The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion

Interesting list here about 5 books that we read in high school that deserve a second chance.
http://www.unboundworlds.com/2018/04/...

The books were:
Flowers for Algernon
Lord of the Flies
Fahrenheit 451
Slaughterhouse-Five
Beowulf

I actually enjoyed all 5 as a teenager, but I had a good translation of Beowulf plus read Grendel soon after.

I wasn't old enough to really appreciate some classics. Even when I was, a reread 40 years later gave me new insights. Not only did I have more experience, but the world changed a lot, yet the story stood the test of time - true classics. I think some books should be reread like that. If I had to pick just 5 SF & fantasy ones:
Brave New World
Earth Abides
Fahrenheit 451
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
On the Beach

What are your picks?

You've read SFF in school!? The USA is truly the land of the free :)

Oleksandr wrote: "You've read SFF in school!? The USA is truly the land of the free :)"

You didn't? It was just becoming a reputable genre around 1970.

Jim wrote: "You didn't? It was just becoming a reputable genre around 1970."

I'm from behind the Iron curtain :) it was insulated in terms of lterature

Wow. That sucks. Thanks for pointing out something else I have to be grateful for.

Jim wrote: "Wow. That sucks. Thanks for pointing out something else I have to be grateful for."

tbh, there were some good local books and even some SF, not for school but what I guess is called extra-curricular literature, which included
Alexander Belyaev
Aleksandr Grin
translations of Čapek, Karel and even
Ray Bradbury. The latter was allowed because "...he clearly shows the fascist nature of the US in his Fahrenheit 451"

Brave New World is definitely one that I appreciated more after high school. I think I liked Flowers for Algernon but wouldn't mind re-reading it - also I think we read that one in elementary school or maybe Jr. High. I didn't read the others in high school.

We read On the Beach in the tenth grade, along with Midwych Cuckoos. It took me decades to reread Midwych Cuckoos because I really didn't like my Grade 10 English teacher, but I finally did and loved it.

Randy wrote: "Brave New World is definitely one that I appreciated more after high school. I think I liked Flowers for Algernon but wouldn't mind re-reading it - also I think we read ..."

The article mentioned high school & I went with it, but I read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court in 6th grade. Not sure of some of the others, but the point is that I was too young & forced to read it. That's ruined many great books & authors for people. It's even ruined reading for some people & that's a crime.

I read "Flowers", "Flies" and excerpts of "Beowulf" in school. Liked them all then and still do now.

H.S. almost ruined Shakespeare for me. I was incapable of understanding it. I still am not a big fan.

One particularly horrible experience in HS was reading House of Stairs. I kind-of like it now, but in school our teacher just gave it to us to read in class so that she wouldn't have to teach anything for a few weeks. (And maybe because some of the students had never read any book at all.)

I think the animated film version of Beowulf should get a re-watch, or first watch for some of you. It is really pretty good. Plus: nearly-naked hunks!

Ed wrote: "H.S. almost ruined Shakespeare for me. I was incapable of understanding it. I still am not a big fan."

Same here. Not long ago I heard an audio version of Othello with the aid of No Fear Shakespeare. By the end of the play, I needed to refer the the modern day translation less and less. I understood the language. What a difference it made. I plan to read MacBeth and Romeo and Juliet the same way, (one of these days) and expect to enjoy them. Hamlet in high school and again recently (without No Fear Shakespeare) and enough is enough.

The only science fiction book I remember for-sure reading in high school was 1984. I remember watching the movie (Richard Burton) on TV at a friend's house, after having read the book, and being disappointed in the movie. I don't really think of 1984 as science fiction, but it's usually classified in the genre. It made a big impression on me in high school and I read it again and wrote a paper on it in college. I've read it twice since, and I'm not much of a re-reader. I know by the time I was in college I was hooked on SF and read a lot of Asimov.

I took a semester of Shakespeare in HS & really enjoyed it. The teacher assigned 4 or 5 plays & we got the Folger Shakespeare Library version of each. They had explanations on the left page & the play on the right. That helped me understand the language quickly & painlessly. That's a big hurdle to get past.

He also read aloud & showed us a film of one of the plays. I can't read them like I do a regular book, but have to hear actors saying the lines. Then they flow really well & make sense. Instead of being a chore to read, they were actually a lot of fun. Some great stories.

Same as Buck 1984 was the only SF I remember we read at school. I think most of SF would not classify as serious or literary enough back then. I had to read it at home. Which was not a big problem. I was always reading at home.