Science Fiction genre theory
Introduce Elysium (2012) and Invasion of the body snatchers (1956)
Page 7
"science fiction, stories based around advanced technology, robotics, space exploration or time travel are likely candidates of such standard genre narratives."
Keith M. Johnston, Science Fiction Film: A Critical Introduction
Page 167
"Social class is intertwined with the every fabric of everyday life."
Susan T. Fiske, Hazel Rose Markus, Facing Social Class: How Societal Rank Influences Interaction
Section 1
Elysium (2012), An allegory for the social inequalities
Textual analysis of the opening scene, Mise-en-scene
Textual analysis of Max's sacrifice scene
Quotes :
"Britain is one of the most unequal countries in the western world: the richest one per cent own a vast proportion of the wealth"
http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/class-in-contemporary-britain-/?isb=9780230238664
‘Earth is a giant slum, a totalitarian nightmare in which citizens live like rats with Elysium glowing above them, like "Bel Air in space," says Blomkamp.’
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/17/elysium-neill-bloomkamp-interview
"Power lies in position of authority in key economic and political institutions."
"the world into two groups:
1. Ruling class
2. Class that is ruled"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/16/karl-marx-ideas-resonate-today
Page 6
"Decorum, this doctrine is the idea that genre and styles are ordered hierarchically, and that the hierarchy of literary genres should reflect and maintain social hierarchies"
David Duff, Modern Genre Theory
"Ordinary people are now convinced that there is no alternative to the morality of the acquisitive society; that Britain's seemingly intractable economic problems are quite beyond human control; that social inequalities are therefore unalterable."
Gordon Marshall, Howard Newny, David Rose, Social Class in Modern Britain
Theories:
Marxism
Narrative Pleasure, Audience Identification
Semiotics
Generic Conventions, genre
Section 1.5
Elysium (2012), the effects of capitalism and the exploitation of the working class
Textual analysis of the scene when Max is beaten by the droid
Amazon, example of exploitation Panorama - Amazon: The Truth Behind the Click - YouTube
Use of traditional science fiction conventions, robots, space shuttle
Quotes :
"Marx defies capitalism sociologically by the institution of private control over means of production"
Google Book: Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy- Joseph A. Schumpeter
“its impoverished inhabitants abused and herded by robotic police.”
"the space station was a form of gated community, the ultimate version of the well-guarded estates where capitalism’s super rich keep themselves isolated from the ordinary public."
Media Magazine Issue 47
"Hall argued that audiences do not necessarily accept the ideology of texts passively, but instead draw on their own cultural and social experiences to create their own interpretations.”
Media Magazine 51 (Representation Old and New)
Page 4
"The reader of science fiction is caught between that which exists outside of the laws of a known world and that which might be read as a logical extension of the known world."
Christina Correa, Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality
"The British upper class was adaptable and confident, driving forward what economic historians have called 'gentlemanly capitalism', which was embedded in imperialist power and development"
Mike Savage, Social Class in the 21st Century
Theories:
Capitalism
Audience theory, Encoding and decoding model (Hall)
Science fiction as a genre
Alienation (Marx)
Stereotype, reinforces
Escapism
Section 1.75
Issues and wider debates, the misrepresentation in the media.
Representation of immigration
Poverty and overcrowding on earth, Elysium
Quotes:
"The British mass media hardly ever portray the upper classes in a critical light, nor do they often draw any serious attention to inequalities in wealth and pay"
"Newman argues that when news organisations focus on the working class, it is generally to label them as a problem, e.g. as welfare cheats, drug addicts or criminals"
"Studies of industrial relations reporting by the Glasgow University Media Group suggest that the media portray ‘unreasonable’ workers as making trouble for ‘reasonable’ employers."
http://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/sociology/mass-media-0/age-social-class-ethnicity-gender-sexuality-disability:
Theories:
Representations of the working class (Newman)
Stereotypes
Neo-marxism
Section 2
Science fiction as a genre that enforces social issues and public fears
Historical text, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Quotes:
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers goes beyond Cold War politics into an anxiety more deeply rooted in human consciousness - the fear of loss of identity, dehumanization, and of not knowing who can be trusted in an increasingly complex world."
