‘The Foundation of Science Fiction Success’ (From The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction)
Creator
Date
1955
Identifier
Fastier Science Fiction Collection PS648 F3 BJ43 1955
Publisher
New York: Ace Books,
Abstract
Edward Gibbon’s (1737-1794) The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was the first of its kind in historical writing and relied heavily on primary sources. Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), the prolific Science Fiction writer, acknowledges, in his poem The Foundation of Science Fiction Success, his use of Gibbon’s seminal work and that of Thucydides. There are parallels between Asimov’s recurrent theme of ‘galactic empire’ and the Empire of the ancient Romans. In turn, as Peter Bondanella informs, Asimov’s ‘Gibbonian historical structure provided the nucleus around which the most successful film trilogy of all time was constructed’ – George Lucas’s Star Wars. May the force be with you!
Files
Citation
Isaac Asimov, “‘The Foundation of Science Fiction Success’ (From The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction),” ourheritage.ac.nz | OUR Heritage, accessed December 25, 2024, https://ourheritage.ac.nz/items/show/7899.