Literature of Space & Exploration UHCL 2004 student research proposals

I would like to explore, in an essay, the effects or impacts the journey has on the individual, an examination into the self. I will look at how the journey plays an integral part in the maturation or development of the character. I will also touch upon any revelation or epiphany any of the characters may experience as a result of the journey. How the journey has changed the person will be my main focus.

In order to delve into this subject and stay within the confines of the course subject matter, I will treat fictional and non-fictional characters as the same in order to provide cohesiveness when examining the self. Typically this paper may be focused on the psychological aspect of the character, his or her development, and the problems encountered within the act of exploration; however, I may also extend the research slightly to include the effects upon a group of people as a result of the individual’s interaction with said group.

Upon further research, I may find that I wish to limit my paper to two, three, or four characters; this is only speculative at best. If this eventually rings true, I have considered John Carter from A Princess of Mars, Jamie Waterman from Mars and Return to Mars, Robyn Davidson from Tracks, and Meriwether Lewis from Undaunted Courage.

I hope to gain better insight into the effects that the journey has on the individual, and enlist that insight into my own characters’ development in my thesis, which is also a creative tale of exploration.

I have read Undaunted Courage, and given the demise of Lewis shortly after his journey ended, fascinates me, and poses certain questions as to any relevancy toward similar feelings of emptiness among the Apollo Astronauts; perhaps this is a research project in and of itself. What do you think?

Do you feel that my paper would be too broad to include four characters, and perhaps groups of people?

I would like to explore the role that nationalism plays in exploration. Specifically, I want to look at Soviet polar and space exploration beginning in the 19^th century (well, and a bit of 18^th century too) through the present. The information I gather will be compared in a broad way with what I’ve learned so far about European and American exploration attitudes.

I prefer to use the journal format because as issues relative to our other objectives appear, I would like to have the flexibility to explore them as well.

Along with nationalism, I’m also interested in the psychology of exploration as well. I think the two topics might complement one another. I’ll be specifically looking for evidence supporting the relationship of exploration to war/civil unrest – and how exploration might have been used (psychologically) during such times… European exploration seems to be in a relationship similar to that of gold and oil, when one is up, the other is down. I’m curious to see if this relationship is the same for Soviets.

I am still looking into the possibility of including a science fiction book authored by a Russian. I might instead look for overall attitudes/themes in Russian science fiction. I haven’t decided whether including a sci-fi text would enhance the project.

Question: Is anyone familiar with any Soviet sci-fi writers whose work could be compared to The Sparrow or A Princess of Mars?

Red Arctic: Polar Exploration and the Myth of the North in the Soviet Union, 1932-1939
by John McCannon

"Positive Heroes at the Pole: Celebrity Status, Socialist-Realist Ideals, and the Soviet Myth of the Arctic, 1932-1939." Russian Review 56, no. 3 (July 1997): 346-65.

Antarctic comrades: an American with the Russians in Antarctica / Gilbert Dewart

The politics of space: a comparison of the Soviet and American space programs / William H. Schauer.

The Russian space bluff; the inside story of the Soviet drive to the moon. Translated from Russian by David Floyd. By Vladimirov, Leonid

Description of the topic: I have been inspired by aspects of the course topic to write a short story, and for this reason I would like to choose that option.

Texts Used: I’m not sure here exactly which texts I’ll use. I know that in the ten page explanatory, or analytical section I will refer to Burroughs, Ice, and I’m sure some old science fiction texts that I have either in my possession, or have access to.

Interest and Influence: This topic is intriguing to me because I am interested in both sci-fi, and in the exploration of space. I have been an avid reader of the sci-fi genre, but I have not written much. This project appeals to me because it will set me on the course I initially entered this program to pursue: that of creative writing, specifically science fiction.

Random Thoughts: I don’t have an outline; to the best of my knowledge I’ve never written one for any writing project. I do have a plot line in mind. My story begins when the boy is about eight years old. He is inspired to become an astronaut when he meets some of the original astronauts who were friends of his grandfather. The reality is that my father introduced me to Wally Schirra when I was a young man, and this meeting will be the basis of the beginning of the story. The grandfather is patterned after my father, the father is me, and the son is a construct of several people I have known in my life; he will be the same age as my own thirty-three year old son. In this story, the boy will devote himself to the study of science and math, he will eventually be admitted into the Air Force Academy. The boy, now a young man will join the Air Force. From there he will enter the astronaut program, and eventually be accepted to the first manned Mars mission. I’ll save the ending for later, but I’ll tell you that it is derivative of one of the most touching moments from Ice.

