science fiction fandom

8/3/2019 Science Fiction Fandom

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SCIENCE FICTION FANDOM in UK- the 60s and the youth revolution

Pop (married Harangus) V. Dana-CristinaBritish Cultural Studies, 2nd year


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Science fiction fandom

Science fiction fandom is a community of

people or fans who are interested (and actupon their interests in various ways) in

science, science fiction and fantasy. As in

other subcultural situations, fans keep in

contact with one another, based upon this

interest, through correspondence and

organizational structures (clubs).


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Particular feature

Even from the beginning and through time, the science fiction fandom

has been an open community to a variety of people. It has never

belonged to a young generation, or just to the adults. And because it

hasnt been a manifestation of youth, during the 50s, 60and 70s,young people have been part of this fandom in order to search for

individuality, identity and means of growing up.

It appealed at first to young high school and college students

interested in science and engineering. But it was exactly

during the 60s revolution of youth, when the technologybecame approachable and science fiction materials combined

technological knowledge with human sciences and artistic

values. These circumstances attracted a wider range of young

people with different interests.


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Local conventions

They draw fans from an immediate area and have a lower number of attendees

comparing to other types of such gatherings: regional, national, international

etc.

Among these local conventions, events might be run by student groups at highschools or colleges which only draw attendance from the student body and

campus neighborhood.

Sometimes those conventions run by U.K. universities may draw from a wider

audience than just the university itself. The series of Shoestringcons, run by the

University of Hertfordshire's PSiFA, have been known to draw more than to 200

people from across the U.K.


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Hugo Gernsback

It started in the 30s with Hugo Gernsback, one of

the fathers of science fiction, who began a letters

column in his science fiction magazines. He

established this correspondence club called the

Science Fiction League, the first organization of thissort.

Fans, of different ages, but mostly young adults,

used to write comments about the published material,

exchanged ideas and addresses. They wrote to each

other, and had meetings when they lived close

together, and even travelled if necessary.

In following years SF clubs

were formed and monthly

bulletins issued.


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The 60s

The 60s is the decade when "Generation X" began. They are

this a group of young people, who are seemingly without

identity, who face an uncertain and probably hostile future.

It was the heyday of the paperback book.

For the first time, science fiction books regularly hit the best-

seller list, and the top writers began to receive hundreds of

thousands of dollars in advance for their novels.

For the science fiction world, the Nebula Awards begin during

this decade (1966).As literature was still, in the 60s, a

major means of entertaining,

teenagers and young people spent

time in front of books and magazines,

reading.


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A technological decade

This was the decade when human beings first went into space, with a

single orbit by Yuri Gagarin in Vostok-1, then longer orbits, with the first woman in

space (Valentina Tereshkova in 1963), and then, to the moon and back,

with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins in Apollo 11 (1969).

Every science fiction fan kept to update on these technological advances, as the idea of

space travelling had been an essential topic of science fiction till then. The young generation

of the 60s were actually living in a science fictional world. And it was thrilling!

The first weather satellite was launched in

1960.

The first live transatlantic television by satellite

was in 1962 (Telstar).

by 1966 a first whole-Earth view of weather by

satellite was possible.


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New Wave science fiction

As young people were interested in many directions, new wave science fiction products,

from books to movies, tried to blend a softer approach on technological ideas to other

issues concerning human life: sex, human sciences, artistic designing and so on.

The psychedelic 1960's love-generation political revolution hippie "drugs, sex, rock & roll"

era penetrated the science fiction world.

New Wave is a term applied to science fiction produced in the 1960s and 1970s

is characterized by a high degree of experimentation, both in form and in

content,

and a focus on "soft" as opposed to hard science.

It is widely accepted among critics that the New Wavebegan in England with the SF magazine New Worlds

and Michael Moorcock who was appointed editor in

1964. New Worlds was considered the leading science

fiction magazine in Britain, publishing 1971.


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Movies

Movies of the 1960s

ranged from respectful

treatments of the classics

to adaptations of

contemporary science

fiction novels

Going to the cinema in the 60s was a lot like today, the seats weren't as comfortable

and the screens were smaller, but compared to the TV set and the TV broadcast

programme, they were bigger and having a better offer on what was new. Watching a

SF movie on a larger screen met the excitement of young people, gave them the

opportunity to go out and meet with others.

"The Time Machine" (1960)

"From the Earth to the Moon" (1964)

"Farenheit 451 (1966)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

The Andromeda Strain (1970)


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Television

In Great Britain, a low-budget kid's show

called "Doctor Who" began (1963) and

soon attracted a cult audience, and then

wider popularity. This Doctor was amysterious alien Time Lord who had

travelled through time with his human

assistant with the TARDIS most often

portrayed as a blue British 1950s police

box.

Television became a cultural

force in the 60s as most

households owned a TV set.

It was considered a family show,

targeting especially children. As itgrew very popular, Doctor Who has

become a cult television favourite. As

its still on, each generation since the

early 60s has grown up with this

show.


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As the 60s brought the possibility of a

forever recurring revolution when needed,that group of young people drawn to science

fiction fandom searched and found in this

community identity, ways of expressing,intellectual peers and, why not, a feeling a

security as facing a range of possible

futures.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Bacon-Smith, Camille: Science fiction culture, 2000

2. Hochscherf , Tobias; Leggott, James; Palumbo, Donald: British Science

Fiction Film and Television: Critical Essays, 2011

3. http://news.ansible.co.uk/uksfa.html - The UK SF Fandom Archive4. http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/timeline1970.html

5. www.wikipedia.com

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