English 016.402/Comp Lit 200.402/French 200.402
The Fantastic Voyage from Homer to Science Fiction
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-12:00 in 421 Williams Hall
Instructor
Scott Francis
franciss@sas.upenn.edu
Office: 530 Williams Hall
Hours: Wed-Thurs, 1:30-2:30
Ulysses and the Sirens, John William Waterhouse
(scan by Mark Harden)
Tales of voyages to strange lands with strange inhabitants and even stranger customs have been a
part of the Western literary tradition from its inception. What connects these tales is that their
voyages are not only voyages of discovery, but voyages of self-discovery. By describing the
effects these voyages have on the characters who undertake them, and by hinting at comparisons
between the lands described in the story and their own society, authors use fantastic voyages as
vehicles for incisive commentary on literary, social, political, and scientific issues.
In this course, we will explore the tradition of the fantastic voyage from Homer’s Odyssey, one
of the earliest examples of this type of narrative and a model for countless subsequent voyage
narratives, to modern science fiction, which appropriates this narrative for its own ends. We will
determine what the common stylistic elements of voyage narratives are, such as the frame
narrative, or story-within-a-story, and what purpose they serve in conveying the tale’s messages.
We will see how the voyagers attempt to understand and interact with the lands and peoples they
encounter, and what these attempts tell us about both the voyagers and their newly-discovered
counterparts. Finally, we will ask ourselves what real-world issues are commented upon by these
narratives, what lessons the narratives have to teach about them, and how they impart these
lessons to the reader. Though this course is primarily dedicated to literature, we will also watch
several seminal film and television adaptations to determine how cinematographic techniques
can inform narratives of fantastic voyage.
This course is meant not only for SF fans who would like to become better acquainted with the
precursors and classics of the genre, but for all those who wish to learn how great works of
fiction, far from being intended solely for entertainment and escapism, attempt to improve upon
the real world through the effect they have on the reader. Readings and discussion are in English;
an additional discussion group devoted to the original French versions of Cyrano, Verne and
Boulle may be formed, as well, given sufficient interest.
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Texts and Films
Available at Penn Book Center (34th and Sansom):
- Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes (New York: Del Rey, 2001)
- Karel Čapek, War with the Newts (North Haven: Catbird, 1990)
- Cyrano de Bergerac, Journey to the Moon (London: Hesperus, 2007) [Available late
September/early October]
- Homer, The Odyssey (London: Penguin, 2006)
- Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (London: Penguin, 2003)
- Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas (New York: Oxford UP, 2009)
- H. G. Wells, The Time Machine (Peterborough: Broadview, 2001)
Available on Blackboard:
- Lucian of Samosata, “The True History”
Films available at Rosengarten Reserve (Van Pelt Library, Ground floor)
- Planet of the Apes, dir. Franklin J. Schaffner (DVD 010 786)
- Planet of the Apes, dir. Tim Burton (DVD 010 785)
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, dir. Richard Fleischer (DVD 015 225)
- A Trip to the Moon, dir. Georges Méliès (DVD 004 016)
The episodes of Red Dwarf and Futurama will be shown in class.
Recommended reference and secondary works
These works are all available at Van Pelt, either in the Reference Section or at the Rosengarten
Reserve, or online. While you are not required to read them for the course or to refer to them in
assignments, you may find them useful. Bear in mind as well that this list is by no means
exhaustive.
Reference
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Ed. John Clute and Peter Nicholls. New York: St.
Martin’s, 1993. [PN3433.4 .E53 1993]
Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier. French Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and
Pulp Fiction: A guide to cinema, television, radio, animation, comic books and
literature from the middle ages to the present. Jefferson: McFarland, 2000.
[PQ637.F3 L64 2000]
Rosengarten
The Genres of Gulliver’s Travels. Ed. Frederik N. Smith. Newark: U of Delaware P,
1990. [PR3724.G8 G46 1990]
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Eric Greene. Planet of the Apes as American Myth: Race and Politics in the Films and
Television Series. Jefferson: McFarland, 1996. [PN1995.9.P495 G74 1996]
Edward James. Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994.
