Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Welcome to the Voyages Extraordinaires Anthology

Welcome to the newest venture of the Voyages Extraordinaires: Scientific Romances in a Bygone Age weblog!

In this year-long project, we will be presenting excerpts from leading Victorian-Edwardian Scientific Romances and Retro-Futurism, Voyages Extraordinaires, Imperialist Romances,and Gothic Horror. Its purpose is to provide an ongoing and simple reader to acquaint the newly-interested with the classics of the genre, and to reacquaint the familiar with some old favorites.

As the aesthetics and premises of the Scientific Romance find increasing popularity in mainstream society through film, pastiche literature and "alternative" culture, it is unfortunately quite easy to lapse in remembrance of those stories that form the foundation of their modern imitators. It is our sincere hope that the excerpts presented here will pique the interest of readers, who will go on to read the full works for themselves.

Through the course of the year, these works will be presented according to themes that reflect the broader concerns of Victorian-Edwardian society, rather than by author or genre. Rather than label each entry by author, they will be labelled by theme. The keen reader may even notice that the arrangement of texts and themes reveals a cultural narrative of sorts, a journey from the cosmos and our place in it to progress, imperialism, war and the future. It is hoped that by proceeding thusly, the reader may gain insight into the era's zeitgeist as well as familiarity with its literature.

We sincerely hope that you will find this project entertaining, interesting and useful, and continue to join us over the coming 52 weeks as we explore the fantastic world of the Victorian Era!

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