LITR 4632: Literature of
the Future
Sample Student Midterms 2007
Excerpts
Jennifer McCord
The Future is Not Set in Stone
This class has been nothing that I thought it would be. I don’t know exactly how to explain what I thought this class was going to be, other than the material is much broader than I expected. It is not a class of just your typical science fiction; it deals with all the issues of the future. The really great thing about it is that in this class there is room for everyone’s individual interpretations. Since we don’t know what the future holds we can all assume that our opinion is correct. The other really great thing that I like about the class is that the class discussions can open your mind to something that you may not have thought about before. For example when Ashley Schaller did her FVP over The Celestine Prophesy she talked about the possibility of humans evolving to a perfect society. I had never thought of the future in that way. I had a much more apocalyptic view of the end of the world, so her presentation really made me think. This openness is what sets this class apart from other literature classes I have taken. The thing that ties this class together with other literature classes is that we are using narratives or stories to explore the future.
It is important to know that humans are the only creatures on earth who create stories. These stories are important because they help shape the world we live in. All of these stories take place in time, for example past, present, or future. However, I find it interesting that the text themselves can be considered “timeless”. Genesis and Revelation were written hundreds of years ago but the bible remains on the top seller list in book sales. The Time Machine is another good example of a “timeless text” in that it was written a century ago but the story remains relevant and interesting to readers. Something else that came to mind when I read the Time Machine was that the book itself could be the “Time machine” in that it takes you to another time as you read. Another thing that narratives do is that it represents how we view the world and how we deal with the unknown. Even before humans could write we have been telling stories. Myths are stories that were passed down through word of mouth; many times the stories that they told were about the creations of earth and the life on it. When we read Genesis we read one story about how the earth and life was created. Just as there are stories that deal with the creation of life, there are also stories that predict the end of life on earth. . . .
Ultimately I think all of these futures work together to form our world. Of course we will never know for certain which future our future holds but it is fun to think about. I think that we live such short lives that it is linear but when looking into the deep future it feels much more evolutionary, or a combination of both apocalyptic and evolutionary. I like the way that Liavette summed up her feeling when she said “I can partly agree with the alternative view in that each person determines his or her future based on the decisions and choices he or she makes because we were created with a free will and have the ability to live our lives the way we please but every decision has a consequence, whether good or bad and many people do not think of the consequences their actions will result in down the road, but rather only think of the present.” I totally agree with this we can make the choice but we don’t get to choose the consequences. I can choose to take my eyes off the road for one second to turn up the radio in my car, but I can’t choose weather or not I will get into a car accident because I took my eyes off the road.
I also really think that all of these futures have to be thought of in the context of the time in which they were written. The main thing I have taken away from this course is all the possibilities that are really out there. It has taught me to open my mind and consider the infinite possibilities. As I said in the introduction of my paper, previously I had an apocalyptic view of the end of the world and now I can see many views. In a way it gives me a little bit of hope, the future is not set in stone. I, and we as humans can choose what our future holds.
Emily Sevier
Upon enrolling in this course I felt fairly confident that I would be familiar with the material. I was surprised to find the only readings listed on the syllabus that I had ever read, or even heard of, were “Revelation” and “The Time Machine.” I had assumed that it would be your typical, average science fiction. Fortunately, this class entails so much more than flying cars, laser guns, new alien life forms, and intergalactic conquest. Through the daily readings and the class discussions, Literature of the Future has given me the opportunity to see how other people interpret the future and what their hopes and expectations are for the existence of mankind.
Even before the written language was conceived, humans have always possessed the exclusive ability of story telling. Narratives are essential to the growth of society because they are the primary way that legacies are left behind, heroes are revered, morals are taught and lessons are learned. Whether it was through pictorial symbols or memorization and oral retelling, history has always been passed on from one generation to the next. When reading futuristic text there are three different narratives: apocalyptic, evolutionary, and alternative. . . .
Holly Bailey
One of our future vision presenters presented on the movie Independence Day. This movie is also an apocalyptic narrative. I saw one significant link within the movie Independence Day and another apocalyptic narrative. That connection is locusts. During Ashley’s presentation we discussed how the alien made the doctor talk and the president said “they are like locusts they are going to take over everything.” This got me thinking back to one of the books the bible, Exodus. In Exodus a reference was also made about locusts, the plague of locusts which appeared while Moses’ people were trying to get released from the pharaoh. The locusts stripped the land of all its crops, causing an apocalyptic effect. Once again the pharaoh impacted the future of many others. Moses’ people futures were written as they went along because they had to keep adjusting to the actions of the pharaoh.
