Hinostroza Toyeros, Sahi

1. What is Futurism in Literature? When did it start?

Futurism was a twentieth-century Italian and Russian avant-garde movement in literature

and arts. Italian Futurism began with a manifesto by F. T. Marinetti (1876–1944) titled
“Fondazione e Manifesto del Futurismo” (“The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism”), which
declared that artistic work without an aggressive element could not be considered a
masterpiece
.
Futurism promoted literature that was concise and fast-paced in language and length and
packed with violence, intensity, youth and dynamic expressions of life. This was because the
futurist movement merged with the historical setting in Italy where the advent of World War II
(1939-1945) and industrialisation led to literature that was inspired by technology and fast
powerful machines. This is also why futurist writers glorified ideas of militarism, nationalism
and war.

2. What are its main features? Who is considered the father of Futurism?

Futurist literature focuses on seven different characteristics:

Intuition
Futurists believed that literature should be driven by intuition and therefore be a product of
spontaneous creation. Futurists also believed that art has its own language and should be
expressed in its own language, free from intellectual approaches and extrapolation.

Analogy
Futurists strongly believe that under the surface, everything in life is interconnected to each
other and such is the reality of life. Futurists referred to these connections as analogies and
the aim of futuristic literature was to discover and unveil these analogies.

Irony
Futurists encouraged the use of Irony in literature as they believed that it was a forgotten
tradition that should be renewed by contemporary writers.

Abolition of syntax
Futurists believed that formal syntax was too restrictive for modern writers. While this did not
mean that syntax was completely abolished, writers were allowed the freedom to remodify
syntax and experiment with vocabulary and wordplay. New words and combinations were
considered to be at the heart of futuristic creativity.

The rejection of formal syntax rules led to a relaxation in using adjectives, adverbs, tense
and punctuation. More attention was paid to creating variations within typography.

Metrical reform
Futurists rejected all forms of meter in poetry. Now you might be wondering if their work
lacked any meter, then was all futuristic poetry essentially just free verse?
Futurists believed that free verse was too traditional and relied heavily on syntax. Hence,
they began to use words as a unit in poetry by making them a structural element that
replaced metric patterns.

Onomatopoeia
Futurists advocated the use of different types of onomatopoeia.

Some forms of onomatopoeia were more realistic representations of sound, such as 'boom',
'splash' or 'clash'. Others were more experimental and abstract in nature such as using
random words to represent sounds regardless of the actual meaning of the word. This also
meant ascribing sounds to objects that typically do not produce sound, such as the internal
motions of the soul.

Lyricism
Futuristic literature is characterised by conciseness and compactness in language that was
almost unnatural. Hence, Futurists rejected lyricism.

This explains why most futuristic works are poetry and why there are no futuristic novels in
existence. Futurists felt like novels were just too long.

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876-1944) is considered the father of Futurism.

3. Robert Heinlein

3.1. Who was he?

Robert A. Heinlein was a science fiction writer of short stories and novels. He wrote for
juveniles and adults, combining his interests in science, technology, and the military. Heinlein
created numerous best-sellers, won several Hugo awards, and had a large influence on
modern science fiction.

The major themes of his work were social: Radical individualism, libertarianism, religion, the
relationship between physical and emotional love, and speculation about unorthodox family
relationships. His iconoclastic approach to these themes led to wildly divergent perceptions
of his works.

3.2. What were his most well known literary works?

- Starship Troopers
First published in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1959, Starship
Troopers may be Heinlein’s best-known and most widely-read work.

- Stranger in a Strange Land

Originally published in 1961. The first science fiction novel on the New York Times
Bestseller list, Stranger in a Strange Land has been named by the Library of
 Congress as one of the “88 Books that Shaped America,” alongside such titles as
The Wizard of Oz, The Great Gatsby, and The Sound and the Fury.

- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

A nominee for the Nebula and winner of the 1967 Hugo Award for Best Novel, The
Moon is a Harsh Mistress was first published in 1966.

- The Puppet Masters

Originally published in 1951, The Puppet Masters is one of the best-known (and
best-regarded) of Heinlein’s early novels.

- The Year of the Jackpot

This distinctly Heinleinian novella was the cover story of the March 1952 issue of
Galaxy Science Fiction. It centers around a statistician who finds love at what just
might be the end of the world.

- Time Enough for Love

First published in 1973. The work was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best
Novel in 1973 and both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1974.