103 D50. History and Philosophy of Geology (Posters)

Monday, 5 November 2018
9:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Halls J-K

LITERARY GEOLOGY: THE DEPICTION AND ACCURACY OF GEOLOGY AND ITS SUBFIELDS IN VICTORIAN AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY SCIENCE FICTION LITERATURE

Paper number: 103-1
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 6:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

In the recent past, science and literature were closely intertwined. The 19th century witnessed the rise and evolution of various fields of geology, and from this, the science fiction genre came to light during the Victorian era. The earliest novels of science fiction primarily depicted geology, and over the course of the 19th and early 20th century, these demonstrate a myriad aspects of the science. By examining eight books published between 1864 and 1922, I determined that earlier works (1864, 1870, 1874) contain foundational geology such as rocks, minerals, and Earth processes while later works (1912, 1918, 1922) shift to presenting more paleontology to the audience instead. Works between these (1888, 1895) serve as transitions between the two. Furthermore, the geologic details the authors deliver to the audience are not always expanded beyond a brief mention. The aspects which receive greater detail are fairly accurate in comparison to the knowledge of today and 19th and 20th centuries. Finally, the characteristics with the greatest presence across the pieces of literature in this study are: paleontology, volcanism, the igneous rocks basalt and granite, and common details in the settings. Overall, the novels appear to accurately reflect the concepts and perceptions of geology during these eras, as well as discovery and phenomena which occurred during this time frame.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-315813

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