Out of this World: Science Fiction But Not as You Know It

Out of this World: Science Fiction but not as you know it is the British Library’s first exhibition to explore science fiction through literature, film, illustration and sound. It challenges visitors’ perceptions of the genre by uncovering gems of the Library’s collections from the earliest science fiction manuscripts to the latest best-selling novels Guest-curated by Andy Sawyer, Director of Science Fiction Studies MA at the University of Liverpool, the exhibition will trace the development of the genre from True History by Lucian of Samosata written in the 2nd century AD to the recent writings of Cory Doctorow and China Miéville, showing how science fiction has turned from a niche into a global phenomenon.

Visitors to the exhibition — on view until September 25th — will discover an interactive space based on ‘other worlds’ presented by science fiction. These will include: Alien Worlds; Future Worlds; Parallel Worlds; Virtual Worlds; the End of the World and the Perfect World. Each area will draw on a variety of exhibits, multi-media interactives, film and sound to experience new surroundings and ask questions such as: ‘who are we?’, ‘why are we here?’, ‘what is reality?’ and ‘what does the future hold?’

A few exhibition highlights include:
• Thomas More’s, Utopia (1516). More coined the word ‘utopia’ which became the name of the ideal, imaginary island nation whose political system he described in his book. Despite modern connotations of the word it is widely accepted that the society he describes was not actually his own ‘perfect society’. Rather he wished to use the contrast between the imaginary land’s unusual political ideas and the chaotic politics of his own day as a platform from which to discuss social issues in Europe. 

• Lucian, True History (1647 edition). Originally dating from the 2nd century, this story depicts a group of adventurers setting out on a sea voyage — they visit a number of fantastical lands and, lifted up by a giant waterspout, they are deposited on the Moon. True History has been described as ‘the first known text that could be called science fiction’. Literary critics see the text as a satire against contemporary and ancient sources, which quotes fantastic and mythical events as truth.