John W. Campbell: Difference between revisions

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John W. Campbell, Jr. (1910 – 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. As editor of ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]'' magazine for over thirty years, he was one of the most influential figures in the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

As a writer, the bulk of his work was done in the 1930s. He first made his name as an author of [[Science Hero]] [[Space Opera]], including the 'Arcot, Morey and Wade' stories, which were collected in book form in the 1950s. He also wrote more thoughtful science fiction under the name Don A. Stuart, including the linked stories "Twilight" and "Night", and "[[~~Who Goes There (Literature)|~~Who Goes There]]", the story that inspired the films ''[[The Thing ~~From~~ Another World]]'' and ''[[The Thing (~~Film~~)|The Thing]]''.

As a writer, the bulk of his work was done in the 1930s. He first made his name as an author of [[Science Hero]] [[Space Opera]], including the 'Arcot, Morey and Wade' stories, which were collected in book form in the 1950s. He also wrote more thoughtful science fiction under the name Don A. Stuart, including the linked stories "Twilight" and "Night", and "[[Who Goes There]]", the story that inspired the films ''[[The Thing from Another World]]'' and ''[[The Thing (film)|The Thing]]''.

He became the editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' magazine in 1938, and remained in that post until his death. During his tenure, he fostered the careers of many now-famous writers, including [[Isaac Asimov]], who credited him with formulating the Three Laws of Robotics.

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=== Works by John W. Campbell with their own trope pages include: ===

* "[[~~Who Goes There (Literature)|~~Who Goes There]]"

* "[[Who Goes There]]"

=== Campbell's other works provide examples of: ===

* [[Can't Argue ~~With~~ Elves]]: Campbell hated this trope and gave an [[Executive Veto]] to any story in which aliens were shown to be superior to humans.

* [[Can't Argue with Elves]]: Campbell hated this trope and gave an [[Executive Veto]] to any story in which aliens were shown to be superior to humans.

* [[Deus Est Machina]]: "The Machine"

* [[Framing Device]]:

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* [[Humanity's Wake]]: "Night".

* [[Man-Eating Plant]]: A man-eating Venusian plant is mentioned as having almost killed one of the heroes in "The Brain-Stealers of Mars".

* [[No Waterproofing in ~~The~~ Future]]: In "Out of Night", the [[Vichy Earth|occupying]] Sarn give their outnumbered [[Les Collaborateurs|human supporters]] personal force fields and energy weapons to use against the [[La Résistance|rebels]]. The force field emitters explode, killing the bearer, if the field's splashed with water. Justified, as the Sarn's hidden agenda is to {{spoiler|cull strong-willed humans on ''both'' sides of the conflict; they intentionally hand out sub par equipment so their supporters don't have a [[Curb Stomp Battle]]}}.

* [[No Waterproofing in the Future]]: In "Out of Night", the [[Vichy Earth|occupying]] Sarn give their outnumbered [[Les Collaborateurs|human supporters]] personal force fields and energy weapons to use against the [[La Résistance|rebels]]. The force field emitters explode, killing the bearer, if the field's splashed with water. Justified, as the Sarn's hidden agenda is to {{spoiler|cull strong-willed humans on ''both'' sides of the conflict; they intentionally hand out sub par equipment so their supporters don't have a [[Curb Stomp Battle]]}}.

* [[Organic Technology]]: ''The Double Minds'' is set on Ganymede, where electricity was never discovered. Light bulbs are powered by fluorescent bacteria and cars have muscles instead of motors. Unlike most examples of Organic Technology, the story clearly states that Ganymedian gadgets are a poor substitute for electric-powered technology. A bit of an [[Unbuilt Trope]], considered that it was written in 1937.

* [[Science Hero]]: Arcot, Morey and Wade.