Faculty of Humanities
University of Ulster at
Jordanstown
MA American Studies
1999
Contents
1. Foreword 1
2. Make Room! Make Room! 12
3. Why is Soylent Green people? 39
4. Bowb the Chingers! 61
5. Parallel Worlds 92
6. Afterword 120
Bibliography 127
Appendix: interviews with the author 134
This work would not have been possible without the aid and friendship of
Paul Tomlinson, Harry Harrison and Holly Ireland. Many thanks.
Dedicated to Henry Wilson Ireland.
“I hereby declare that with effect from the date on which the
dissertation is deposited in the Library of the university of Ulster I permit
the Librarian of the University to allow the dissertation to be copied in whole
or in part without reference to me on the understanding that such authority
applies to the provision of single copies made for study purposes or for
inclusion within the stock of another library. This restriction does not apply
to the copying or publication of the title and abstract of the dissertation. IT
IS A CONDITION OF USE OF THIS DISSERTATION THAT ANYONE WHO CONSULTS IT MUST
RECOGNISE THAT THIS COPYRIGHT RESTS WITH THE AUTHOR AND THAT NO INFORMATION
DERIVED FROM IT MAY BE PUBLISHED UNLESS THE SOURCE IS PROPERLY ACKNOWLEDGED.”
This dissertation is a chance for me to combine two loves: Science
Fiction and the USA. They are closely connected: SF was not invented by
Americans but it is now written mainly by them. The conquest of space is an
American phenomenon, and it was an American President who first declared,
rightly or wrongly, that there was once life on Mars. American society is in a
constant state of flux. It is restless, energetic and full of contradictions.
For example, Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Our Land” is almost a second
national anthem. However, few Americans know that the song is a damning
condemnation of social injustice during the Depression.
The best SF writers have used the medium to highlight some of these
contradictions. Many authors have predicted future technological advances.
However, the most insightful writers
would rather discuss the social implications of these technological marvels.
This kind of “sociological SF” is what I will be discussing in the following
pages with particular reference, of course, to American society. I have chosen
to concentrate on the work of Harry Harrison, one of the greats of the field,
and an author whose work spans five decades. Long may he continue.