There are several parts to my PhD thesis. This blog will focus on one aspect which is the discovery and retrieval of speculative fiction from the To Be Continued Database in conjunction with the Trove database.
I’m currently focused on retrieving space opera works from early 20th century newspapers. To this end I’ve been researching the kinds of word clouds that might locate the works that fit an archetypal idea of space opera.
Of course, a discussion on genre theory is too long for this blog. Suffice to say that I’m aware of the difficulties inherent in defining the genre that I’m looking for before reading anything of that genre that might help to define the genre. Initially, I’ll use a late 20th century lens on what defines space opera and go from there.
Thankfully, after several days of testing various keywords, I was able to locate one that has a pretty good chance of finding space related fiction in databases containing old works: Interplanetary
Thanks to this word, and others, I was able to locate several chapters from a space opera work published in the Tocsin in 1901 called The World’s Last Wonder.
Unfortunately it is currently missing a chapter so I’ll be looking into how I might find the rest of it.
There is also the problem with OCR errors, spacing, hyphens and other problems with the text. However, being familiar with science fiction stories, these are easily understood in context. Even so, some work will need to be done to get the story up to a level that might make it attractive for the those readers interested in reading something from over 120 years ago.
Here is a quick summary by ChatGPT:
In the excerpt from the story “The World’s Last Wonder,” the protagonist, referred to as Apollo Jones, shares his invention with the narrator. Apollo has developed a force that can counteract gravity and raise weights without mechanical support. However, before he could complete his invention, Arcturus G. Fisher and Sir Mark Solomon patented a similar invention, which they plan to use for their own purposes. Apollo believes they want to exploit the invention to gain control over previously inaccessible resources in outer space. He demonstrates a smaller version of his invention to the narrator, explaining its principles and how it can potentially propel a vehicle through space. The narrator expresses skepticism but is intrigued by the possibilities. Apollo also mentions Fisher’s history of “stealing” words for his trademark and questions the legality of his actions. The chapter ends with the narrator pondering the feasibility and advantages of traveling to Mars using Apollo’s invention.
In Chapter V of the fiction story, the protagonist introduces Apollo to Fred Reiver and invites him to join their journey. They set off in the Pioneer, marveling at the sights and discussing the strange cosmogony of “Koresh.” They navigate their way towards Mars, taking into account various astronomical factors. During their journey, they encounter the Annexator, another spacecraft, and observe it narrowly avoiding a collision with the Moon. They experience the effects of lunar gravitation and continue their pursuit of the Annexator. In Chapter VI, they maintain their focus on tracking the Annexator, enduring meteor showers and other celestial phenomena. As they get closer, they attempt to signal the Annexator but receive no response, leaving them perplexed by the lack of communication.
Chapter VIII of the fiction story revolves around the daring proposal of an exchange of literature between two cars, the Pioneer and the Annexator, which are isolated from each other in mid-Space. Opening either car would result in a deadly vacuum that would kill the occupants. However, through the ingenuity of McNicol Dazzler and the advanced steering apparatus invented by Apollo, they manage to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of exchanging parcels in a few minutes. The protagonist, narrating the story, expresses concern for the safety of his companions, especially Alice, who is concealed from the Annexator party. To maintain the secrecy of Alice’s presence, the protagonist communicates with her through a rubber tube while Reiver, another member of their group, signals in code. The chapter ends with the proposal of a risky plan to make a passage between the main doors of the cars, which would bring Reiver and Fisher, a member of the Annexator party, face to face, potentially causing a conflict. The next chapter, Chapter IX, titled “An Unexpected Parting,” hints at an impending storm and the uncertainty of the situation.
Chapter XII:
In Chapter XII, the Pioneer lands on Mars at dawn and the crew encounters a group of Martians approaching them. The Martians exhibit solemn silence as they approach, and one of them gestures to ask where the crew has come from. The crew member shows a chart of the solar system, indicating Earth and Mars. They realize that the Martians communicate through their proboscises, which are modified antennae, and attempt to establish communication using gestures and written symbols. However, they face difficulties in conveying complex ideas. The Martians and the crew then have an open-air breakfast together, sampling each other’s food. They discover that the Martians drink saltwater, which surprises the crew. The chapter concludes with the promise of further communication attempts in the future.
Chapter XIII:
In Chapter XIII, the crew accompanies the Martians to their observatory and meets an expert in language. The expert is a huge spider, but the Martians warmly welcome him. The spider communicates by weaving patterns in his web, creating a form of written language. The crew member learns to imitate the spider’s web writing, and they establish the basis of a dictionary. The spiders, who are more familiar with written language than the humanoid Martians, become their primary means of communication. The chapter ends with the crew’s realization that they must leave Mars sooner than expected due to certain circumstances, but those details will be shared in the next chapter.
Chapter XIV:
In Chapter XIV, one crew member spends time with the spider-Martian, acting as an interpreter between the crew and the humanoid Martians. The crew explores Mars but faces the limitation of only being able to communicate through pictures. The spider informs the crew about a strange weaving found near their car, which turns out to be the crew’s own banner. The crew member explains that it was a sign but struggles to convey its exact meaning. The spider and the crew continue their efforts to understand each other, and the chapter ends with the crew’s anticipation of further exploration and communication on Mars.
While ChatGPT has distilled the basics of the story, a lot of the interesting dialogue and detailed description of various scientific principles along with explanations on how some inventions work is lost in the summary. In my thesis I will go into some depth exploring a number of salient facts that makes this story compelling, least of all being a well written space opera story by an Australian, in Australia, 40 years before many SF researchers expected Australians to have begun publishing science fiction. This story from 1901, while more utopian than many stories at the time, calls to mind a similar story, published as a novel in 1900. The Struggle for Empire: A Story of the Year 2236
While not featuring the space battles and death toll, The World’s Last Wonder does demonstrate that it is part of a more mature space opera genre at the time that many scholars, myself included, might otherwise have labelled it proto space opera.