For my Research Project, I am proposing to write an analytical essay that examines the “mission” element of exploration literature. I plan to draw upon several of our texts, including Clint Willis’s Ice anthology (1999), Mary Doria Russell’s novel, The Sparrow (1996) and Norman Mailer’s Of a Fire on the Moon (1969). I would also like to refer to both films that we are screening in this course, The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, directed by Robert Wise), and Black Robe (1991, directed by Bruce Beresford), since the two films depict “missions” of very different natures.

I believe that I will be using Course Objective # 6 (religious issues) and / or Course Objective # 3 (cultural issues) as a jumping-off point to begin an analysis of the various texts and films, and I am almost certain that I will find an abundance of secondary sources that address these issues, since both are significant enough to merit a sustained, in-depth discourse.

I find both of these objectives interesting, because history has shown us that fulfilling the prophecy of our “Manifest Destiny” often came at the expense of others. The members of the societies that find themselves “being explored” are affected, either by being displaced entirely, or by being marginalized, even if the explorers' missions were intended to “benefit” those preexisting cultures.

The film The Day the Earth Stood Still illustrates what it is like to be on the “receiving end” of a mission that has as its goal the well-being of an entire planet of diverse cultures. I would also like to compare / contrast the mission in this film with those found, for example, in two other films, War of the Worlds and Predator, both of which depict explorers whose “missions” are not nearly so concerned with the welfare of the “explored.” I do not know if referring to these two films as “sources” for this analysis of the “mission” element of exploration literature is acceptable, however, so I will defer to your judgment on the matter.

I would appreciate any other suggestions that you might have as well, particularly in adjusting the scope / direction of my proposal, as well as in narrowing my search for suitable secondary / background sources. Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these matters—

For my research paper I would like to examine how social norms change or are altered as people face survival situations. The idea for this research came to mind while reading parts of ICE and trying to understand how different explorers dealt with life threatening conditions. The treatment of the dead was particularly interesting to me.

As a first cut at the topic, I plan to look at social interactions, religion, funerals, and the potential for cannibalism. I think I can tie PYM into the discussion as well as do some outside reading on the topic.

Since the beginning of this course, I have experienced an unerring curiosity about the psyche of adventurers. And in the recesses of my mind, I catch glimpses, shadows if you will, of the archetypal hero imbedded in the personalities of our explorers. The pattern emerges, but sometimes seems impossible to grasp without asking, “so what?” Therefore, I am interested in writing a journal to explore objective 5, psychological/character issues.

Several topics of research I plan to pursue in the journal are Carl Jung’s theory of the archetypal hero, commonalities/contrasts of landscapes explorers encounter, the effect of landscapes on explorers, and motivations (rational, spiritual, personal, commercial) of the adventurer. To date, I plan to use stories from Ice and Tracks, but I am undecided about other texts. I have researched a bit of Jung’s theory and found many connections to objective 5. With further exploration, I hope to find a tangible reason for my incessant curiosity with the psychology of an adventurer. For instance, are heroes innately heroic or does society conform people into heroes?

For my final project I would like to do a journal to further explore the writings of Poe, Byrd, and Scott that I examined for my midterm. I will research the circumstances that lead to the explorations/writings of the three men. For example, why was Scott chosen to explore Antarctica for Great Britain? Why did Poe choose to write a novel about Antarctic exploration? Why did Byrd live alone in Antarctica? With this research I will attempt to answer one main question: How did the motivations of Byrd, Scott, and Poe to explore and/or write affect their language?

This question has many layers. For example, I would have to employ Jerry's Objective 5d., which examines the psychological motivations of explorers. It takes a particular type of person/mentality to take on such a harsh and dangerous task. In addition, I would have to look into the historical context in which the three men worked. What was the world like in the 19th century? How did this context influence their motivations?

There is a lot of information about the journeys of Scott and Byrd that I will utilize to create an understanding of their motivations. Also, I will use the research article you provided us for class that discusses Poe and the Antarctic Gothic. In this article, the author discusses Poe's interest in the Symme's Theory, which may have served as motivation to psychologically explore the depths of the South Pole.

I want to do a journal because there is a risk of speculation regarding the true motivations of writers that can no longer answer questions themselves. A journal will allow me to present enough research to adequately answer my questions. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thank you.