[PN 3433.8 .J36 1994]
Darko Suvin. Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a
Literary Genre. New Haven: Yale UP, 1979. [PN 3448 S45 S897]
Online
The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction. Ed. Edward James and Farah
Mendlesohn. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003.
[Available online via Franklin]
Arthur Evans. “Functions of Science in French Fiction.” Studies in the Literary
Imagination, vol. 22, no. 1 (Spring 1989): pp. 79-100.
[http://jv.gilead.org.il/evans/function.html]
---. “Science Fiction vs. Scientific Fiction in France: From Jules Verne to J.-H. Rosny
Aîné.” Science Fiction Studies, vol. 15, no. 1 (March 1988): pp. 1-11.
[Available online via Franklin]
Olivier Jouslin. “Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655).” Trans. Claire Boulard.
Seventeenth-Century French Writers. New York: Gale, 2002.
[Available online via Franklin]
Grading
Attendance and participation: 15%
Weekly exercises: 15%
Essays: 70% (2 x 15%, 2 x 20%)
Attendance and participation
Students are expected to attend every class meeting, except in the event of an authorized
conflict (religious holiday, travel for varsity sports or clubs, etc.) or illness. If you must
miss a class for any of these reasons, please inform the instructor as soon as possible.
Unexcused absences will directly affect students’ grades for attendance and participation.
Students are expected to come to class having read the texts and watched the films, and to
make relevant comments on them. Your grade is determined by the frequency and the
quality of your contributions: if you have something relevant to contribute every class,
you will receive full credit for participation in the course.
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Additionally, students are expected to focus on the discussion at hand. As a rule, food
and drink, as well as the use of cell/smart phones, iPads, laptops, or similar devices is
PROHIBITED.
Weekly exercises
Every Thursday (except for Weeks 1, 5, 10, and 13), students must turn in weekly
exercises. There are two parts to these exercises:
- The first is to select 5 words or phrases encountered in the week’s assignments and
using them in sentences to demonstrate their meaning. Students may select whichever
words or phrases they desire, but it is recommended that they select ones with which they
were not previously familiar or that they thought were particularly striking or apt.
- The second is to identify ONE literary device/figure of speech in the week’s
assignments and briefly explain how it functions and why it is significant to that
particular text/film.
- For both parts, please identify the work and page number where each
word/phrase/device is found.
Exercises will be reviewed and corrected by the instructor, but grades will be based
solely on completion. So long as students complete each set of exercises according to the
guidelines above and turn them in on time, they will receive full credit. Exercises are due
in class on the indicated dates; hard copies only.
Essays
Students will be asked to write four essays over the course of the semester. For each
essay, students will be provided with a list of potential topics, but will be free to devise
their own.
The first two essays will be 4-5 pages in length, and the last two will be 5-7 pages in
length. Essays must be double-spaced and written in Times New Roman size 12 font,
with 1-inch page margins – no exceptions. Essays failing to meet these criteria will
receive lower grades.
Additionally, hard copies of essays are due in class on the days indicated on the syllabus.
Electronic copies will not be accepted, and essays turned in after the deadline will receive
a deduction of 10 points out of a possible 100. If are unable to attend class due to an
authorized conflict or illness as discussed above, you must turn in the essay during the
next scheduled class.
A detailed set of guidelines and criteria for essays will be distributed and discussed in
class. Students will also be asked to meet with the instructor before writing each essay to
discuss their topics and writing strategies.
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Plagiarism and Academic integrity
Students are expected to be familiar with the University of Pennsylvania’s Code of Academic
Integrity, a clearly defined set of rules governing student conduct in terms of crediting the work
of others, collaborating with others on coursework, and completing assignments in a proper
fashion. The instructor will hold students to the Code, and any and all violations of it will be
referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
The online version of the Code may be found here:
http://www.upenn.edu/provost/PennBook/academic_integrity_code_of.
