Talk:Golden Age of Science Fiction

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Why isn't Heinlein mentioned in the list of golden age authors? He seems like the best to me.204.112.129.240 02:59, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

He is listed in the prose at the top of the list as one of the three most prominent at the time.--ragesoss 03:30, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nightfall

Another frequent characteristic of Golden Age science fiction is the celebration of scientific achievement and the sense of wonder; Asimov's short story Nightfall exemplifies this, compressing the entire Copernican revolution into a single night

As the person who previously removed this characterization indicated, this is a bizarre combination of thoughts. In "Nightfall", there is no "Copernican revolution"; we do not witness a growth in understanding of the universe, but a descent into barbarity. The existence of the stars is hardly understood by anyone in the story, and they are perceived -- even by the most "scientific" -- not with wonder but with horror. Nightfall neither celebrates scientific achievement nor the "sense of wonder", but suggests that mass panic is an inevitable concomitant of people being exposed to things beyond their understanding. Unless you believe that the "Copernican revolution" was marked by the sacking of observatories and the murder of astronomers by people unable to deal with the concept of a heliocentric solar system, the comparison makes no sense; and even then it certainly cannot be equated to a "celebration of scientific achievement". The idea that Golden Age science fiction celebrated or was inspired by the work of scientists is reasonable, but much better examples ought to be suggested.RandomCritic 18:33, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

The "sense of wonder" in science fiction refers to reader reaction, rather than the wonder characters experience. And the idea that, suddenly in one night, a civilization discovers the vastness of the universe... that's as good an example of the sense of wonder in science fiction as you can find. As regards the Copernican revolution remark, I understand why it might strike you as odd (it did me as well, when I read it characterized that way in the source, The History of Science Fiction), but I think it fits. The point is that a dramatic transformation in cosmology (which is the essence of the Copernican revolution) happens in one night rather than over the course of many decades. The horror and destruction is secondary in this regard, though you actually can find parallels even there (think Galileo affair) if you strain the comparison. I don't have a particular problem with leaving out Copernican revolution remark (despite that it's referenced), but Nightfall should remain as a clear example of the sense of wonder in Golden Age sf.--67.186.162.70 06:37, 17 February 2007 (UTC)