Animals in Exploration Literature - Essay Option

I joked in class that someone could probably write an entire paper about animals in exploration literature. After you pointed out the book by Thayer and Rebecca pointed out some relevant novels, I decided I was going to actually try it. I've been looking at several sources, and I'll just list them before I comment further. Possible non-fiction texts include Helen Thayer's Polar Dream, Robyn Davidson's Tracks, a book called The Cruelest Miles, and Roald Amundsen's account of his expedition to the South Pole. I also think information about animals that have been sent up on space missions would be a good thing to include, but I don't have any specific sources pinpointed yet. Possible science fiction texts include David Brin's Startide Rising, Mike Resnick's Miracle of Rare Design, and Mary Doria Russell's Children of God. I can also see brief but relevant connections between my topic and both Pym's forgotten canine companion and Carter's Woola in A Princess of Mars.

My working hypothesis is that animals serve very different functions in non-fiction exploration accounts than they do in science fiction tales. Amundsen's sled dogs, Davidson's camels, Thayer's dog, and the dogs from the serum run were all tools of explorers to some extent. The camels enable Davidson to make her trip across the outback, and Thayer's dog helps keep her safe from bears. Amundsen's decision to use sled dogs contributed to his success, as the opposite choice probably contributed to Scott's failure. Humans have been willing to send animals into space when it was considered too risky to send a person, making those dogs and chimps a tool to explore further than we could otherwise. Of course, these animals are not merely tools. Many of them are also pets or companions. The serum run dogs become heroes. The space animals are sort of explorers in their own right.

Pym and A Princess of Mars show animals in the role of companion again. But the other science fiction texts I mentioned bring up a new set of issues. Russell, Brin, and Resnick are writing about situations where humans are dealing with other sentient species. This even makes use of the word "animal" a bit tricky. In each novel, humans seem to confront their own assumed superiority to some other species. Miracle of Rare Design and Children of God are about species that humans are encountering for the first time, beings that mostly seem less advanced than humans. Russsell's Jana'ata and Runa are never labeled animals, but the descriptions -- muzzles, kangaroo-like tails, furry bodies -- seems to fit. Among the other species in Brin's novel are one that resembles fireflies, one like sloths, and a couple that are like blendings of several animals. In Startide Rising, dolphins have become the equals of humans, and, on a galactic scale, humans are mere upstarts themselves.

In the nonfiction texts, animals often serve as a humanizing element - something cute and cuddly that the reader - or even the author - starts to care about. They're one method of narrative relief from the raw data of exploration. They contribute to the storytelling. In the science fiction texts, "animals" are a construct for examining what it means to be human as well as some of the potential intolerances of humans. I suppose the speciesism that appears in these novels could be compared to treatments of racism in other texts, but I'm not sure that's a direction I want to head in. I did find a journal article or two that talks about speciesism in literature. I need to take a closer look at the list of sources I turned up.

Anyway! - my questions for you:

1. I seem to have quite a few primary texts. I can certainly see connections between the various texts and how they should illustrate different parts of the argument I'm working toward, but is the sheer number going to be overwhelming? Even if a couple of them are only referenced briefly? If, so I guess I need suggestions about what to cut out, which leads me to . . .

2. That fiction/non-fiction division that I'm structuring my paper around so far. Is that actually a good idea or did I just stumble across it and think it looks better than it really does? My only idea here is that once I get further into the paper, I might be organizing by function of the animals instead of whether the text is fiction or not. For example, Davidson's and Thayer's texts are probably the best examples of animals as companions in exploration; unmanned space missions and Startide Rising feature animals as explorers; etc.

3. I seem to be coming up short on secondary sources. Other than the articles I mentioned dealing with speciesism, do you know of any criticism that I can use to structure or critique what I'm seeing in my primary texts? Or a specific critical approach that might bring all these rambling ideas into focus?

The question and answer Appendix to The Sparrow, in my edition anyway, contains responses from the author on a variety of topics concerning her book. Some of the Q & A touches on the nature of science, philosophy, religion, and the existence of evil. This led me to think about the nature of how science relates to the literature of travel and exploration.

Where I have arrived thus far is a peculiar notion that the term “Science Fiction” is a bit misleading and sometimes ironical. It insinuates that the “science” portion is true and the fiction portion is, well, fictitious.

I would like to explore the fluidity of scientific thought, examine some examples (past and present) of scientific mythology and its impact on the travel and exploration texts, and their subsequent impact on society as a whole. I would also like to look at the difference between responsible and irresponsible science and whether the public prefers irresponsible science in texts because it may be more exciting.

