C. S. Lewis's first novel, Out of the Silent Planet (1938), grew out of his love of early science fiction writing, especially “the 'scientifiction' of H. G. Wells” [Surprised by Joy, Chapter 2]. Out of the Silent Planet is not, however, strictly (or mainline) science fiction itself. Because there is little emphasis on science or technology, it seems closer to “space fantasy” than “science fiction”. The story takes us out of our own world and enables us to live for a while, imaginatively, in a fantasy world; at the same time, it enables us to look back at our world from a fresh perspective and to reassess our familiar life and values.

In Out of the Silent Planet a middle aged professor, Elwin Ransom,

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Published 27 June 2003

Citation: Schakel, Peter. "Out of the Silent Planet". The Literary Encyclopedia. 27 June 2003.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12301, accessed 20 November 2009.]