Isaac Asimov and the golden age of science fiction: a study in terms of his contribution to the genre

Abstract

The present research is about the life and literary works of an extraordinary person, Isaac Asimov. His life is that of a genius who learned to read and write by himself and who wrote his first story at the age of eleven. His literary production covers different fields of knowledge: science, religion, humanism, ecology and, especially, the field of science fiction (SF), a literary genre that he contributed to give it the definitive form it has today. Concomitantly, then, this investigative work covers the history of science fiction as a literary genre from its earliest manifestations thousands of years ago, to the absorbing audiovisual productions that captivate the attention of today’s both adults and children. For this reason, the contents of this thesis also include a description with abundant examples of the characteristics that this literary genre has acquired at present. Among Asimov's numerous works related to science fiction, two series of books are the most important, his Foundation and Robot series. The elements of science fiction that stand out in these two series have served as inspiration for modern writers of fictional scientific material. Consequently, the fundamental part of this research deals with a detailed study of these two series in terms of their contribution to shape science fiction as a literary genre.