even produced an episode on this, where Mulder relived his day over and over until he figured out what needed to be changed to alter the future. A good example of the alternative future narrative can be found by doing searches on the internet. When you click on various links, you are often lost in a world that you did not even know existed.

Apocalyptic narratives involve terminology such as "end times," "millennial," "eschatology," "New Heaven," and "utopia." Much of this terminology deals with the grand scale of the events to come. The terms, unlike the terminology of the other narratives, often provoke a great fear or a great hope in people. Evolutionary terminology is something more people are comfortable with, as its emphasis is on "adaptability," "change," "survival," and "Social Darwinism." In Parable Lauren seems to be a visual representation of these terms. Not only does she view God as change, but she learns to adapt to the situation of having an old map and chooses to travel as a man, increasing her chances of survival. Evolutionary terminology and concepts generally seem to be more "real" than apocalyptic concepts because, as in Parable, they often show up in real-life situations. For example, "It’s a dog-eat-dog world." On the other hand, alternative terminology is very unusual in a sense. It is rooted in the multiverse theory, emphasizing phrases such as "different paths," "parallel universe," and "shuffling the deck of history." Stories such as "Garden" hit us up front with the idea of various futures in their titles. Other stories, such as "Gernsback," introduce this concept by the presence of ghosts or visions.

The qualities of apocalyptic narratives and evolutionary narratives are very interrelated, as they both divide people into two types. In apocalyptic stories, people are divided to the saved and unsaved. This division is present in the Bible and also in movies such as Left Behind, where believers are raptured and all others are left behind. The division of people in evolutionary material is very different, as people are divided into the strong and the weak. This can be seen in works such as Parable, where only the strong survive. Yet the qualities of those narratives are also comparable in their notions of the future and about plans. Apocalyptic narratives, such as Lisa’s presentation of "New Heaven and New Earth," view the future as previously written. Thus the events happening serve to follow the written plan. Revelations is a prime example of this belief, as it sees the future as fixed. Certainly, from this point of view, a plan is being carried out. (God’s plan.) In evolutionary narratives, no such plan can quite be determined. Here, the future is dynamic and can be seen as being written. Just as Lauren is writing Earthseed, she is writing her future. For example, she decides where they will go next, when they should rest, and her family decided not to go to Olivar. Contrastingly, qualities of alternative narratives are more culturally correspondent than theoretical. Alternative narratives attempt to explain situations in terms of physics, consciousness, and multiculturalism. Such is the case with "Mozart," as it explains the portal. Clearly, it is more fact-based than what is usually found in the evolutionary material such as The Time Machine, with its crystal. Much like evolutionary material, many aspects of our lives correlate with alternative narratives. This is visible in career changes and also sex changes, as in "Better Be Ready."

Each narrative of the future has a specific model of time. Apocalyptic narratives such as the Bible are linear in time. This means that they go from beginning ot middle to the end. Usually this takes place in the pattern of paradise to chaos back to paradise. This model of time can be easily seen when examining Genesis and Revelations. Genesis speaks of a utopia, the Garden of Eden. Revelations discusses man’s tribulation and final return to paradise, Heaven. Uniquely, apocalyptic time cannot be recorded. How do you measure eternity? Yet, interestingly, evolutionary narratives have the ability to record time. For instance, the time machine in Wells’s novel can record time to the actual year, month, and date. However, time in evolutionary narratives is cyclic, depicting a rise and fall of things such as temperature, seasons, species, and generations. This adaptation to time is illustrated in "Bears Discover Fire," when the bears discover fire after hibernation is no longer a necessity. Unlike the model of time in apocalyptic or evolutionary narratives, alternative narratives depict a multifaceted model of time. In other words, a series of futuristic paths co-existing. Phrases such as "time is branches of a tree," "a garden of forking paths," or "a labyrinth" illustrate this concept. Further illustration can be seen as characters such as the narrator in "Garden" see themselves in this alternative future.

