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Mars and Science Fiction Literature
Mars became a topic of special interest in science fiction literature in the late 1800s after Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli thought he saw red 'channels' on the planet.
The new images of Mars led to authors such as Kurd Lasswitz and H.G. Wells to contemplate possible life on the planet. With the possibility of life came society's fear of the Other, as reflected in the cover of "War of the Worlds" above.
By the mid 20th century, success in space travel showed that interplanetary travel was possible and led to Mars plots to focus around human travel as shown in the cover of Isaac Asimov's "The Martian Way." Mars' depiction in science fiction literature continues to evolve today with novels such as "Red Mars" theorizing the efforts needed to colonize the planet and make it hospitable to human life. |