Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World: Conclusion

So ten weeks ago I took an online certification course on Coursera on Fantasy and Science Fiction, linked here. It has been an instructional ten weeks, and finally I have completed it successfully. Read below for more details.

Cory Doctorow: Final Thesis

So this was the last book I needed to read and prepare for my coursera course. If I pass, I will let you know. But for the time being, let us just enjoy the fact that it is DONE! Ha! I did it! *tap dances*

Ahem. Anyway. Back to Doctorow's Little Brother. Basically it follows on Orwell's 1984 Big Brother, and asks who will put Big Brother in check? In today's world, who fights against the Police State? Whoever this person is, or this outfit, one can assume it has to be a darn hard job to get even with the Big Man with all the power. And yet who but a teenager could have the reckless bravado required? And thus we reach the novel, which you can find on the author's website. Or, you could just read on this post, which summarizes, analyses and (hypo)thesizes this novel. Onwards!

Ursula K LeGuin: Final Thesis

So this book was a treat to read. There is no free online copy that I can recommend (legally, that is), and so I will simply tell you a story, the story of Gethen and how it came to become a part of Ekumen, a sort of United Nations on a planetary scale in the Hainish universe. And then I will study one aspect that this tale that stood out to me. Capisce?

Ray Bradbury: Final Thesis

Obviously, if you have read my last post, you know that a legal free copy of this book is not available online. I mean just look at it. It's hard enough to find a pic of this book. Anyhow, it is a hard read, and as it sometimes happens, I was late in reading it, and could not submit the final thesis for this book. But worry not my friends, I always have my views for you right here, beyond that 'Read more' link down there. Shall we?

Burroughs and Gilman: Final Thesis

For my final thesis, for once, I only wrote about the rejection of tradition and the embracing of rationalism in Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. You can read the story here, and my analysis of the story here. You can also find the analysis of A princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs here. For my final thesis, read on.

H.G. Wells: Final Thesis

H.G. Wells is perhaps the best founding author of the Science Fiction genre, and it was a pleasure reading his works. What follows is my final thesis based on his works, the individual studies of which you can read here.

1. The Star
2. The Country of the Blind
3. The Invisible Man

So for the analysis, go forth and read.

Hawthorne and Poe: Final Thesis

And after a long ride, I am done with the thesis for Hawthorne and Poe. This has been thus far the most challenging reading yet, filled with so much symbolism it made it hard to decide what to write about. You can read about the different stories I read and studied here, here, here and here. For the thesis, read on.

Mary Shelley: Final Thesis

To read the book, click here.

I have found a lot of interpretations for this book that say that this book is a warning against pursuing science with too much ambition, leaving behind religious morality and restriction. This theory fits in very well with the time when the book was written. But we also know that Mary Shelley was an atheist. My reading gave me a different, in fact opposite look at the book. To see why I see Frankenstein as an atheist reading - one that separates morality from religion, read below.

Bram Stoker: Final Thesis

For the book, read here. For my final thesis on the basis of my reading, click on the link below.

Lewis Carroll: Final Thesis

For the first book, read here. For the second book read here. For my thesis on the books, read below.

Grimm Brothers: Final Thesis

So as it turns out, I missed my submission window for the thesis by an hour and a few minutes. But the effort I put in still has some meaning, and so I share my views on my readings here with you. For the thesis, read below.