The appeal of apocalyptic narratives is great. Perhaps this is because they tell a story which uses literary qualities (similes, symbols, juxtaposition, etc.) and at the same time satisfy personal needs. Often, there is hunger to interpret apocalyptic material. Not only this, but apocalyptic material also seems to be told as occurring in the near future. Subsequently, every generation thinks it will happen in their time (e. g., Charles Manson, Y2K). The appeal of evolutionary materials is that generally they correspond to human nature. This can be seen as H. G. Wells wrote about the classes of his time using the Morlocks and the Eloi. Not only this, but the story gets back to where it started, as in Parable when Lauren loses her Dad, only to regain Bankole as a sort of substitute. Unlike the appeal of other narratives, alternative futures seem to be more tolerant and imaginative. The ghosts, technology, and cyberdroids of alternative narratives seem to push the boundaries of our imagination. Moreover, we often find ourselves more open to possibilities after reading a narrative of this type, as is the case with Byron in "Better Be Ready." Further appeal: the romance narrative can be carried out in each narrative of the future. It seems as if in most stories of the future, regardless of genre, there is some type of hardship endured and a final transcendence. This can be seen in Revelation, as the believers struggle in life and literally rise above to Heaven. It can also be seen in "Stone Lives," as Stone is separated from his mother, returned to unite with her, and left alone to clean up the mess her corporation and generation have created. By the end of the story, we see he has been on a type of intellectual journey. Finally, this can be seen in "Better Be Ready," as Byron holds one point of view, struggles, and transcends the circumstances by believing in multiple possibilities.

The question of whether this class is about culture or literature is by no means a simple one to answer. Yet the question cannot be avoided, as Literature of the Future is so visibly different than the other Literature courses at UHCL. The nature of the course is quite unexplainable, and therefore my perspective on it may seem a little unusual at first glance. I prefer to think of this course as a sort of paper towel, if you will. Despite our urge to limit discussion, issues of culture seem to spill into it. In this way, Literature of the Future resembles the "quicker picker upper," absorbing every relevant subject in its path. Literature of the Future clears out your brain by exhausting every option and wiping away previous boundaries.

Particularly, Literature of the Future is a class where culture and literature collide, and almost co-exist. Culture even shows up in "Gernsback," as he talks about how science fiction imagery "permeates our culture." How can this course not include culture, though, in a culture that is so fixated on the future? The unknown has always intrigued us, from Sophocles to the most current books on shelves. Movies also immerse us in futuristic visions with works such as Armageddon, T2, Gattaca, and Left Behind. Nighttime television is no escape, either, as people like the famous psychic Cleo are always trying to reveal our future to us. Taking this into account, it is difficult to envision a course of this type in which cultural issues do not seep into the content at one time or another. Yet the mere presence of cultural subject matter does not classify this class as a course about culture. For instance, a Physics class is classified as a science yet involves the use of mathematics. Indeed, Literature of the Future is a class which discusses the future through various cultural instances, but it is primarily rooted in studying the future through literature.

It seems to me that the balance of culture and literature in this course is right. We use culture as a tool to help us relate to the subject matter in the texts. This tends to help many students understand better, as they are more familiar or comfortable with culture than that of literature. Perhaps this is the reason why the course appeals to so many people. Even in discussing culture, I have noticed that we never get too far away from the text. If, by chance, we get on a cultural tangent that is not relevant to the text, the issue is usually resolved by either you or someone else calling us back to the text itself. In my opinion, adding any more cultural elements to the course would drastically change it. This is to say that it would be more like a Studies of the Future course, which to my knowledge is not as highly reliant on textual material. By sticking to actual objectives, dissecting passages, and following a particular format, this course has been able to remain true to its name. In the context of this class, culture is simply an appetizer to the narrative meal of the future and its many side dishes.

Literature of the Future has taught me so much already, I cannot fathom all the things I will learn after midterm. I’m really excited to know what my future holds, in that respect. Aside from the different narratives, Literature of the Future has taught me that various options for the future can be extremely stimulating. It has taught me to be open-minded and appreciative of differences in everything—books, futures, etc. I may not know what my future holds, but I hope that it will be as interesting as learning about the various futuristic scenarios has been.