On March 4, the R-SPEC Team will mind-travel, seeking the birth of speculative fiction.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, written in 1818, is considered the first, modern science fiction novel. Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, and others helped develop the genre over the next two centuries.
Yet, speculative fiction (and its subgenres) likely extends much further back in time. Ancient oral traditions, myths, and religious texts often have elements that read more like today’s fantasy and horror, especially when parsed with technology-oriented mindsets.
What do you think may be the starting point of speculative fiction, when stories left the day-to-day “what was/is” and became explorations of “what if?”
- Meeting Time: Tuesday, March 4, 2024 from 6:30-8:45 p.m.
- Location: Our meeting will be in person at Barnes & Noble, Pittsford and on Zoom. (Please join us at least 10 minutes before the 7:00 p.m. start time to ensure a good connection.)
- Open chat: 6:30-7:00 p.m.
- Roundtable discussion: 7:00-8:45 (with a short break at 8:00)
- Close meeting: 8:45 (or sooner to break down the Community Room before the store closes)
Note: R-SPEC presentations on topics of interest may be recorded, and a link to the recording posted on our website.
