Hollows, M (2024) The Final War: a novel with exegesis, ‘Post-War Science Fiction, the impact of the Second World War on Science Fiction in the Golden Age of Science Fiction 1940-1970.’. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

This practice-based PhD comprises of two parts, examining the impact of the Second World War on the genesis of the science fiction genre during its so-called golden age, and its use as an analogical tool for current affairs and social issues. The creative part consists of the adult science fiction (SF) novel The Final War. The book is the start of a potential series of novels examining the human othering of an alien species, the Esseridians, from the perspective of a human intergalactic peacekeeper and a human politician, who oversee terrorist attacks on colonies and the breakdown in communications which leads to a galactic war. The novel is an exploration and analogy of the War on Terror and the resultant Islamophobia in Western culture, as well as a creative exploration of the effects of the rise of xenophobia, othering, and hate crime in Britain, given the result of the Brexit referendum in 2016 and the rising anti-immigration narrative. The critical part of this thesis contextualises the writing of the novel, The Final War, alongside an exploration of the genesis of the science fiction genre, through the Second World War to its golden age. It is this era in which I argue the genre found its niche and became a recognisable literary genre. Chapter one of the critical part of the thesis shows that it is from these roots that the genre became a medium for social and political commentary and critique. Chapter two continues this argument with an examination of key golden age texts, discussing how the authors used their craft to analogise and analyse the culture of their time in the post-war world. The chapter examines how these issues can be written about, and how they must be addressed with care and respect towards others and their cultures. The third and final chapter compares these key texts to my own writing, examining how I was influenced as a writer and how The Final War was created, and how it was written to explore the issues of our modern world as other science fiction writers have done before.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	phd; science fiction; creative writing; exegesis; novel
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D731 World War II P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
Divisions:	Screen School
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	11 Jun 2024 08:19
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2024 08:19
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00023315
Supervisors:	Cole, C
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/23315

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