Science Fiction Literature

Science fiction (SF) is the literature that explores the impact of science, technology, and social change on human life and society. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) is generally considered the first SF novel — raising questions about human responsibility in creation that remain relevant today. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells established adventure SF; Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert Heinlein created 'Golden Age' SF (1940s–60s). The New Wave (1960s–70s) brought literary sophistication — Philip K. Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Ursula K. Le Guin (The Left Hand of Darkness), Samuel Delany. Cyberpunk (William Gibson's Neuromancer, 1984) predicted the internet, virtual reality, and corporate dominance. SF has consistently predicted technology: Arthur C. Clarke described communication satellites in 1945; Douglas Adams described the iPad in 1979.