The Relationship between Science Fiction and Myth
Myths can be divided into two categories, one is the myth of China, and the other is the myth of Europe. What other countries have created is not a myth, because other countries have no real mythological background. Since there is no faith since ancient times, how can we understand it?
For example:
Africa: To write myths, it's all witchcraft and mediums. Where can I find myths? At most, she is a goddess of love-a tribal chief with a large number of women.
South America: Only faith. Although there are gods and stories, they have not formed a complete myth system.
North America: With a history of more than 300 years, where can we find myths? Indians and indigenous tribes have no myth system, and even if they do, they have been ruthlessly obliterated in American history!
Oceania: I found it later, so let's play!
Antarctica: Do you think it will have a myth? Only god's, without us, we wouldn't know!
China myth is divided into several backgrounds. 1. The paradise of the Jade Emperor. 2. The period of the list of gods. 3. Pangu Tiankai and Nu Wa's Age of Making Man.
There are contradictions in these periods. The most obvious point is Yang Jian in 1 and 2, Yang Jian in 1 is the nephew of the Jade Emperor, and Yang Jian in 2 is a Taoist child, who later became an immortal, and Nu Wa is still in charge of heaven. So how did the Jade Emperor ascend to heaven? This is very contradictory!
Then there is: Nu Wa died in 3, and there is no myth of her resurrection. So how did she become a god in 2? How was heaven born?
European mythology is dominated by Nordic mythology, which belongs to human beings and is different from China's mythology.
European mythology is based on Zeus, the king of gods, and has three branches.
One is that Zeus is the king of gods and no god is his child.
The other is: Brandon is handed down from generation to generation. Zeus is the king of the fourth generation of gods. Prometheus has the power of a prophet. He predicted that Zeus and Poseidon's children (girls) would kill him and replace him as gods! Zeus married her to a king, avoiding all this and consolidating his position as the king of the gods forever.
The other said, Poseidon Boston and Pluto are both brothers of Zeus.
Science fiction is based on science, easy to understand, not easy to understand.
The main modes of science fiction are 1. Go back through time and space, 2. People in the future come to the present, 3. The future comes unexpectedly, 4. Relationship with extraterrestrial life, 5. Future events and 6. Superheroes.
1 is not completely science fiction, because there won't be much technology in it.
Second, there won't be much technology in it, but it already belongs to the category of science fiction.
Third, this promising society is the background.
The fourth topic is always a hot topic, which contains a lot of research factors and our fantasies, desires and curiosity about the universe, extraterrestrial civilization and ourselves!
The fifth is a space where we can give full play to our "reasonable" imagination. The development of human brain endows us with the ability to constantly fantasize and turn it into reality.
The sixth one seems to have been born only in America! ! !
And there is a problem here, that is, the story of science and magic intertwined or the background of19th century, which one should be regarded as tired? I think it should be magic, such as the big league of gentlemen.
These are my own views on science fiction and mythology.
There are many differences between science fiction and myth, so it is impossible to list and compare them here. I think there are two outstanding differences. Next, I want to briefly talk about the confusing relationship between the two.
Science fiction and myth both come from human fantasy, which essentially connects them. What's more, many western science fiction writers look for artistic inspiration from their traditional mythological works or religious classics, and even directly turn them into science fiction literature themes. This fully embodies the inheritance between science fiction and myth.
Some science fiction novels have become copies of myths. Take "Dreadwind" filmed by Americans as an example. The aliens chose Independence Day to launch a general attack. Finally, some Americans found a way to defeat the aliens and saved the world again. Isn't this salvation plot similar to our China myth? Such as jingwei reclamation, goddess mending the sky and so on. Another example is the strange alien creatures in Star Wars, but there is nothing new. Are carved versions of creatures in ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Similar sci-fi dramas abound, which shows the origin between sci-fi and myth, and fairy tales give sci-fi writers the "source" of inspiration. The reason is that both science fiction and myth use stories to express the way human beings perceive and understand the world, and how human beings explain the unknown (origin, death, other kinds of experiences, etc. ). If we look at Frankenstein from this angle, we don't think it is a textbook of genetics, let alone an encyclopedia of fraternity. Mrs Shelley's work is actually a Promethean fable, trying to promote the self-sufficiency of the world with knowledge, but daring to offend the sacred family and paying the price for it.
