SPECULATIVE LITERATURE

Ursula K. Le Guin

Um-Helat

The strict rules that create a high standard and any rule breaker will not be given any leniency, but met with extreme punishment.

"some people are less important than others" is the main notion

"there is only one treatment for this toxin once it gets into the blood: fighting it. Tooth and nail, spear and claw, up close and brutal; no quarter can be given, no parole, no debate."

The worldviews have been influenced by our world's system and is slowly infecting Um-Helat

Omelas

"They all know that it has to be there. Some of them understand why, and some do not, but they all understand that their happiness ... depend wholly on this child's abominable misery."

The pain / guilt of knowing that one is suffering for the happiness of oneself is too much to bear.

"Sometimes also a man or woman much older falls silent for a day or two, and then leaves home"

"The child needs you, too, don’t you see? You also have to fight for her, now that you know she exists, or walking away is meaningless." Fight to maintain the perfect world.

Strict rules on keeping the sacrifice and the harsh treatment for the child

Both are dystopian utopias

Both have extreme measures to maintain their happiness

Both are thought stories which invoke thinking on morality and justice as well as prioritization of whether it is worth it.

One for all.

Tales of Earthsea

"The Rule of Names"

"Tehanu"

Fantasy

Power of truenames

Adventure

The Professor's Houses

The Wife's Story

Poems

Body Horror

Feminism

Taoism

Time and finality

Inevitable

Eternal

Transformation

Psychoanalytic Theory

Intense obsessions and dreams

Suppression of needs

Incompetence of Julia

Jose Saramago

Blindness

The Gospel According to Jesus Christ

Philip K. Dick

TED Talk - Blindness is just another way of seeing

Vague and confusing writing structure along with avoidance of names

Blindness in terms of ignorance to situations

Political power usage to keep public in the blind. May escalate to lethal or abusive force

Panopticism, especially in the asylum

Worldwide pandemic similar to the current times. Parallelism with COVID 19.

Religious critiques

Takes a look at a 'what if' scenario for Jesus following God's commands

The book is written from Jose Saramago's non-religious perspective

Caused conflict with churches

Psychological motivations for Jesus. Possibly Psychoanalysis critical theory could be used

Typically a problem with religion is discussed or shown. An example is faith

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Adapted into a movie, "Bladerunner"

'First' Sci-Fi literature

New common terms, such as "andys"

Psychoanalytical theory is shown in marital relations

Takes place in 2019, which is currently the past.

Structuralism can be used to depict the speculative society of 2019

Jeff De Castro

God's Paradise

The story is inspired by real-life people, Seven Craychuk could be Kevin Spachuk

Unorthodox worldviews similar to extremist Islamic groups. It is also carried out in a global or large scale.

Pandemic created makes people paralyzed while coughing and shaking violently, according to author.

Heavily influenced by "Jojo's Bizzare Adventure" and makes a lot of pop-culture references

Prequel to 'best-selling novel', "Krazy Krook Kio"

Oppressed people in society are represented to be exploitable. this refers to the many shady and borderline-illegal actions politicians can take to get what they want.

A single empowered person deciding the fate of the world with their own perspective, ignorant of the reasoning of others. The dynamic of power and freedom is created.

Replicants have no salvation

Parallels with American racism are made

What does it mean to be human?

Should replicants be treated as inferiors to humans?

Slaves to their creators