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79341/Invasion-of-the-Body-Snatchers/articles.html
"a metaphor for the creeping threat of Communism, portrayed at this point in U.S. history as soulless, without feeling or sense of beauty"
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/27/invasion-of-the-bodysnatchers-1956
Page 6
"Decorum, this doctrine is the idea that genre and styles are ordered hierarchically, and that the hierarchy of literary genres should reflect and maintain social hierarchies"
David Duff, Modern Genre Theory
"Ordinary people are now convinced that there is no alternative to the morality of the acquisitive society; that Britain's seemingly intractable economic problems are quite beyond human control; that social inequalities are therefore unalterable."
Gordon Marshall, Howard Newny, David Rose, Social Class in Modern Britain
Theories:
Marxism
Narrative Pleasure, Audience Identification
Semiotics
Generic Conventions, genre
Section 1.5
Elysium (2012), the effects of capitalism and the exploitation of the working class
Textual analysis of the scene when Max is beaten by the droid
Amazon, example of exploitation Panorama - Amazon: The Truth Behind the Click - YouTube
Use of traditional science fiction conventions, robots, space shuttle
Quotes :
"Marx defies capitalism sociologically by the institution of private control over means of production"
Google Book: Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy- Joseph A. Schumpeter
“its impoverished inhabitants abused and herded by robotic police.”
"the space station was a form of gated community, the ultimate version of the well-guarded estates where capitalism’s super rich keep themselves isolated from the ordinary public."
Media Magazine Issue 47
"Hall argued that audiences do not necessarily accept the ideology of texts passively, but instead draw on their own cultural and social experiences to create their own interpretations.”
Media Magazine 51 (Representation Old and New)
Page 4
"The reader of science fiction is caught between that which exists outside of the laws of a known world and that which might be read as a logical extension of the known world."
Christina Correa, Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality
"The British upper class was adaptable and confident, driving forward what economic historians have called 'gentlemanly capitalism', which was embedded in imperialist power and development"
Mike Savage, Social Class in the 21st Century
Theories:
Capitalism
Audience theory, Encoding and decoding model (Hall)
Science fiction as a genre
Alienation (Marx)
Stereotype, reinforces
Escapism
Section 1.75
Issues and wider debates, the misrepresentation in the media.
Representation of immigration
Poverty and overcrowding on earth, Elysium
Quotes:
"The British mass media hardly ever portray the upper classes in a critical light, nor do they often draw any serious attention to inequalities in wealth and pay"
"Newman argues that when news organisations focus on the working class, it is generally to label them as a problem, e.g. as welfare cheats, drug addicts or criminals"
"Studies of industrial relations reporting by the Glasgow University Media Group suggest that the media portray ‘unreasonable’ workers as making trouble for ‘reasonable’ employers."
http://revisionworld.com/a2-level-level-revision/sociology/mass-media-0/age-social-class-ethnicity-gender-sexuality-disability:
Theories:
Representations of the working class (Newman)
Stereotypes
Neo-marxism
Section 2
Science fiction as a genre that enforces social issues and public fears
Historical text, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Quotes:
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers goes beyond Cold War politics into an anxiety more deeply rooted in human consciousness - the fear of loss of identity, dehumanization, and of not knowing who can be trusted in an increasingly complex world."
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79341/Invasion-of-the-Body-Snatchers/articles.html
"a metaphor for the creeping threat of Communism, portrayed at this point in U.S. history as soulless, without feeling or sense of beauty"
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/27/invasion-of-the-bodysnatchers-1956
"its main theme was the alien (read 'Communist') dehumanization and take-over of an entire community"
"hat makes Invasion of the Body Snatchers so memorable is that, even in its own low-budget, B-picture context, it taps into a believable paranoia."
Theories:
McCarthyism
SF genre theory
Audience, identification
Social commentary