In developing a theme for my John Carter research review, I noticed that the class in 2002 hinted at some of these ideas in what seemed to be a fun discussion. I believe I could draw some from that discussion.

This topic is significant for epistemological reasons. It is interesting to me because I have several times throughout my life had to readjust beliefs I thought were fairly well grounded (some think I need to again). Sometimes it is interesting to consider the sources of your error, especially when at one point they seemed impenetrable or indubitable.

When people think about space travel today they seldom think about the way in which it can negatively affect us. This report will be about the ways in which humans might be stuck on the planet. We know a lot of things about space but there are still thousands of unanswered questions floating out there. Movies like Star Trek, and novels from the great H.G. Wells depict space travel as simple when we know that is clearly not the case. The natural laws of physics forbid lots of things shown on modern television shows such as warp speed and “beaming” some one down to a distant planet. Look at Star Trek for a minute; here we have people traveling though out space in what appears to be ship with similar gravitational properties as the earth. This is just plain ludicrous to think of because artificial gravity does not exist. Delta Vega Orbit

Furthermore when we see these ships traveling at “warp” speed, we never see the effects of the speed. Traveling at any speed in excess of about 3gs would severely hurt humans and possibly just plain crush us. The United States Air Force uses a chamber to put pilots in and it spins to about 2-3Gs. Only the strongest and most virile pilots are sought after because most humans will pass out in those conditions.

When Russia and the United States started the space race back in the 60s our primary objective was to build a craft for a moon landing. Scientists know now based on historical data that there might be a time where the earth becomes extinct again so travel is thought of, but not exactly priority in the world. Extinction became a thought in today’s house holds since the discovery 10 years ago of the great crater in the Yucatan peninsula. This crater is what scientists believe killed the dinosaurs millions of years ago. A meteor the size of Nebraska slammed into the earth causing dust to rise and cover the earth for several years and kill all land animals. Scientists were sure that if it happened once it can happen again.

For my research project, I think I'd like to choose Option 1, the traditional essay. Though its primary thrust seems to be the search for God, I think I can claim that The Sparrow is a first-contact story. The Left Hand of Darkness clearly falls in this sci-fi subgenre, as does A Miracle of Rare Design by Mike Resnick. I think I can also claim that Speaker for the Dead joins the previously mentioned texts, though that may be a bit more of a stretch. I enjoy reading first contact stories, so I'd like to write about them. As motivations go, that's pretty simple; though it may lack nobility, at least it has the virtue of honesty.

Many years ago, I decided that one of the most interesting questions I ever heard was asked by Pink Floyd, in Us and Them. It goes something like "... but who knows which is which, and who is who." In these four tales, the division between Us and Them sometimes gets blurred as the explorers (or the explored) begin to identify more closely with one another. Hopefully, this is close enough to Objective 5a (How do explorers change new worlds? How do new worlds change explorers?) to keep it within the range of acceptable topics.

The Sparrow: It should be pretty easy to claim that Sofia Mendes swaps sides altogether, since she incites a revolution and almost wipes out the Jana'ata. The Runao revolt against the Jana'ata to become like Us.

Miracle: The protagonist, if I remember correctly, has his body surgically altered to match the inhabitants of the worlds he explores. This is the most extreme case of swapping sides.

Speaker: The explorers take inordinate precautions to conceal the nature of "Us" from the piggies. Though they try to keep the division absolutely clear, it too becomes blurred. And, in the end, the walls come down and Us is redefined to include them all.

Darkness: Genly Ai, viewed by the Gethenians as The Pervert, is about as Them as it gets. But, Estraven believes in Ai's mission from the start. Perhaps the personal relationship between Ai and Estraven could be construed as a small Us, thought I can't remember how it works out for their respective societies.

1: I still don't feel a central focus. Can you help now, or do you think my fuzzy notions may coalesce into something concrete if I'm left to my own devices?

3: I'd like to write about at least one book that you probably haven't had a chance to read. Is that OK with you? If so, do I just treat it like the other works when I write about it?

4: I don't think I'll find much literary criticism about these works of popular science fiction, except maybe Darkness. These will probably focus on the gender issues raised by the book. Though I might be able to find articles about first contact stories in general, I fear they may be along the lines of "these are the conventions/elements of first contact stories." Unless I change my emphasis, this could leave almost me completely lacking in secondary sources.