Golden Age of Science Fiction

The Golden Age of Science Fiction, often recognized as a period from the early 1940s through the 1950s, was an era during which the science fiction genre gained wide public attention and many classic science fiction stories were published. The term also frequently is used in reference to the period of adolescence when many youths, particularly boys, develop a great passion for science fiction. The saying "The golden age of science fiction is twelve" has been attributed to various persons including Terry Carr, Ray Bradbury, and David Hartwell.

Cultural significance

As a phenomenon that affected the psyches of a great many adolescents during World War II and the ensuing Cold War, science fiction's Golden Age has left a lasting impression upon society. The genre, particularly during its Golden Age, had significant, if somewhat indirect, effects upon leaders in the military, information technology, Hollywood and science itself, especially biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry.

Related Topics:
World War II - Cold War - Military - Information technology - Hollywood - Biotechnology - Pharmaceutical

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The impression of many parents at the time, however, was often tinged with dismay and intolerance, sometimes sparked by the racy cover illustrations of pulp science fiction. The stereotypical cover of a science fiction pulp magazine depicted a brass-bikini-clad woman at the mercy of a bug-eyed monster.

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