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Worldbuilding in Parable of the Sower
Worldbuilding in Parable of the Sower
Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower creates a world from her imagination of what could happen in our society. Based on the economic decline spurred on by neoliberalism, along with many other foundational issues, Butler speculates a potential future that would be well within the realm of possibility. While she derives elements from her world, she still creates a world of her own through her story. While our current society may be approaching the same world of despair that the main character Lauren Olamina faces, it still does not exist in the same way.
By heightening stakes and dramatizing or strengthening societal adversities, Butler creates her own world derived from speculation. She also introduces new, imaginative elements such as Lauren's hyper-empathy. By delving into the world of her own imagination, Butler creates a new and unique fictive world, while also maintaining central elements of the real world. As these two perspectives come together, she creates a fictitious, albeit heavily realistic, speculative narrative for America's future.
Consuming Speculative Narrative
Consuming Speculative Narrative
Gattaca
Gattaca
The world of Gattaca speculates how the world might be if we had the scientific ability to alter genetics to predetermine genetic traits in children. While this leads to positive advancements, like removing harmful genetic diseases or disorders, it also creates a world of extreme competition. "Survival of the fittest" gets a very emphasized and crucial role in this world.
By imagining society with such advanced genetic technologies, Gattaca builds a world of perfectionism, perhaps to a point of dystopia. This world is a speculation of what could be given a few different circumstances.
A Quiet Place
A Quiet Place
A Quiet Place uses elements of horror to create speculative narrative. The Abott family lives in on earth, present-day, in New York. This world speculates what could be if a meteor which housed "death angels," or ruthless killing monsters, hit earth and began an apocalyptic invasion.
While the whole premise is that these monsters kill those they hear, which creates a gruesome and horrific story, this world also leads humans to act more viciously out of a need for survival. We see examples of characters sabotaging each other to save themselves. There's abundant speculation not only of how the world could be, but how people might evolve to think and behave.
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
In the book Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the world is not so much altered like in Gattaca or A Quiet Place, but specific circumstances create a world within the one we know. As young boys find themselves stranded on an island, Golding speculates what world they might build given their knowledge, circumstances, and interpersonal connections. With their lawlessness and naivety, these boys try to create their own society but descend into destructive chaos.
By focusing on these boys, Golding creates and analyzes a world of anarchy. While this story still takes place on earth with typical natural laws, the circumstances presented to these boys creates a speculation of what might happen in this scenario. It is a fictive narrative that could definitely happen based on these circumstances.
Creating Speculative Narrative
Creating Speculative Narrative
Sims
Sims
Sandbox video games like Sims offer a chance to create speculative narrative very actively. Remaining relatively true to life, the game functions as a simulation of the real world in which the controller can possess different people, create buildings, and essentially shape the world however they please.
By deciding on different careers, relationships, and personality traits, the controller can actively act out their speculation of what might happen in the world given their choices. While the controller may not have total authority of the outcomes, they do get to drive the choices made and deal with the consequences. This game operates in linear time, creating a sort of natural narrative as time goes on. Speculation comes in as the controller makes roams about, choosing the next steps of the story.
Minecraft
Minecraft
The video game Minecraft moves even further away from reality. In a world of less advanced technologies and different laws of nature, the controller roams freely, deciding how their story will go. They don't have much control over their circumstances. Depending on the setting, their goal could lean more towards surviving and exploring, or creating. Even then, the player can actively choose their own narrative, unlike games that operate under a storyline, and speculate what life would be like given the laws of Minecraft.
Choose Your Own Adventure Books
Choose Your Own Adventure Books
Choose Your Own Adventure Books create even more limitation on creation than the previous video games, but they still encourage engagement in speculation. By having the reader make choices, different narratives come into play. While the reader doesn't have enough control to create their own narrative, they do get to make choices that decide how the narrative will go based on predetetermined outcomes. Through this, the reader can speculate what the author imagines will happen based on their choice. It becomes a collaboration between the reader and author to create a story.
In Summation
In Summation
Speculative narrative is a powerful tool for worldbuilding that derives much more from the real world. By imagining what the world could be under different circumstances, a whole new world is created. Plenty of movies and literature engage in this speculation for audiences and readers to digest, but we can also engage in speculative narrative ourselves! A very active and obvious example of a way to speculate is through video games or more interactive pieces, but we can engage in speculative narrative in less obvious ways as well. When we daydream about possible scenarios, or when we talk with friends about what the future might hold, we are engaging in speculative narrative! These are just a few examples, but speculative narrative as a tool for worldbuilding can stretch really far!
References
References
Informational Sources
Informational Sources
“Chosing the Best Possible Child | Gattaca | Voyage.” YouTube, YouTube, 4 June 2021, www.youtube.com/watch? v=pCN5QG8Jtwg.
Duffy, Damian, et al. Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation. Abrams ComicArts, 2020.
Gattaca. Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment, 2004.
Golding, William. Lord of the Flies: William Golding. Putnam, 1954.
Krasinski, John, director. A Quiet Place. 2018.
Photo Sources
Photo Sources
Ashley Ferraro Aug 05, 2019. “34 Democracy Quotes from Lord of the Flies That Hit Close to Home.” Women.com, www.women.com/ashleyferraro/lists/democracy-quotes-lord-of-the-flies-080519.
“Choose Your Own Adventure: You're (Still) The Star of the Story.” RETROPOND, 5 Feb. 2021, retropond.com/choose-your-own- adventure/.
John Seven, et al. “Indie View: 'Parable of the Sower' Sets the Standard for Post-Apocalyptic Comics.” The Beat, 22 Jan. 2020, www.comicsbeat.com/indie-view-parable-of-the-sower/.
“Minecraft Big Cottage House Tutorial.” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Aug. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcFFSxw12qk.
“Minecraft.” Spotify, 4 Mar. 2011, open.spotify.com/track/6xwhCiWXREsAIQVZqHswVw?si=22a9c98367854957&nd=1.
Muller, Antoinette. “Extra Time Media.” Cropped Etmsquare.png, 2 June 2022, extratime.media/sims-4-brookheights-open-world- mod-new-maps/.
T, Kirsty. “A Quiet Place (2018) Film Review.” Love Popcorn, 20 Feb. 2021, lovepopcornreviews.com/review-a-quiet-place-2018/? utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=review-a-quiet-place-2018.
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