Nobody does the history of Science Fiction (SF) better than University of Kansas Professor emeritus James Gunn. An accomplished author himself, Gunn taught his history of SF English class for many years, retiring in 1993. His four volume collection, The Road to Science Fiction was recently reissued by Scarecrow publishing. It’s been called the best historical anthology of SF ever assembled. Gunn picked the stories and provided introductory material. It’s a ‘must have’ anthology for veteran fans and new readers alike.
I took Gunn’s SF history class back in the mid 80s and was impressed. I learned that SF is a literature of change, a literature of ideas. I learned about the influence of John Campbell and his pulp magazine, Astounding Science Fiction. Campbell set up the rules of SF that we take for granted. He stressed things like don’t over explain new technology. Authors like Asimov and Heinlein were given early exposure by Campbell. Gunn taught me that these giants were edited by Campbell. The lesson I learned was that if you want to be published, be prepared to update your prose. Who can argue with Campbell? The first issue of Astounding featured a classic of the genre, Black Destroyer by A.E. van Vogt. Written in 1939, it’s the story of a spaceship crew being stalked by a fierce, carniverous alien being. Sound familiar? Long story short according to Gunn: they settled out of court.
In addition to the readings from his Road Series, featuring classic stories from Tom Godwin (The Cold Equations), Michael Bishop (Rogue Tomato), Harlan Ellison (I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream) and Ursula K. Le Guin (The Left Hand of Darkness), Gunn presented a series of filmed interviews (from the early 70s) with the likes of Poul Anderson, Gordon Dickson, and Harry Harrison. In a precursor to on-demand programming, Gunn challenged Dickson and Harrison to create a new story on the spot. They came up with Lifeship. Local footnote: This series of films was captured in part by Dennis McClatchey, future husband of my favorite Shawnee Mission North teacher, Margaret McClatchey.
Back to Gunn. He also showed us an ABC movie of the week from 1969 featuring a television adaptation of his novel The Immortals, starring Christopher George. It was an interesting story in its own right, about a race car driver who had blood that can make people, you know, immortal. Gunn annotated the broadcast in class where the teleplay deviated from his original story.
The show tape was culled from the night it aired, so all the network bumpers, commercials and promos were included. Gunn was somewhat grumpy about the fact that the students were as interested in the vintage commercials from the original ABC broadcast as the program itself.
I won’t be too harsh on Professor Gunn about any grumpiness. Working with undergraduates in a survey class can be an exercise in consternation. This particular course required heavy reading, and there were days in Wescoe Hall where the discussion was less than lively. Gunn’s pat comment was something like, "You know, you really should try reading the stories before class." He was right. When I was prepared, and I read the assignment beforehand, it was great. The composition component allowed us to pick a classic novel from a list of recommended authors. I chose Philip K. Dick’s novel Ubik.
I like Ubik where a meeting between the protagonist Runciter and a time-traveling spy produced a surprising twist. The fact that the spy had time-traveling capability made the story different by her appearance. As if she went back in time after they met and changed something. The author made the reader aware of the subtle change, though Runciter remained oblivious. This particular by-product of time travel has been well documented, perhaps most notably in Ray Bradbury’s A Sound of Thunder. Gunn himself featured it in the novel Crisis.
Here’s a final Gunn anecdote and this one illustrated how well regarded he was in the SF community. I was killing some time in the DeVry library one day a few years ago and found an Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. It included an expansive entry on Issac Asimov, authored by, you guessed it, James Gunn.
My only regret was that I didn’t apply myself further in Gunn’s class. I skipped class. I neglected the readings. I missed out. Since retiring, he’s concentrated on activities at the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, where he is the director. Check out the workshop opportunities and recommended readings if you’re interested. With new funding for the center, there’s even hope that SF slackers like me might learn more.
I took Gunn’s SF history class back in the mid 80s and was impressed. I learned that SF is a literature of change, a literature of ideas. I learned about the influence of John Campbell and his pulp magazine, Astounding Science Fiction. Campbell set up the rules of SF that we take for granted. He stressed things like don’t over explain new technology. Authors like Asimov and Heinlein were given early exposure by Campbell. Gunn taught me that these giants were edited by Campbell. The lesson I learned was that if you want to be published, be prepared to update your prose. Who can argue with Campbell? The first issue of Astounding featured a classic of the genre, Black Destroyer by A.E. van Vogt. Written in 1939, it’s the story of a spaceship crew being stalked by a fierce, carniverous alien being. Sound familiar? Long story short according to Gunn: they settled out of court.
In addition to the readings from his Road Series, featuring classic stories from Tom Godwin (The Cold Equations), Michael Bishop (Rogue Tomato), Harlan Ellison (I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream) and Ursula K. Le Guin (The Left Hand of Darkness), Gunn presented a series of filmed interviews (from the early 70s) with the likes of Poul Anderson, Gordon Dickson, and Harry Harrison. In a precursor to on-demand programming, Gunn challenged Dickson and Harrison to create a new story on the spot. They came up with Lifeship. Local footnote: This series of films was captured in part by Dennis McClatchey, future husband of my favorite Shawnee Mission North teacher, Margaret McClatchey.
Back to Gunn. He also showed us an ABC movie of the week from 1969 featuring a television adaptation of his novel The Immortals, starring Christopher George. It was an interesting story in its own right, about a race car driver who had blood that can make people, you know, immortal. Gunn annotated the broadcast in class where the teleplay deviated from his original story.
The show tape was culled from the night it aired, so all the network bumpers, commercials and promos were included. Gunn was somewhat grumpy about the fact that the students were as interested in the vintage commercials from the original ABC broadcast as the program itself.
I won’t be too harsh on Professor Gunn about any grumpiness. Working with undergraduates in a survey class can be an exercise in consternation. This particular course required heavy reading, and there were days in Wescoe Hall where the discussion was less than lively. Gunn’s pat comment was something like, "You know, you really should try reading the stories before class." He was right. When I was prepared, and I read the assignment beforehand, it was great. The composition component allowed us to pick a classic novel from a list of recommended authors. I chose Philip K. Dick’s novel Ubik.
I like Ubik where a meeting between the protagonist Runciter and a time-traveling spy produced a surprising twist. The fact that the spy had time-traveling capability made the story different by her appearance. As if she went back in time after they met and changed something. The author made the reader aware of the subtle change, though Runciter remained oblivious. This particular by-product of time travel has been well documented, perhaps most notably in Ray Bradbury’s A Sound of Thunder. Gunn himself featured it in the novel Crisis.
Here’s a final Gunn anecdote and this one illustrated how well regarded he was in the SF community. I was killing some time in the DeVry library one day a few years ago and found an Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. It included an expansive entry on Issac Asimov, authored by, you guessed it, James Gunn.
My only regret was that I didn’t apply myself further in Gunn’s class. I skipped class. I neglected the readings. I missed out. Since retiring, he’s concentrated on activities at the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, where he is the director. Check out the workshop opportunities and recommended readings if you’re interested. With new funding for the center, there’s even hope that SF slackers like me might learn more.
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