Space travel is a concept that writers have fantasized about for centuries. Covering large distances in space to explore new planets and beings in undiscovered areas is a very exciting idea one can write about.
Pixabay/Pexels | Travelling to the moon is presented differently in different stories.
The Classic Fiction Narratives About Space Travel
The first ever account of space travel in literature was presented in the second century. It was written by the Greek author Lucian of Sarasota. He narrated a true story named “Lucian’s True History,” in which the author revealed a satire of outlandish tales of Assyrian descent. The book describes the journey of Lucian and his fellows, who were put off from their path by the storm. Due to this, they reached the land that was made of wine. They continue forwards and are again caught in a strong wind that carries them to the Moon. In his book, Lucian illustrates the difference between life on Earth and the Moon.
Another classic hit from the author Jules Verne dates back to 1865. The novel’s name is “From the Earth to the Moon” and it’s a classic tale that revolves around the post-American Civil War. The lead character uses a space gun to send three men off to the moon.
Francis Godwin is another such author who wrote about science fiction. His book was titled “The Man in the Moone.” The book describes the tale of Gonsales, a man from Spain who reached the moon by traveling on a swan. The tales by Lucian and Godwin are based on fiction and fantasy, as logic or science was barely a part of their stories. The oldest published work of science fiction, along with space travel, was “The Other World: Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon.” This was the work of French novelist Cyrano de Bergerac. The story is written in first person narrative and attempts to describe his journey to the moon to find proof of life. The novelist described that he launched himself in a flying machine and attached rockets to it. During it, he found that Mars was inhabited by weird four-legged beings that possessed amazing weapons.
Another science fiction story is a space travel novel by Jules Verne. It’s a fantastic tale about a comet that clashes with Earth and takes part of the land with it. Thirty-six people used to live in the land that the comet took away with itself. The people belonged to various nationalities, including English, French, Russian, and Spanish. They were unaware that they were on a comet until they started experiencing weightlessness.
An American writer John Jacob Astor IV, published a story in 1989 titled “A Journey in Other Worlds: A Romance of the Future.” The book is about the future, technological advancements, air travel, and solar power. Set in 2000, the novel depicts the U.S. as a multi-continental superpower while socialist governments rule Europe. He also wrote about how the world in 2000 will be a business-led community and human life will improve drastically due to technological advancements.
