Reimagining Reality: Modernist Tendencies in Interactive Speculative Narratives
Major
English – Literature
Second Major
Political Science
Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Area of Study or Work
English-Literature
Faculty Advisor
Michael Theune
Location
CNS E101
Start Date
4-13-2024 8:30 AM
End Date
4-13-2024 9:45 AM
Abstract
In her 1924 essay “Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Brown,” Virginia Woolf wrote, “On or about December 1910, human character changed” (Woolf 1924). As the social and political landscapes of this time began to turn upside down, artists and creatives attempted to understand their changing world. Writers did so through the new and experimental literary techniques of Modernism, delving into topics that were not previously explored and playing with abstract form as a reflection of the turbulent times. While its inception predates Modernism by nearly 100 years, science fiction takes a similarly distinctive approach to its content, using imaginative conceptualizations of a possible future or alternate past as an examination of the present. Our contemporary world is faced with constant change and development, not unlike the 1910s, and science fiction novels, films, and games have risen in popularity as society attempts to comprehend such turmoil. In particular, there has been increasing interest in speculative fiction video games that depict stories of what our realistic future may look like, with a greater focus on examining interpersonal relationships and human character, as opposed to advancements in science and technology. Games such as The Last of Us, SOMA, and Detroit: Become Human are popular examples of such exploration into complex narratives and thought-provoking rehearsals of moral dilemmas. Video games as a medium offer a unique method of unconventional narrative storytelling, similar to the experimental styles of Modernist authors such as William Faulkner, Djuna Barnes, and T.S. Eliot. In this research paper, I analyze contemporary speculative and science fiction works, particularly video games, through a Modernist lens, investigating their experimental nature in both content and form as a means of better understanding narrative styles, the practice of moral conflicts, and the exploration of human character and change across time, genres, and mediums.
Reimagining Reality: Modernist Tendencies in Interactive Speculative Narratives
CNS E101
In her 1924 essay “Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Brown,” Virginia Woolf wrote, “On or about December 1910, human character changed” (Woolf 1924). As the social and political landscapes of this time began to turn upside down, artists and creatives attempted to understand their changing world. Writers did so through the new and experimental literary techniques of Modernism, delving into topics that were not previously explored and playing with abstract form as a reflection of the turbulent times. While its inception predates Modernism by nearly 100 years, science fiction takes a similarly distinctive approach to its content, using imaginative conceptualizations of a possible future or alternate past as an examination of the present. Our contemporary world is faced with constant change and development, not unlike the 1910s, and science fiction novels, films, and games have risen in popularity as society attempts to comprehend such turmoil. In particular, there has been increasing interest in speculative fiction video games that depict stories of what our realistic future may look like, with a greater focus on examining interpersonal relationships and human character, as opposed to advancements in science and technology. Games such as The Last of Us, SOMA, and Detroit: Become Human are popular examples of such exploration into complex narratives and thought-provoking rehearsals of moral dilemmas. Video games as a medium offer a unique method of unconventional narrative storytelling, similar to the experimental styles of Modernist authors such as William Faulkner, Djuna Barnes, and T.S. Eliot. In this research paper, I analyze contemporary speculative and science fiction works, particularly video games, through a Modernist lens, investigating their experimental nature in both content and form as a means of better understanding narrative styles, the practice of moral conflicts, and the exploration of human character and change across time, genres, and mediums.