How Does History Affect Science Fiction?
Throughout history time can be split up into periods of specific themes, events, attitudes, and political events. One of the very well-known periods is that of the 1920’s. With titles such as “the Roaring Twenties,” people labeled “baby boomers,” and trends such as swing dancing in the late 1940’s, people tend to remember the wealth, parties, and fashion trends that were developed during that period. These are all important developmental factors for the United States of America, but the truth is that while many believe the time periods of the 20’s and the late 40’s to be times of care-free social development and change in dress, music, and culture as a whole, they were more accurately a time heavily influenced by the wars which had taken place in the years preceding these periods, and devoted to the development of new war-technologies as proven in the stories The Time Eliminator by KAW, and The Perfect Weapon by Poul Anderson.
In K.A.W.’s engaging story The Time Eliminator, written in 1926, we see through the eyes of a middle-aged man named Hamilton “Fish” Errel, a professor at Yale, and an inventor. A main theme in the story is that of challenging Einstein’s theory that there can be nothing faster than light. Hamilton “Fish” Errel creates a machine which can see into the future and past through traveling at speeds faster than light in order to catch up to the light waves that make up the picture of what happened or is yet to happen. As stated on the first page of the story: “If we may believe Einstein, there can be nothing faster in our universe than light, moving at the rate of 186,000 miles per second. If Einstein is right, then the excellent story printed here is impossible. But no one knows. Perhaps it IS possible to catch up with the light rays that have gone into the beyond. If it is possible to do so, we should be able to photograph or throw on a screen at some future date how Columbus actually discovered America, and other famous historical events.” (KAW, 803) It is important to understand that this hypothetical invention is immediately applied within the story to the potential of the government using it-specifically in war-to foil the plans of the enemy.
The Perfect Weapon, written by Poul Anderson in 1950, tells the story of a scientist by the name of Dr. Feodor Karnowsky working for the Navy as head of the department of physical chemistry. While working in the lab, he accidentally discovered what he considered the “perfect weapon.” This weapon is a gas that could potentially destroy not only the military of opposing countries, but also their very will to fight. By attacking them from the base, even attacking their economy and food supplies. This story as well portrays the importance in the minds of those living in that period of having constantly developing war strategies and weapons.
As for the history specifically of Poul Anderson, it is known that he was a “US author born in Pennsylvania of Scandinavian parents; he lived in Denmark briefly before the outbreak of World War Two.” (Benson, 1) Poul Anderson lived both in the US and in Europe, and lived in a time of both war, and social excitement.
In regard to K.A.W., not much is known of his history-we do not even have his full name, and only two short stories have been attributed to him-other than the fact that he also lived in a time heavily influenced by war, and by social development.
The period in which The Time Eliminator was written is also known as The Roaring Twenties. The Roaring Twenties marked the beginning of pop culture. “The Roaring Twenties were the period of sustained economic prosperity and the distinctive cultural edge in New York, Montreal, Chicago, Paris, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, and many other major cities during the 1920s in the United States… (Allan, 1).” A look into the culture of the 1920’s reveals the emerging of automobiles, jazz music and dancing, nightclubs, and other fads that signified a time of prosperity and freedom. Life was lived in the moment, and people had fun. What people tend to forget of this care-free period is the fact that this all took place immediately following World War I. Inevitably, not all could forget the war and bloodshed that had happened just years before, and it influenced the literature of that period very strongly.
Similarly, the late 1940’s into the year 1950 seemed to be a relatively happy period with changes in music like the beginning of Rock n’ Roll and swing dancing. This period is also known as the beginnings of “suburban America” in that upon returning from war, many families would move in to the safer, less populated suburban’s outside of big cities. This was a time of great prosperity. “This new prosperity also meant that we could finally replace the family car, falling birth rates were replaced by a baby boom, and we could buy new and modern appliances. Post-war optimism encouraged us to “take to the highway and see the country in a Chevrolet”.” (1940’s.org, 1) While this time of prosperity was important and life-changing for Americans, it is also clear that the effects of the World War II had taken its toll on many Americans, and the effects of that could not be forgotten so quickly.
As stated in both of the preceding paragraphs, there was much development and progress made both during the 1920’s and 1940’s. They were times of prosperity, of economic success, and of happiness for Americans. That being said, it must not be ignored that both preceding the 1920’s, and in the early 1940’s, America was involved in two of the biggest wars to ever take place. With World War I taking more than 100,000 American lives, and World War II taking more than 400,000 American lives (US Department of Veteran Affairs, 1), it is obvious that wars that big effect people in diverse ways.
There are many commonalities of the periods of the 1920’s and the late 1940’s. Both were periods of prosperity immediately following massive wars. Both were times of progression and change. Both were periods of extreme importance the United States of America. But even with the progress being made in these periods, there was without a doubt a heavy influence on the minds of the people regarding the wars which had taken place. This is shown in part in the science fiction of that period. To cite just one example from each story, in The Time Eliminator, after learning of this incredible invention with diverse potential and uses, the General exclaimed: “My God!… Do you realize, boy, what this invention would mean to your government? Why, the most secret plans of an enemy would be an open book to us.” With all the uses for such an incredible invention-the ability to see into the past and future alike-the main focus in on war strategies. Like-wise in The Perfect Weapon, while discussing the use of the gas that was created to potentially end the war which had been started, it says “’It is a weapon, insisted Karnowsky.’ ‘The reason you cannot see that, I think, is the modern notion of war as mass murder. But you must remember Klausewitz’s definition of war… let me see… it goes something like the continuation of politics by other than diplomatic means. And a weapon is an instrument to win wars-in this case, by eliminating the enemy as a nation, not as a people.”
In both stories, it is clear that war is on the mind of the author. While all around them people are progressing, thriving, and creating new culture, the science fiction is heavily influenced by both World War I which took place a few years before The Time Eliminator was written, and World War II which took place just before The Perfect Weapon was written. This goes to show that the time periods of the 1920’s and late 1940’s were not just a time of care-free social development and change in dress, music, and culture as a whole, but were more accurately times heavily influenced by the wars which had taken place in the years preceding these periods, and devoted to the development of new war-technologies as proven in the stories The Time Eliminator by KAW, and The Perfect Weapon by Poul Anderson.