The Fortean Influence on Science Fiction

<p> Charles Fort was an American researcher from the early twentieth century who cataloged reports of unexplained phenomena he found in newspapers and science journals. A minor bestseller with a cult appeal Fort's work was posthumously republished in the pulp science fiction magazine <I>Astounding Stories</I> in 1934. His idiosyncratic books fascinated scared and entertained readers many of them authors and editors of science fiction. Fort's work prophesied the paranormal mainstays of SF literature to come: UFOs poltergeists strange disappearances cryptids ancient mysteries unexplained natural phenomena and everything in between. Science fiction authors latched on to Fort's topics and hypotheses as perfect fodder for SF stories. Writers like Arthur C. Clarke Philip K. Dick Robert Heinlein H.P. Lovecraft and others are examined in this exploration of Fortean science fiction--a genre that borrows from the reports and ideas of Fort and others who saw the possible science-fictional nature of our reality.</p>