Cycles and elites: recurrent patterns in Asimov's works
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Keywords
Comparative literature, thematology, science fiction, transtextuality, rationality
Abstract
The repeating patterns, along with the transtextual richness, are characteristic elements in the writings of Isaac Asimov. Both make up a very particular style, criticized at times, but undoubtedly interesting, because they enable a palimpsest-like reading that fans of science fiction enthusiasts have always appreciated. Regarding patterns, there are two that are often repeated in his different works: the cycles and the governing elites. As for the first pattern, Asimov uses over and over again the idea of the historical cycle, insisting on a sort of palingenesis, sometimes in a subtle way, and others almost in line with the literal interpretation by the Stoics, as in the story "Nightfall". About the second pattern, the governing elites, inspired largely by Plato's Republic, clear intertextual similarities can be observed among his works, with extraordinarily similar schemes. In this paper we delve into both patterns, exploring some of his main novels and stories in order to shed light on the schemes assiduously repeated by Asimov.
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Jose Luis Arroyo, Universidad de Sevilla
Doctor por la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, España. Profesor en la Universidad Pontificia Comillas, España. Investigador en la Universidad de Sevilla, España.
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