After dreaming of getting rich, I dressed up as a collapsed idol

"Science fiction is a very broad concept. It is a series of works of art, novels, movies, games, etc. that are based on real scientific hypotheses."

"Today we are going to discuss the most basic and most important subject - science fiction literature."

Although he began to gradually get involved in the entertainment industry, Lu Qingfeng did not slack off in his studies.

The next morning, there was a class on modern and contemporary literature.

The lecturer was Yang Yue, a teacher from the School of Literature. He wore glasses and was gentle and refined. Because of his premature graying of hair, he looked much older than he actually was.

Lu Qingfeng sat at the back with his roommates.

Yang Yue wrote the words "science fiction literature" on the blackboard and continued his story.

"If we search online now, the general understanding is that science fiction literature emerged in the 19th century, a cultural phenomenon that emerged after the rise of Western industry, and a product of modern times."

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, written in 1818, is also the first science fiction novel in literature."

As he spoke, he marked these key time points and vocabulary on the blackboard.

"But what we want to discuss today is to delve deeper into the origins of science fiction and clarify the context of its development."

Lu Qingfeng thought this class was quite interesting. It happened that he didn't know much about this subject, and he was currently writing science fiction novels, so it was necessary for him to enrich his knowledge in this area.

He listened very carefully.

"From the macro perspective of human civilization, science fiction is bound to emerge, and it plays an irreplaceable role in promoting the progress of our civilization."

"In 4000 BC, the ancient Sumerians engraved their oral heroic epic onto clay tablets, and it has been passed down to this day. This is the Epic of Gilgamesh. Those who like online games and anime should be familiar with this name."

Someone in the class laughed.

These ancient heroes are important materials for two-dimensional creation.

After simply adjusting the classroom atmosphere, Teacher Yang continued his lecture.

"The book's elements about the Great Flood and the Garden of Eden became the source of later Western religions and the foundation of Western fantasy literature."

"And philosophically, The Epic of Gilgamesh also has a spiritual core similar to that of science fiction today."

"That is, where I come from, where I am going, and my relationship with the universe."

"The omnipotent creatures created by ancient humans and the aliens in science fiction have similarities in that they both represent some kind of supernatural creature that cannot be understood by humans."

"In 51 BC, the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero wrote a political book called On the Republic, modeled after Plato's The Republic, and at the end he wrote about Scipio's Dream."

"His vision extended from Carthage to the entire Milky Way, and little Scipio saw stars that were invisible from Earth."

"That's what the book says. The stars are far more massive than we imagine. The Earth looks so tiny. Even a majestic city like Rome is just a tiny dot on the Earth."

"This passage is the earliest existing text that begins to describe the cosmic view. Although the description of the universe is very brief, it unexpectedly discusses the macroscopic comparison between the universe and the earth."

"In 180 AD, in the True Story written by the Suliston writer Lucian, the protagonist and his sailboat were swept into the air by a strong wind and flew for seven days and nights to the moon."

"Here, they saw Earth's settlers, Moon People and Sun People engaged in an interstellar war, archers riding on giant fleas, soldiers who could glide on the wind, and spiders larger than islands crafting cosmic highways with their silk."

"At that time, the generally accepted scientific theory of geocentrism held that the stars were merely points of light, but Lucian believed they were actual planets."

"And based on his own imaginary physics, he created some beneficial science fiction concepts such as alien life, space travel, galactic empire, and high-tech creatures."

"Strictly speaking, 'True Story' is a fantasy satire with some science fiction elements. But what's more interesting is that Lucian's writing technique of using fantasy to satirize reality has become one of the core concepts of science fiction literature."

"This book later inspired many literary masters, such as Jonathan Swift, who wrote Gulliver's Travels, Thomas More, who wrote Utopia, and Jules Verne, who wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."

"Originally, science fiction would have developed better during this period, but as religion restricted thought, fantasy works based on idealism began to flourish, such as Dante's 'Divine Comedy' and Barat's 'Lives of the Saints'."

"But fantasy on the material level is gradually declining."

"From the 8th to the 10th century, Arabs created the 'One Thousand and One Nights', which made more adept use of science fiction elements, such as 'Abdullah the Fisherman' and 'The City of Brass'. If you're interested, you can look them up."

Those who can serve as teachers at Peking University have rich knowledge reserves and teaching experience.

Teacher Yang’s class is easy to understand, with some small interactions in between, so it is not boring. He talks about the development of science fiction literature from its origins to modern times.

"During the Renaissance in the 17th century, the development of astronomy led to the replacement of geocentrism with heliocentrism, ushering in a completely new view of the universe, which is very important for science fiction."

"Because in the old cosmological view, people believed that the world was created by God and that humans were the sole rulers of the world. However, with the birth of this new theory, the universe is a much larger objective existence, and humans can encounter other intelligent life forms, that is, extraterrestrial civilizations. This is extremely important."

"On this basis, modern science fiction has a second core setting: other worlds."

"This other world isn't some profound concept. It's just a world similar to ours, or another fantasy world based on the real world."

"For example, in his essay 'Breathing,' Lu Qingfeng describes the argon-based civilization he created based on the second law of thermodynamics."

Lu Qingfeng was taking notes when he was stunned when he heard his own name.

In the classroom, other students looked at him subconsciously.

Lu Qingfeng scratched his hair and chuckled, hoping that everyone's attention would not be too focused on him.

In class, I felt inexplicably stressed.

Teacher Yang did not intend to let him go, and used "Breathing" as an example to give a more detailed explanation.

“Exploring the contemplation of reality through the imagination of other worlds.”

"In the article 'Breathing', the protagonist, during the dissection process, noticed the impact of air flow on brain consciousness, which triggered a profound reflection on the finiteness of life and self-awareness."

"Our lives are limited and our existence is short, so what is the meaning of our lives and what is the value of our existence?"

"This is also the core concept of science fiction that we mentioned earlier."

"Lu Qingfeng's work is a very profound science fiction essay. I recommend everyone to check it out."

The classmate looked over again.

Lu Qingfeng really wanted to complain.

Teacher, I have never thought about the central ideas you summarized.