Fireflair wrote:As was implied, you have to remember the era these authors were writing in. The pulp authors of 50 and a 100 years ago had a very different audience to cater to. They were often churning out stories for the masses as cheaply and quickly as they could. Many books that were heralded as great stories way back when really do not hold up now. We're too exposed to the ideas some of those stories represent in much improved formats.
Exactly. Lets not forget, that science fiction was born out of
popularization of science concept, during the literacy boom of mid-XIX century. The average level of literacy in Western Europe jumped from (approximately) 25-40% to 55-80% and more (in 1890s Britain it was almost 98%)
A millions of new reders appeared, who were interested in modern scientific discoveries, but weren't professional scientits. To appeal to such new auditory, the concept of science fiction - initially, basicall, a demonstration of modern scientific ideas, tied with some more or less relevant plot was borne. It was Jules Verne era.
The idea that fiction could also explore new social concepts, predict changes in society, was created much later. The Wells era in fiction started only about 1890-1900s.