Significance of myth: myth is the product of childhood in human society. An adult can no longer be a child, but the innocence of a child is still pleasant after all. From myths, we can see how the ancient working people thought: how they imagined the composition of the world, how they praised the people's heroes, how they hoped for a better life, how they praised labor and struggle, and so on. Studying myths can let us know better that we should love life and people.
Because myth itself is full of interest, it has a great influence on literature and art, and literature and art are more beautiful and young because of it. For example, the exquisite sculptures of ancient Greece that we are familiar with are almost all related to myths. Another example is China's Rockett in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties. It is full of mythical meanings to use the sculptures of rare birds and animals such as gluttony, gluttony, Kuilong, Kuifeng and jiaozi as decorations. Li Sao, Tian Wen, Tian Wen and so on. Qu Yuan, a great poet, also expressed his grief and indignation at the fatuous and corrupt politics of Chu at that time on the basis of myth. His works, such as Egyptian murals, Indian epics, etc., all contain mythological factors, which show that mythology plays a rich role in literature and art. Studying mythology can make us have a deeper understanding of the beautiful literary and artistic heritage of ancient times.
Myth is not history, but it may be the shadow of history, "the record of outstanding fragments in history" (An Outline of China by Jane Bozan). It is absurd to treat all mythical figures as real ancient emperors, but it is also inappropriate to completely obliterate the historical content implied in mythical deeds. For example, the war between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou should imply the contact between the Mongolian plateau race and the South Pacific race in the Central Plains; The story of Kunlun Mountain and the Queen Mother of the West should imply the cultural exchange between Zhu Xia and Zhu Qiang. So when we study myths, we can also find out the truth of history from the hints of myths.
It should also be noted that myths are also the embodiment of nationality, and the myths of all countries reflect the national characteristics of all countries to some extent. The myth of China naturally reflects the characteristics of the Chinese nation in many places. Judging from the stories described in the ancient myth fragments preserved by China, such as Kuafu Daily, Goddess of Mending the Heaven, Jingwei Reclaiming the Sea, and Gun Yu Governing the Water, it goes without saying that our nation is indeed a broad, persevering and hopeful nation, and the great spirit shown by our ancestors in the myth is really worth learning and carrying forward as future generations. By studying myths, we can understand the roots of the nation, which will certainly help our socialist construction.
The meaning of science fiction:
Science fiction has changed our ideas. First of all, many sci-fi works can enhance our pride in our motherland, such as Liu's Glory and Dream.
Secondly, science fiction affects us from a higher angle. J*G* Ballard, a famous British science fiction writer, declared that the theme of science fiction should be "inner space", that is, the inner thoughts of human beings. So science fiction has influenced our inner spirit. It has raised our spirit to another height-the world, mankind and even the whole universe. "Liu Dui said ... Science fiction literature is literature from the perspective of all mankind, but it doesn't seem to contradict the national position. In the Milky Way, all mankind is a nation ... "
Acting in science fiction for a long time, you will feel that at some point you represent not an individual, but human beings and life on earth. In this way, when you think about issues related to the interests of all mankind, such as environmental issues, you will have a sense of responsibility for mankind, show the concept of equality for everything, embody the spirit of being the master of the earth, and feel the pride of being a citizen of the earth. This is undoubtedly a higher spiritual realm, and all of us are related to it. I think that if every ruler is influenced by science fiction for a long time, there will be fewer wars in the world.
Besides, many ideas revealed in sci-fi works can make people have a new understanding of life and love. They make us more aware and pay more attention to the value of life, such as Sad Man, A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Han Song's Subway Mutation.
Science fiction can broaden our minds. Teenagers' imagination is infinite, and science fiction provides us with a huge space to let our thoughts soar in time and space. We can dive into the deep sea floor and touch the mystery of the ocean; We can fly to distant galaxies and explore the mysteries of the universe; We can travel through time and space; We can play games with robots ... The universe is infinite, and the thoughts are infinite, but science fiction provides us with a broader space than current science.
It is the link between science. Science fiction has an important connection with science. As mentioned earlier, it seems to be more acceptable than the abstruse and rigorous scientific world. Good science fiction works often contain a lot of scientific knowledge, covering physics, astronomy, geography, biology, history and military affairs ... If these are integrated into science fiction, people will be more interested in exploring the theories, and the concept of transcending reality in science fiction will also promote our bold innovation. Asimov said: "The greatest significance of science fiction is not to teach readers any theoretical knowledge, but to stimulate their interest in science."