In the novel Brave New World ( 1932) a I do us h u X

I e y ( 1894-1963) conveyed his pessimistic idea of the

future where individual freedoms and rights are suppressed by the ruthless state system, where artificially

bred people, strikingly alike, are turned into brainless and

heartless robots. Similar, but still gloomier pictures were created by George Orwell (1903-1950) in his novels

The Animal Farm ( 1946) and 1984 ( 1948). In them the

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writer endeavoured to depict in an artistic form the roots and nature of the 20th century totalitarian regimes.

The authors of antiutopian novels often resort to allego­ ries and symbols to gel their ideas across to the readers. Thus, in the novel Highrise ( 1975) by James B a II a r d (b. 1930) the contemporary society overcome by discord and violence is presented through the image of a 40-storeyed

sky-scraper whose inhabitants are involved in a savage

war

Another popular genre within science fiction is the one

dealing with scientific discoveries and technological in­ ventions, with travels to other planets and qalaxies or into the oceanic deep. Some of these novels are aimed at popu­ larizing the achievements of science and technology, others, on the contrary, warn against reckless and irres­ ponsible experiments. This kind of SF works is, as a rule, written by people who are experts in their field. That is why their novels, however fantastic, sound very convincing and often have a prophetic quality

This is true in the case of Arthur Clarke (b. 1917), a physicist by profession, who among other things pre­ dicted the use of artificial earth satellities for radio com­ munication long before the first "sputniks" were launched. Arthur Clarke's science fiction centres round two main themes: space travels- The Sands of Mars (1951), A Fall of Moondust (1961), 200/: A Space Odyssey (1968), Ren­ dezvous with Rama (1973), The Songs of Distant Earth (1986), 2061: Odyssey Three (1989), etc.- and exploration of the ocean- The Deep Range ( 1957) and Dolphin Island

( 1963). Clarke is optimistic about man's future. He believes that humanity will wisely make a benefi­ cial use of scientific and technological progress. The writer does not take his readers too far into the future. Most of his novels are set in the 21st century when the inhabitants of Earth have learnt to double the expectation of life, have trusted to robots the hardest and most unpleas­ ant jobs, have solved the ecological problems. Yet, accord­ ing to Clarke, man will never stop his endeavour to cognize the Universe, and life even in this perfect society will still demand of people courage, fortitude, efficiency His novels, as a rule, have a thrilling adventurous plot that keeps the readers in suspense. Thus, in A Fall of Moondust the story is set on the Moon, which is, according to Clarke, covered with a thick laver of dust. A group of tourists on board the Dust-cruiser "Selene" and its crew find themselves buried

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15 metres down in the Sea of Thirst. The account of their rescue is truly fascinating.

In all his works Clarke persistently asserts the necessi

ty of international cooperation in space research. It is not by chance that the space vehicles in his novels are, as a rule, manned by representatives of different nationalities, that the novel20/0: Odyssey Two (1977) is dedicated to two

prominent Russians- cosmonaut Alexey Leonov, a partie ipant of the 1975 joint Soviet-American space flight and academician Andrey Sakharov, who stood for the annihi lation of atomic weapons. Clarke considers complete dis armament and cooperation to be most essential for the future of human civilization.

Equally optimistic about the perspectives of mankind is Co I in W i Is on (b. 1931 ). Science fiction has enahbled him to put forward his philosophy of life and man's desti ny which can be summed up as positive existentialism Wilson believes in and relies on man's hidden powers that can help every man and society at large overcome faults and vices. He asserts that man is not as insignificant and helpless as some scientists and philosophers tend to picture him. People can change for the better if they really want to, they should wake from their half-slumbering narrow minded states of being and sec the world as it really is: full of meaning, value and possibilities.

Wilson's SF novels, especially Necessary Doubt ( 1966),

The Mind Parasites ( 1967), The Philosopher's Stone

( 1969) concern man's struggle for inner freedom and

strength, against the enemies that reside within man himself, such as sloth, apathy, inertia. In The Mind Parasi­ tes these are allegorically presented as a kind of virus that affects human mind, paralyses it, causes depression and may even lead man to suicide. Wilson tells a fascinating story about the attempts of Gilbert Austen, an archaeolog­ ist, to find out, investigate and defeat the virus.

Wilson's science fiction is a sort of warning to people; the writer says that man needs to master his inner reser­ ves, to learn to concentrate his thought, to evolve in order to survive.

Warning is also the main message of most of SF works

by John Wyndham (1903-1969) and Brian Aldiss (b. 1925). Both writers are concerned about the negative consequences of scientific and technological innovations. They show what problems of moral, biological, social character may be set by unreasonable, uncontrollable

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interference with Nature, what totally disastrous effect may be caused by irresponsible experiments. One of Wyndham's most popular novels- The Day of the Trif­ fids ( 1951)- tells of the world destroyed by enormous half­ plants, half-insects, called triffids, that sprang up because people were not clever enough to deal with them. The Chrysalids ( 1955) gives a thrilling and very true-to-life account of the genetic mutations caused by an atomic war. The novel HeUiconia Winter ( 1985) by Aldiss, the third no­ vel of a trilogy, draws a horrifying picture of the death of civilizauon on our planet which comes as the aftermath of a nuclear war between the inhabitants of Earth and Mars.

The captivating plots of SF novels, the variety of ar­

tistic techniques, the seriousness of the problems raised in them and their prophetic quality have brought science fiction from the literary peripheries to the mainstream literature of our time.

I. What novels laid the foundations of English present-day science fiction? 2. What are the main genres within SF? 3. What is characteristic of the evolution of the genre of utopia in the 20th century? 4. What prophe· cies by SF writers, either English or Rus5ian, have come true?