The origins of science fiction as a genre can be traced back to the imaginative stories of early writers who dared to envision worlds beyond our own. Since imagination is at the core of humanity, potential dreamlike scenarios have always existed within people. Still, the lack of them makes me think that they just didn’t want to be seen as “lunatic”. Because they could be seen as nonsense at a time when logical discussion and scientific approaches were at their height. However, cosmological observations and overstatements (willingly or not) accompanied their daily lives.
In the 2nd century AD, the Greek writer Lucian of Samosata wrote a satirical work entitled “A True Story”. Lucian’s motivation for writing it was rooted in the literary conventions of his time. Both travelogues and debates were in vogue at the time, but he was not interested in either. So he sought to satirise the often absurd and exaggerated travel stories that were prevalent in ancient literature. He wrote a parody with fantastic and fictitious creatures. He created a story that is one of the earliest known examples of proto-science fiction.
The famous travelogues of the time were controversial to him. Because there were some obvious lies and absurdities that don’t bother debaters that much. He says: “What surprised me was their assumption that nobody would notice that they were lying.” Therefore, he did it through satire.
The novel, interestingly, begins by declaring that the story is not true at all, and that everything in it is a complete and utter lie. “A True Story” is a satirical tale of fantastic journeys, and contains several elements that are emblematic of today’s science fiction genre:
1. Interplanetary Travel: Lucian’s protagonist embarks on journeys to various celestial bodies, including the Moon and the Sun. These voyages foreshadowed the fascination with space exploration that was to become an essential feature of science fiction.
2. Encounter with Alien Beings: The narrative is replete with encounters with strange, otherworldly and fantastic creatures. These beings include bird-headed warriors, tree-dwelling amphibians and giant ants. The idea of encountering alien life forms would later become a central theme in science fiction.
3. Advanced Technology: Lucian introduces imaginative technology, such as a crystal sphere that controls the characters’ flight and the use of sails to navigate through the cosmos. These elements are reminiscent of the futuristic technology often explored in science fiction.
Jumping ahead several centuries, we meet Johannes Kepler, the famous German mathematician, astronomer and physicist. Kepler’s contribution to early science fiction came in the form of “Somnium” (The Dream), written in 1608 and published posthumously in 1634 by his son, Ludwig Kepler.
“Somnium” is an imaginative work about a young man’s imaginary journey to the Moon. Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov have referred it as one of the earliest works of science fiction. The story contains the following science fiction elements:
1. Lunar Exploration: Kepler’s protagonist explores the lunar surface providing detailed descriptions of the Moon’s geography, inhabitants and conditions. This serves as a detailed, imaginative description of what the Earth might look like from the Moon, an early foray into extraterrestrial exploration. And is considered the first serious scientific treatise on lunar astronomy.
2. Moon Inhabitants: The Moon is depicted as home to humanoid and avian creatures. The idea of alien civilisations inhabiting other celestial bodies is a hallmark of science fiction.
3. Scientific Observation: Kepler’s work combines elements of scientific observation with imaginative storytelling. He was an astronomer, and “Somnium” bridges the gap between the factual and the speculative.
Although Lucian of Samosata and Johannes Kepler wrote in different eras and contexts, they both contributed to the development of science fiction by employing elements that would become integral to the genre. They both ventured into the realm of the imagination, laying the foundations for future writers to explore the cosmos and the mysteries it holds.
I suggest you watch this video for a more detailed explanation of “A True Story”.
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