ManypeopleseemtothinkthatsciencefictionistypifiedbytheBug-eyedMonster,embodyingeveryfeaturethatmostpeoplefindunpleasant.Thisisunfortunatebecauseitdegradesaworthwhileliteraryendeavor.Instead,thebasicinterestof

　　ManypeopleseemtothinkthatsciencefictionistypifiedbytheBug-eyedMonster,embodyingeveryfeaturethatmostpeoplefindunpleasant.Thisisunfortunatebecauseitdegradesaworthwhileliteraryendeavor.Instead,thebasicinterestofsciencefictionliesintherelationbetweenmanandhistechnologyandbetweenmanandtheuniverse.Sciencefictionisaliteratureofchangeandaliteratureofthefuture,andtheaspectsofhumanlifethatitconsidersmakeitwellworthreadingandstudyingfornootherliteraryformdoesquitethesamethings.Whatissciencefiction?Tobegin,thefollowingdefinitionshouldbehelpful:sciencefictionisaliterarysubgenrewhichpostulates(以…为前提)achange(forhumanbeings)fromconditionsasweknowthemandfollowstheimplicationsofthesechangestoaconclusion.

　　Thefirstpointthatsciencefictionisaliterarysubgenreisaveryimportantone,butonewhichisoftenoverlooked.Specifically,sciencefictioniseitherashortstoryoranovel.Thereareonlyafewdramaswhichcouldbecalledsciencefiction;thebodyofpoetrythatmightbelabeledsciencefictionisonlyslightlylarger.Tosaythatsciencefictionisasubgenreofprosefiction(小说)istosaythatithasallthebasiccharacteristicsandservesthesamebasicfunctionsinmuchthesamewayasprosefictioningeneral,thatis,itsharesagreatdealwithallothernovelsandshortstories.

　　Everythingthatcanbesaidaboutprosefiction,ingeneral,appliestosciencefiction.Everypieceofsciencefiction,whethershortstoryornovel,musthaveanarrator,astory,aplot,characters,setting,andlanguage.Thethemesofsciencefictionareconcernedwithinterpretingman’snatureandexperiencearoundhim.Themesinsciencefictionareconstructedandpresentedinexactlythesamewaysthatthemesaredealtwithinanyotherkindoffiction.Theyaretheresulttoaparticularcombinationofanarrator,story,plot,character,setting,andlanguage.Inshort,thereasonsforreadingandenjoyingsciencefiction,andthewaysofstudyingandanalyzingit,arebasicallythesameastheywouldbeforanyotherstoryornovel.

　　51.Fromthefirstparagraph,wecaninferthatsciencefictionhasbeenmostpopularinthe20thcenturybecause____.

　　Awiththegrowthofliteracy,