{"id":142,"date":"2026-09-01T17:58:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T15:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/?page_id=142"},"modified":"2026-09-01T17:58:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T15:58:24","slug":"feminist-science-fiction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/?page_id=142","title":{"rendered":"Feminist Science Fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starting with the assumption of feminism that \u201cwomen and men are inherently of equal worth\u201d (Freedman 7) many writers of feminist science fiction use the genre\u2019s inherent liminal position to discuss issues of boundary, transgression and change. The topics addressed by these writers engage the social construction of our identity, be it determined by class, race, gender, sex or age. The essay presented here thus establishes first a discussion of what \u201cfeminist science fiction\u201d is and sets out to do, before then following the development of feminist writing from Mary Shelley onward, through waves of feminisms and up till today. The question, sometimes brought out by critics, whether we still need a category (and thus a separate page here in the project) of feminist SF is firmly answered by Ritch Calvin: yes, we still do, because feminism is changing, as is our human condition and as long as we are not fully equal in every component of identity, we will still need feminist SF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lecture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the lecture&nbsp;\u201cFeminist Science Fiction\u201d by&nbsp;Prof. Dr. Ritch Calvin (SUNY Stony Brook):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Videofile \u2013 MP4<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"480\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 640 \/ 480;\" width=\"640\" controls poster=\"http:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Lecture-Poster_Calvin.jpg\" src=\"http:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/53-536_calvin_2012-06-26_18-13.mp4\" playsinline><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Essay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The introductory essay \u201cFeminist Science Fiction\u201d by Prof. Dr. Ritch Calvin isavailable for download here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"http:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Calvin.pdf\">Calvin, Ritch \u201cFeminist Science Fiction\u201d<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>THE ROAD TO SCIENCE FICTION, VOL. 3: FROM HEINLEIN TO HERE<\/em>&nbsp;(ED. JAMES GUNN):<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Merril, Judith. \u201cThat Only A Mother\u201d (1967) \u2013 pages 117-25.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Early \u201cGalactic Suburbia\u201d story dealing with mutation and mother\u2019s love in the atomic age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Russ, Joanna. \u201cWhen It Changed\u201d (1972) \u2013 pages 526-33.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A story about the all-female planet Whileaway and the first contact with earth men after 300 years of seclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>THE ROAD TO SCIENCE FICTION, VOL. 4: FROM HERE TO FOREVER<\/em>&nbsp;(ED. JAMES GUNN):<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Zoline, Pamela. \u201cThe Heat Death Of The Universe\u201d (1967). \u2013 also available\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20070308051447\/www.scifi.com\/scifiction\/classics\/classics_archive\/zoline\/zoline1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a>.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The life of a house wive is likened to universal entropy, spiraling towards the ultimate \u201cheat death\u201d of the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>WESLEYAN ANTHOLOGY OF SCIENCE FICTION<\/em>&nbsp;(ED. ARTHUR B. EVANS ET AL.):<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Merril, Judith. \u201cThat Only A Mother\u201d (1948) \u2013 pages 211-20. \/ Zoline, Pamela. \u201cThe Heat Death Of The Universe\u201d (1967) \u2013 pages 415-29. \/ Russ, Joanna. \u201cWhen It Changed\u201d \u2013 pages 507-15<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">for these stories, see above entry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cadigan, Pat. \u201cPretty Boy Crossover\u201d (1986) \u2013 pages 587-97.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A story about sexuality, gender politics and show business \u2013 the making of a model and sexual desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<br>Works Cited on this page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Freedman, Estelle.\u00a0<em>No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women<\/em>.\u00a0New York: Ballantine, 2002<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MLA Citation for this page:<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">Video Lecture:<br>Calvin, Ritch. \u201cFeminist Science Fiction\u201d. Video Lecture.\u00a0<em>A Virtual Introduction to Science Fiction<\/em>. Ed. Lars Schmeink.<br>Web. 2012. &lt;http:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/?page_id=142>.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">Essay:<br>Calvin, Ritch. \u201cFeminist Science Fiction\u201d. <em>A Virtual Introduction to Science Fiction<\/em>. Ed. Lars Schmeink.<br>Web. 2012. &lt;http:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/?page_id=142>. 1-14.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-preformatted\">Info Page:<br>Calvin, Ritch and Lars Schmeink. \u201cFeminist Science Fiction\u201d. Web Page. <em>A Virtual Introduction to Science Fiction<\/em>. Ed. Lars Schmeink. Web.<br>2012. &lt;http:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/?page_id=142>.<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting with the assumption of feminism that \u201cwomen and men are inherently of equal worth\u201d (Freedman 7) many writers of feminist science fiction use the genre\u2019s inherent liminal position to discuss issues of boundary, transgression and change. The topics addressed by these writers engage the social construction of our identity, be it determined by class, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-142","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=142"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145,"href":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/142\/revisions\/145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtual-sf.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}