Elizabeth Karogi

Instructor: Malcolm Campbell

English 1101
September 7, 2014
Dont Panic: A Genre Analysis on The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
The post-industrial age is characterized as an age that saw significant change in lifestyle
and culture. This new age experienced great new technological advances. With them, new
writers emerged and sought to understand technologys impact on the future. Thus, the genre of
science fiction was born. This new genre expanded to include marvelous things such space
travel, time travel, and even extraterrestrial beings. In this genre analysis, I will focus on Douglas
Adams The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy tells the story of Arthur Dent-a normal, carbonbased, earth-dweller. Just as the earth is about to be demolished in order to build a galactic
bypass, he is saved by his friend, Ford Prefect, an alien posing as an out-of-work actor. After
hitching a ride on a Vogon, a species known to be extremely unpleasant, spaceship, they are
quickly ejected out of the spaceship and into space. Just as they are about to meet their creator,
they are suddenly picked up by another spaceship. This other spaceship coincidentally happens
to be piloted by Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the galaxy, his human companion, Trillian,
and a depressed robot named Marvin. This unusual combination of people go on an adventure to
discover more about the events that led to the destruction of earth and why the answer to the
ultimate question is 42.
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy contains many conventions featured in the science
fiction genre. For example, space travel is a common convention in science fiction. The entire

novel follow Arthur Dent and company as they make their way through the cold and enormous
space and to the planets of Damogram and Magrathea.
Carl Sagans Contact can be compared to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The
story follow Eleanor Arroway, a radio telescope astrophysicist who is working on the search for
extraterrestrial beings. After years of pointing a telescope to various parts of the sky only to be
met with silence, she finally hears a noise. This noise just so happens to be a blueprint from
intelligent aliens instructing humans how to build a spaceship. Eleonor and other people then
proceed travel to meet with the species that contacted them. The two novels involve space travel.
Another convention included in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is aliens. Adams
includes many alien species in his novel. For example, there is Ford Prefect, the alien originating
from Betelgeuse, and his two-headed cousin Zaphod Beeblebrox. Then there are the repulsive
Vogons. Arthur and Trillian can also be considered alien- depending on the perspective. In
Contact, Carl Sagan also included extraterrestrials. The only thing different from The
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is that the alien are enigmatic to both the reader and the
characters in the book.
Advanced technology is alsco included in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The
Heart of Gold, the spaceship that the team travels with, is described as being the most remarkable
ship in the whole universe. Marvin, the depressed robot, is also referred to as a technological
marvel. In Contact, the spaceship is made according to the directions sent by the mysterious
aliens. Both spaceships are extraordinary in their respective universes.
A constraint of a science fiction novel would be the lack of a threatening situation. Not
many science fiction novels take place in a pleasant, conflict-free universe. Another constraint

would be a conflict that is not solved by the protagonist. A pathetic and unheroic Arthur Dent
was, he still came through and saved himself and his companions.
The purpose of science fiction is to explore the what if situations in life. Adams
questions what would happen if the planet earth was destroyed. Sagan talked about how he
imagines communication between humans and aliens would go. Another purpose of science
fiction is to entertain. Adams fulfils this well by his use of humor in his book which in turn keeps
the reader captivated.
The The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was developed in the 1970s. At this time,
technology was at its peak. Space exploration such as lunar landings were happening and space
stations and satellites were being launched into space.
As one of the primary purposes of a science fiction novel is to entertain, The
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy would work well as a graphic novel. A graphic novel would
help the audience get a better image of what is happening in the story. The general target
audience of science fiction novels is people who enjoy reading speculative fiction. A graphic
novel would attract those who might enjoy speculative fiction but not reading. An adoption into a
graphic novel would include more readers into science fiction.