Paula Upham
Upon first enrolling in Literature of the Future, I thought the class might involve discussing new literature and literature that would be prominent in our future. I thought we might be reading and discussing new authors and how they are impacting the literary world. I did, however, eventually read the course catalog and quickly discovered I was quite wrong. I was a bit disappointed once I read the description of the class thinking that I would not enjoy this class one bit, because I had never really been a fan of what I considered to be science fiction. Novels about outer space, aliens, robots and far-fetched scenarios about another time and another place were ones that I would have quickly dismissed and never picked up on my own. I, however, have been pleasantly surprised with some of the assigned stories and have even found myself eagerly anticipating the next story. I have been alerted to the fact that science fiction is not just about outer space and the extraterrestrial but is much more. It is a much broader genre than I ever considered. Just as the title of the class indicates, science fiction can also include speculative interpretations of the future and all the endless possibilities of our ever expanding world.
This class has been much different than any of the other literature classes I have taken. The class discussions are much more engaging and reach beyond the narratives discussed and reach into our lives. JR’s 2001 midterm says it best when she says, “that the texts we will be reading about the future are really about the present and the dismay that exists at the current conditions we live in. If I were describing this course to another student I would say that it examines the problems of the present by projecting them into the future and magnifying them” (JR 2001 midterm). This is an excellent description of the course. The student presentations also have allowed me to view literary pieces and movies in a different light. Just as when I was putting together my own future presentation, so many things finally came to light. I had not previously thought of the Zamyatin’s We in terms of the dystopia and utopia apparent or viewed The Stepford Wives as anything other than a silly comedy, but after some of our class discussions about utopia and dystopia I was able to view even this silly movie in a different light. The same has been true for many of the movies presented and discussed in class. Who would have thought that the movie Average Joe that Jenna presented to the class really had something to teach us about our future and where we could possibly be headed. It certainly is eye-opening when you consider some of these things could actually happen in our own future. . . .
The course has also brought up the question of how important these narratives are and how important storytelling in general is to us as humans and our society. Storytelling is a significant part of our culture and gives us a glimpse into the past as well as the future. It allows us to experience things from our past that we may never have experienced as well as anticipate where our society is headed and what is to become of our future. It is an important part of our culture and can remind us why we make the choices we do allowing us to learn and grow from one another. Narratives are also entertaining and allow us to use our imagination in ways that we may not without being introduced to these thought-provoking stories.
The three types of narratives that we have discussed in class have are all very enlightening. The class has forced me to question what I believe in as I journey through life and ponder the question of whether the choices that we make matter. It has forced me to look at where we are headed as a society and where we should be headed. I do believe that we do have choices to make that can send us down the right path. We can choose to ignore the path that God intended us to follow or we can rise up and listen to him. While I believe, there is no question that the choices that we make impact our future and the future of our world, I believe you still have to question whether these are the right choices and whether you are following God’s plan. You still are responsible for your life and you can’t just sit back and expect God or whatever Supreme Being you believe in to make something of your life without any attempt or effort on your part.
All of the narratives and discussions that we have had in class thus far have all been very interesting and thought-provoking. I am thankful to have the opportunity to explore in more detail a genre of literature that I previously had very little knowledge of. I believe this opportunity will have an impact on my life in the classroom as a teacher. As a future teacher, I feel I should be familiar with all types of literature, and this class has helped me to be much more open to science fiction and open to discussions on this matter with my students who may enjoy this subject and, perhaps, I can even convince a student or two to try some of these enlightening selections.
Jenna Zucha
My inexperienced enthusiasm for science fiction, or literature of the future as it is, prior to this class has always manifested itself in the form of pure entertainment. The notion of endless possibilities in any form has always interested me. Literature of the future holds the highest potential for creativity and imagination because it operates in a field that has yet to occur. If you had asked me before this class began to list narratives pertaining to the future I would have said, Cat’s Cradle ,Sirens of Titans, or Welcome to the Monkey House. My experience with the future in the past, what a paradox, has primarily been shaped by Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical criticism of society. The idea that humans will ultimately construct their own extinction, that primal sins (gluttony, lust, and greed) will be redefined by technology and persist with greater force and destruction.
I was surprised, but not disappointed to find that none of these narratives were in the syllabus. Actually my attention was averted when I saw that one of the first things to be discussed in Literature of the Future was Genesis and Revelations. I was highly intrigued. I had always seen science fiction and future narratives as a modern form of writing. After reading this biblical text I realized that this was a logical place to start in a course covering literature of the future. If I had to describe this class to someone else, I would say that it is an introduction to a genre of ideas, a framework for discussing endless possibilities, and a place to discover different viewpoints concerning the same topic, the unknown.
The unknown is fascinating to humans because we are creatures plagued by the cognitive ability and need to seek out ultimate truths. Some are interested in the future primarily out of fear (I need to know so I can survive), others want to discover the ultimate secret to life, the idea that if time can be understood then it can be manipulated. A few people see the future as an opportunity to play God. The futures hold the ability to create life with the use of advanced technology, and sustain the lives of the living, therefore, meddling in a place that has been forbidden to man, cheating death. Still there are some who revel in the headache of the unknown, the future, because there is nowhere else for the mind to travel. . . .