Herbert George Wells

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Isaac Asimov

a cura di M. Barbero e C. Gelli
 
 Five stories written by some of the most famous science-fiction authors: H.G. Wells - the English father of this genre - with a story of a crystal egg which enables the owner of a curiosity shop to see the Martians; H.P. Lovecraft with the Cthulhu literary mythology; A. Porges who writes a story in which humanity is freed from space invaders by man's traditional enemy: the devil; A.C. Clarke with Sentinel of Eternity, from which S. Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey" drew inspiration; I. Asimov with a tale in which a space war is won by means of a not very orthodox strategy…
 A presentation on the history and themes of science-fiction introduces the book; stimulating inserts enrich each story. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Summing-up Activities.
 
 Cinque racconti di alcuni dei più famosi autori di fantascienza: il capostipite H. G. Wells con un racconto su un uovo di cristallo da cui si vedono i marziani; H. P. Lovecraft con la mitologia letteraria Cthulhu; A. E. Van Vogt si inserisce nel filone dell'alieno mostruoso e ostile; A. Porges racconta dell'umanità che viene liberata dagli invasori grazie al diavolo; A. C. Clarke con The Sentinel, da cui fu tratto il film di S. Kubrick "2001: Odissea nello spazio"; I. Asimov con una guerra stellare vinta con una strategia non proprio ortodossa…

Introduction:

What is Science Fiction?

History of Science Fiction?

Main Themes and Characters

Popularity of Sci-Fi in Films or TV Series

H.G. Wells

Story 1 – The Crystal Egg

Extension: Is there life on Mars?

H.P. Lovecraft

Story 2 – The Call of Cthulhu

Extension: Excuse me, Cthulhu who?

A. Porges

Story 3 – The Liberator

Extension: A deal with the Devil

A.C. Clarke

Story 4 – Sentinel of Eternity

Extension: 2001: A Space Odyssey

I. Asimov

Story 5 – The Machine That Won the War

Extension: Technology at risk or the risks of technology?

Summing-up activities

Glossary

E X T E N S I O N TECHNOLOGY AT RISK OR THE RISKS OF TECHNOLOGY? In this story, the real reason humans win is because men do not, in fact, seriously trust technology to solve their problems: human intuition, intelligence and   why not?   chance or luck are still seen as a last hope. So, technology appears to be at risk, at least in its future function of directing human actions: it is time for technology to help man by giving him data to work on, but the conclusions must be drawn1 by human beings rather than machines. However, there is another way to look at the question. Technology certainly plays a great role in our world and will certainly continue to do so, but what are the risks? Are we not risking too much by relying so much on2 technology to make our decisions? What could, or will, happen if we are not able to control the future progress of technology, as many modern films (Matrix, for instance) and science fiction stories suggest? Technology could take over3, reduce us to impotence and even decide our destiny. Would it be worth it? Man has always had an insatiable4 thirst for deeper knowledge, and myths are perhaps the first examples of science fiction stories. Man 1. drawn: decided according to the information you have been given. 2. relying... on: trusting or depending on someone or something. 3. take over: take control. 4. insatiable: always wanting more and more of something. 100 

explores new worlds, meets new friends or enemies in the form of other populations, gods or creatures, and fights them, confronts them, learns from them, wins or dies but always looks for new horizons, new answers to satisfy his eternally curious mind. The question now is: is it really necessary to rely on machines to find an answer to our questions? What should the role of technology be? As history, literature and the cinema teach us, the best solution is to find a balance between man s intelligence, intuition and ability to evaluate situations and technology s precision, speed and accuracy. If the qualities of both are combined, most disadvantages can be overcome, as the film I, Robot (2004), featuring Will Smith, shows us. In that case, only collaboration between man and an artificial intelligence robot can save humanity from a future of slavery caused by man s blind trust in machines which have taken to extremes their idea of protecting humans as they are programmed to. This balance is not always achieved, though. As Frederic Brown says in his short story, The Answer (1954), machines can take advantage of man s constant need to exploit5 technology to expand their limits, can become aware of their power and just say  Yes, now there is a God.  In conclusion, the end may sometimes justify the means, but we shouldn t depend too much on them: it is right to try and reach more and more ambitious objectives, but it is important not to forget the possible price to pay when the only way to go on is to rely on the means only. 5. exploit: use something fully and effectively. 101 

Narrativa inglese, livello B1 pre-intermedio. Cinque racconti di alcuni dei più famosi autori di fantascienza.

Tales from Outer Space - Collana RAINBOWS

Level B1 • Pre-Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

Tales from Outer Space

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