About This Exhibit

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that explores advances in science and technology and their effect on the future of human society. This literature has antecedents as old as the “Epic of Gilgamesh” (circa 2100 BCE) and Lucian of Samosata’s True History (2nd century CE), in which mythology and the hero’s journey become a literary roadmap for subsequent authors. Common themes include space exploration, time travel, alien cultures, robots, artificial intelligence, utopias and dystopian societies. Speculation about the direction of future technology has inspired stories that explore the ethics of using such technology and how technological advances may affect the nature and structure of society, politics and the future of humanity. This exhibit celebrates the amazing range of themes and tales from some of the literature’s famous authors—from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1833) to Octavia E. Butler’s Imago (1989)—and imagines futures grappling with climate change, genetic engineering, space exploration and artificial intelligence.