The Contribution Of British Mainstream Literature To Science Fiction

Science fiction is not given the status as serious literary form and is classified as fantasy,detective and horror novels. Because of this popular misconception, many critics have prejudices against science fiction, which has been neglected for a very long time. Meanwhile, many serious writers, or mainstream writers, which are in contrast with professional science fiction writers, produced many science fiction books that became gems in the literature treasure house. British mainstream writers have made a unique contribution by exploring society from British philosophical and literary tradition. Especially, they produced some of the greatest works of science fiction based on the British traditions of skepticism, humanism, and liberalism. These books revealed the harm to human beings and society that is brought by abusing science and also revealed the humanistic crisis that is induced by technological progress. They also pointed out that human beings may be on the way leading to a dystopia society. And these books also turn science fiction into a type of literature concerned with human beings' destiny, expanding science fiction's influence, affecting professional writers, and bequeathing the tradition to science fiction. To do research on science fiction, in particular science fiction concerned with human beings destiny is meaningful in China nowadays.