Contemporary, emergent, and Popular Literature
Name:______________________________Course:__________________Date accomplished:__________Score:______
I. Objectives:
1. Identify the features of each genre of popular literature.
2. Compare and contrast the elements of popular literature.
3. Create a story following guidelines.
II. Activities
Activity 1: Vocabulary Development
Directions: State the definition of each word and use the keyword in a sentence.
1. Explore
2. Imaginary
3. Scientific
4. Satirical
5. Illuminating
6. Transient
7. imaginable
Activity 2: Knowledge Background
Directions: Answer the questions below in the space provided.
1. What do you know about Science Fiction?
2. What movies come to your mind when you encounter Sci-fi? What are these movies about? Who are the
characters and what is the setting?
Science fiction
Often referred to as “literature of ideas” and is also known as “sci-fi,”“SF,” or “speculative fiction,” science fiction is a
modern genre that explores the possibilities of human societies and technologies. This genre is heavily dependent on
scientific facts, theories, principles, observation as framework for the plot, characterization, themes and setting. One thing
to bear in mind about this form of writing is that although it is plausible or scientifically possible, the storyline and its
elements are still imaginary because this kind of story falls under fiction.
Types of Science Fiction
Hard Sci-Fi They are based on scientific facts and inspired by “hard” natural sciences like physics, chemistry, and
astronomy.
Soft Sci-Fi They can either be “not scientifically accurate” or “they’re inspired by ‘soft’ sciences like psychology,
anthropology, and sociology”(Gunner, n.d.)
Sub-genres of Science Fiction
FANTASY FICTION SUPERNATURAL
•Scifi stories inspired by FICTION UTOPIAN FICTION
mythology and folklore •About secret knowledge or •About civilizations the
that often include hidden abilities (e.g. authors deem to be
elements of magi witchcraft, spiritualism perfect, ideal societies.
and psychic abilities) •Often satirical
DYSTOPIAN FICTION SOAP OPERA SPACE WESTERN
•About societies the •A play on the term "soap •Sci-fi stories that blend
authors opera,"scifi stories that take elements of science
deem to be problematic for place in outer space and fiction with elements of
things like government center around conflict, the western genre
rules, poverty, or romance, and adventure.
oppression
CYBERPUNK STEAMPUNK
•Sci-fi stories that •Sci-fi stories that blend
juxtapose advanced technology with steam-
technology with less powered machinery.
advanced, broken down
society.
Activity 2: Based on the two examples below, note down your observations about the elements
of a science fiction story in terms of the following:
Examples of science fiction story
Setting: _______________________________ Theme: _____________________________
Characters: _________________________________________________________________
Storytelling: _________________________________________________________________
Excerpt 1
As the young girl opened her window, she could see the moons Europa and Callipso rising in the distance. A comet
flashed by, followed by a trail of stardust, illuminating the dark, endless space that surrounded the spacecraft; the only
place she had ever known as home. As she gazed at Jupiter, she dreamt of a life where she wasn’t stuck orbiting a planet
but living on one. She envisioned stepping onto land, real land, like in the stories of Earth her father told her about. She
tried to imagine the taste of fresh air, the feel of a cool, salty ocean, and the sound of wind rustling through a tree’s green
leaves. But these were only fantasies, not memories. She had been born on the ship, and if they didn’t find a new
inhabitable planet soon, she would surely die there too.
Excerpt 2
No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and
closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various
concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the
transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and from over this
globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter... No one gave a thought to the older
worlds of space as sources of human danger.
Sci-fi novels and even those turned into major motion pictures, encompass a wide variety of futuristic concepts. They are
“complex, nuanced (details copied from actual events or experiments), and explore larger themes and commentary
(Gunner,n.d.). Among the common elements include time travel, teleportation, mind control, telepathy, aliens,
extraterrestrial lifeforms, mutants, space travel and exploration, interplanetary warfare, parallel universes, fictional
worlds, alternative histories, speculative technology, super intelligent computers and robots.
Selected Stories from Class Literature to Pop Culture
1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne: features underwater exploration and a technologically advanced were
primitive at the time the novel was written.
2. The War of the Worlds by HG Wells: tells the story of Martians invading Earth and includes themes of space, science,
and astronomy.
3. Who Goes There? by John Campbell tells the story of an alien creature that’s a shapeshifter and has the gift of
telepathy.
4. 1984 by George Orwell: set in a dystopian version of the year 1984 where the world has succumbed to extreme levels
of government interference in daily lives. 5. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur Clarke: tells the story of ancient aliens
who travel the galaxy and help develop intelligent life forms in other worlds.
Activity 3 : Story creation
Directions: Try creating your own Sci-fiction stories using the guidelines below.
1. For paragraph one, introduce the setting (e.g. It was the first day of December when Jomar Balis was born in a
village called Sudaki. This village was inhabited by_____) and major characters and exposition.
2. For paragraph two, continue with some events that are under Rising action and start introducing your main
conflict.
` 3. Create your own title.
3. Please note the rest of the parts of the story are not included. Focus on the exposition and rising action.
Although this is not an entirely new literary genre, it is still considered young and has gained attention just recently. Many
times, science fiction turns real scientific theories into full stories about what is possible and/or imaginable.
Therefore, science fiction proves its importance as it suggests what could really happen in the future, explores what could
happen if certain events or circumstances came to be, and suggest the consequences of technological and scientific
advancements and innovation.
Activity 4: Classroom Instruction
Directions: Use the space below for your answer to the following questions.
1. Why should students read Science Fiction?
2. Should teachers use Science Fiction in teaching values to students? Why? Why not?
