Explortions of Gender in Science Fiction #SciFiSunday
In 1928 the novel Orlando was published. It was written by Virginia Woolf, who you may or may not be afraid of, and way back then, between the wars, she had a point to make. The story begins in Elizabethan England, where Orlando is a handsome prince. Then, at the age of 30, Orlando spontaneously and mysteriously, transforms into a woman. Then Orlando lives for another 300 years as a woman. It’s an astonishing, beautiful book. And there’s a lot more to explore. Here’s more from Electric Lit:
“I think hard times are coming when we will be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now and can see through our fear-stricken society,” said Ursula Le Guin, venerated science fiction and fantasy writer, in her National Book Foundation lifetime-achievement award acceptance speech in 2014. After going on to deliver a beautiful takedown of capitalism in general and the industry of publishing in particular, she concluded, “Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art — the art of words.”
Le Guin saw science fiction and fantasy as not only an opportunity to create fascinating magical and technologically advanced worlds, but also as an opportunity to envision something truly novel. These genres give us an opportunity to imagine realities untainted by a status quo that erases the lives of nonbinary folks.
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Thank you! Everything by Ursula LeGuin and Octavia Butler is fantastic. Looking forward to checking the other authors.