Some class time will be devoted to teaching students when and how to cite sources properly in
both written and oral assignments, but a general set of guidelines may be found here:
http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/PORT/documentation/avoidingplagiarism.html.
In terms of collaboration among students, students are encouraged to discuss course materials or
lessons with one another. Students may NOT, however, complete all or part of any assignment
for other students or share their work with other students for exercises or essays.
Students should address any questions or concerns they might have about plagiarism or academic
integrity to the instructor as soon as possible.
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Program
I) Less or More than Human?
Week 1
September 6
Introduction: What is Science Fiction?
Week 2
September 11
Reading: Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes
Part One (chapters 1-17)
September 13
Reading: Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes
Part Two (chapters 18-26)
Exercises due
Week 3
September 18
Reading: Pierre Boulle, Planet of the Apes
Part Three (chapters 27-38)
Films: Planet of the Apes (dir. Franklin J. Schaffner)
Planet of the Apes (dir. Tim Burton)
September 20
Reading: Karel Čapek, War with the Newts
Book One: Andrias Scheuchzeri
Exercises due
Friday, September 21: Course selection period ends
Week 4
September 25
Reading: Karel Čapek, War with the Newts
Book Two: Up the Ladder of Civilization
September 27
Reading: Karel Čapek, War with the Newts
Book Three: War with the Newts
Exercises due
II) Nobodies
Week 5
October 2
Reading: Homer, The Odyssey
Books 1-6
Essay 1 due
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October 4
Reading: Homer, The Odyssey
Books 7-12
Film: Red Dwarf, “Psirens” (1993)
Week 6
October 9
Reading: Homer, The Odyssey
Books 13-18
October 11
Reading: Homer, The Odyssey
Books 19-24
Exercises due
Friday, October 12: Drop period ends
Shipwrecked, Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned Land
find themselves atop the Nautilus
(ill. Edouard Riou)
Week 7
October 16
Reading: Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
Part One, Chapters 1-7
October 18
Reading: Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
Part One, Chapters 7-13
Exercises due
October 20-23: Fall Term Break
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Week 8
October 25
Reading: Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
Part One, Chapters 14-24
Exercises due
Week 9
October 30
Reading: Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
Part Two, Chapters 1-12
November 1
Reading: Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
Part Two, Chapters 13-23
Film: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Richard Fleischer, 1954)
Exercises due
III) Journeys to the Moon: So Far, Yet So Close
Week 10
November 6
Reading: Lucian of Samosata, The True Story
Essay 2 due
November 8
Reading: Cyrano de Bergerac, Journey to the Moon
Film: A Trip to the Moon (Georges Méliès)
Scene from Méliès’s A Trip to the Moon (1902)
Week 11
November 13
Reading: Cyrano de Bergerac, Journey to the Moon
Film: Futurama, “The Series Has Landed”
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IV) Less or More than Human, Part 2
November 15
Reading: H. G. Wells, The Time Machine
Chapters 1-8
Exercises due
Friday, November 16: Last day to withdraw from a course
Week 12
November 20
Reading: H. G. Wells, The Time Machine
Chapters 9-16
Exercises due
November 22-25: Thanksgiving Break
Week 13
November 27
Reading: Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels
“Advertisement” (p. 4), “A letter from Capt. Gulliver to his
Cousin Sympson” (pp. 5-8), “The publisher to the reader” (pp. 9
-10), Part One: A Voyage to Lilliput
Essay 3 due
November 29
Reading: Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels
Part Two: A Voyage to Brobdingnag
Week 14
December 4
Reading: Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels
Part Three: A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg,
Glubbdubdrib and Japan
December 6
Reading: Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels
Part Four: A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms
Exercises due
December 8-11: Reading Days
December 12-19: Final Exams
Essay 4 due in instructor’s mailbox in 521 Williams Hall by 5:00 PM on Friday, December
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