new-wave-science-fiction

The 'Preamble' chapter introduces 'Dangerous Visions and New Worlds' as a comprehensive overview of the New Wave era of radical science fiction from 1950 to 1985, highlighting its cultural significance and its fusion with broader artistic and political movements. It emphasizes the New Wave's belief in speculative fiction as a transformative force, its alliance with underground culture, and the diversity of its influential authors. The chapter also includes endorsements that frame the book as both an accessible introduction and a critical reassessment of the period's impact.

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the radical science fiction landscape from 1950 to 1985, highlighting key authors, themes, and movements such as New Wave SF, feminist science fiction, and politically charged narratives. It explores how science fiction intersected with contemporary social issues including feminism, anti-authoritarianism, nuclear anxiety, and racial politics, while also examining influential publications and figures who shaped the genre's evolution during this period.

This introduction to 'Dangerous Visions and New Worlds' outlines the transformative impact of the 'long sixties' on science fiction, highlighting the rise of the New Wave movement that challenged the conservative norms of the Golden Age. It details how the genre became a platform for exploring radical social change, political dissent, and experimental literary forms, reflecting broader cultural shifts in class, race, gender, and sexuality. The chapter also discusses the role of key publications and figures, the controversies within the community, and the emergence of diverse voices addressing dystopia, feminism, and racial issues.

This chapter explores the intersection of radical politics and the New Wave science fiction movement of the 1960s, highlighting the generational and ideological divides within the genre during the Vietnam War era. It contrasts the conservative, militaristic Golden Age writers like Heinlein with the politically engaged, experimental New Wave authors such as Michael Moorcock, J.G. Ballard, and Ursula K. Le Guin, who infused science fiction with avant-garde literary techniques and radical social critiques including feminism and anti-war sentiments. The chapter also discusses key publications and anthologies, such as Dangerous Visions, that embodied this revolutionary literary and political spirit.

This chapter traces the evolution of New Worlds magazine from its origins as the fanzine Novae Terrae in 1936 to its transformation under Michael Moorcock's editorship in the 1960s. It highlights the magazine's pivotal role in popularizing the New Wave of Science Fiction, its embrace of experimental and radical speculative writing, and its struggles with censorship and funding, culminating in its reinvention as a series of anthologies and occasional revivals. The chapter also emphasizes the magazine's influence on key authors and its integration of innovative artwork reflecting the countercultural aesthetics of the period.

This chapter examines the transformative period of radical science fiction in the 1960s, focusing on the British magazine New Worlds under Michael Moorcock's editorship. It highlights the magazine's role in introducing experimental, politically radical, and sexually frank science fiction that challenged traditional genre boundaries and societal norms. The chapter also discusses key works and authors, such as Brian Aldiss and Norman Spinrad, illustrating how New Worlds became a platform for innovative narrative styles and controversial content during a culturally tumultuous era.

This chapter explores the unique position of R.A. Lafferty within the New Wave science fiction movement, highlighting his idiosyncratic style and deeply Catholic mysticism that set him apart from both mainstream and New Wave authors. It examines his political stance during the Vietnam War, his unconventional narrative techniques, and his thematic focus on divine order, utopia, and spiritual metaphysics, particularly through his notable works such as Past Master and Fourth Mansions. The chapter emphasizes Lafferty's blend of humor, philosophical insight, and religious themes, positioning him as a singular figure whose work transcends typical genre boundaries.

This chapter explores Michael Moorcock's character Jerry Cornelius, a polymorphous and pansexual figure emblematic of 1960s New Wave science fiction. It details the publication history and narrative arc of The Final Programme and its sequels, highlighting Jerry's role amid a collapsing Europe and his complex relationships with family and antagonists. The chapter also discusses Moorcock's open-source approach to storytelling, the cultural embedding of Jerry Cornelius in 1960s counterculture, and the character's influence on other artists and media adaptations.

This chapter explores 1970s dystopian science fiction, highlighting how New Wave narratives shifted focus from traditional space adventures to real-world anxieties such as war, overpopulation, authoritarianism, and environmental collapse. It analyzes key works like Martin Bax's The Hospital Ship, Norman Spinrad's The Iron Dream, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's False Dawn, illustrating themes of helplessness, totalitarianism, and societal breakdown. The chapter also discusses how these novels reflect contemporary fears about technological change, political oppression, and ecological disaster.

This chapter explores the marginalization of Black writers in American literature and science fiction, highlighting Octavia Butler's pioneering role as a Black female science fiction author. It traces Butler's early life, influences, and career development within a predominantly white and exclusionary genre, emphasizing her unique narrative style and thematic focus on African spiritualism and complex characters of color. The chapter situates Butler within the broader context of Black speculative fiction and the New Wave movement, underscoring her contribution to expanding the genre's boundaries and representation.

This chapter, written by John Clute, analyzes Michael Moorcock's novel The Final Programme and its evolution into The Cornelius Quartet, framing it as a series of mythopoeic variations on the character Jerry Cornelius. It draws an extended analogy between the musical pasticcio of Diabelli and Beethoven's variations and Moorcock's literary variations on Cornelius, emphasizing themes of identity, urban life, and the entropic nature of the modern city. The chapter situates Cornelius as a mutable anti-hero whose struggles reflect the challenges of maintaining authenticity and identity in a rapidly decaying urban environment, while also tracing the tonal and thematic shifts across the tetralogy's volumes.