The wheel's still in spin
As everyone knows, I'm an avid and voracious reader. I was rereading some of my old favourites -- this time Asimov and Clarke -- and I was struck by how much things have changed.
Science fiction has gone through many iterations from the early days (Jules Verne and H.G. Wells spring to mind). It's always been a place to explore humanity separated from "reality" (No, I won't go into a discussion of Star Trek here! I'll save that for another time 🙂). Issues like racism, morality and politics are all addressed using aliens, unusual situations (end of the world, leaps through space...) But the thing that stuck out most in my latest reading was the role of women and societal mores.
Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein and Silverberg wrote during the "golden age" of science fiction, at a time when there were few, if any, women leads. In fact, most of the books featured no female characters. If they did, they were either vapid housewives who were an inconvenience or else they were unattractive mannish scholars, feared by everyone and inevitably spinsters. In keeping with the times, "spinster" was a fate worse than death.
In some other books, the moral that "the highest and best role of a woman is wife and mother, and her main duty is to make a happy home for her husband," was hammered in with a mallet. Being accomplished meant being a good housewife. Many stories were scornful of studious or intelligent women, those whose ambitions included careers out of the home, or those who were childless.
It is interesting to note that most science fiction stories didn't consider changing the role of women. There are situations which we would not permit today, some that seem outrageous to Western sensibility. Given that, why am I still reading those stories? Simply, because the stories themselves are solid, provide food for thought, and are an escape. Yes, they're testosterone heavy, and the interactions with women are generally laughable, but they do provide an insight into how much times have changed.
Another difference is that newer books (written since the mid-1980s) show more equity and diversity -- reflecting society's adaptations in that time. It isn't perfect; there are still very few women authors in the science fiction arena, and books with strong female leads are still unusual enough to warrant headlines. I look forward to a time when that is no longer the case. I'm also looking forward to having more diverse characters. And to cities on the moon -- we were promised those by 1999, and here we are, still no settlement on other planets! Let's get working on that!
Science fiction has gone through many iterations from the early days (Jules Verne and H.G. Wells spring to mind). It's always been a place to explore humanity separated from "reality" (No, I won't go into a discussion of Star Trek here! I'll save that for another time 🙂). Issues like racism, morality and politics are all addressed using aliens, unusual situations (end of the world, leaps through space...) But the thing that stuck out most in my latest reading was the role of women and societal mores.
Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein and Silverberg wrote during the "golden age" of science fiction, at a time when there were few, if any, women leads. In fact, most of the books featured no female characters. If they did, they were either vapid housewives who were an inconvenience or else they were unattractive mannish scholars, feared by everyone and inevitably spinsters. In keeping with the times, "spinster" was a fate worse than death.
In some other books, the moral that "the highest and best role of a woman is wife and mother, and her main duty is to make a happy home for her husband," was hammered in with a mallet. Being accomplished meant being a good housewife. Many stories were scornful of studious or intelligent women, those whose ambitions included careers out of the home, or those who were childless.
It is interesting to note that most science fiction stories didn't consider changing the role of women. There are situations which we would not permit today, some that seem outrageous to Western sensibility. Given that, why am I still reading those stories? Simply, because the stories themselves are solid, provide food for thought, and are an escape. Yes, they're testosterone heavy, and the interactions with women are generally laughable, but they do provide an insight into how much times have changed.
Another difference is that newer books (written since the mid-1980s) show more equity and diversity -- reflecting society's adaptations in that time. It isn't perfect; there are still very few women authors in the science fiction arena, and books with strong female leads are still unusual enough to warrant headlines. I look forward to a time when that is no longer the case. I'm also looking forward to having more diverse characters. And to cities on the moon -- we were promised those by 1999, and here we are, still no settlement on other planets! Let's get working on that!
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