EN 2215 S/F I Questions

Suggestions/Sample topics for Assignment Topics

(Students can use the following, or adapt the following, or come up with topics along similar lines.)

1 The relation of sf to myth in any two set-texts.

2 The role of song and poetry in Lord of the Rings.

3 The role of technology in sf with specific reference to Martin Heidegger on technology (any two sf texts).

4 Develop your own model for analyzing conflict as a shaping force to the plot and structure of any two set-texts for this module. Illustrate the element of the inscrutable, the explicable, the unspeakable, or the ineffable, as fictionalized in any two sf texts that you have read, for the module, or independently with a view to highlighting (a) the techniques used, and (b) the motives or intentions you infer from the text for why the author attempts what he or she does.

5 Contrast Lem’s novel with Tarkovsky’s film based on the novel, with specific reference to how the film treats or transposes sf themes and issues in the film medium.

6 Account for sf’s fascination with the “alien” — whether as life-form, intelligence, or mode of being (with reference to any 2 sf texts).

7 Examine Dune in relation to its “sequels” and “prequel”.

8 Why does the film based on Dune fail to have the impact of the novel?

9 Relate the treatment of religious doctrine and the growth of individuals into the role of prophets and “Messiah” with reference to any world religion in Dune and Parable of the Sower.

10 Analyze Lord of Light in terms of how it stages or re-enacts an ideological conflict between the belief-systems of Hinduism and Buddhism.

11 In what sense is gender an intrinsic aspect of how Russ creates her sf worlds? Can the same be said of Parable of the Sower.

12 Contrast the treatment of feminist issues in Russ with the treatment of the feminine in any other woman who writes sf.

13 What is the role of humor – irony, parody, satire, etc. - in The Female Man?

14 Compare and contrast Ender’s Game with Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. Which do you find more effective, and why?

15 Relate Parable of the Sower to Butler’s Parable of the Talents.

16 What does sf enable authors to do that would not be feasible within the conventions of realist fiction?