Thesis: Science Fiction: Poe's "A Descent into the Maelstrom" and " MS found in a Bottle"
             "It may appear strange, but now, when we were in the very jaws of the gulf, I felt more composed than when we were only approaching it. Having made up my mind to hope no more, I got rid of a great deal of that terror which unmanned me at first. I suppose it was despair that strung my nerves."
             The major distinction between fantasy and science fiction is, simply, that science fiction uses one, or a very, very few assume, and develops the rigidly consistent logical consequences of these limited suggest. Fantasy makes its rules as it goes along...The basic nature of fantasy is "The only rule is, make up a new rule any time you need one!" The basic rule of science fiction is "set up a basic proposition--then develop its consistent, reasonable consequences." Poe is one of the great writers that have a very high imagination. Science Fiction usually deals with great phenomenon's, like aliens and spacecrafts, but Poe decides to take another route. Poe's fiction is usually about natures, storms, hurricanes and such. He takes great care to let readers know what is going on, the way the characters act, what they see, and mostly what the surroundings are.
            
             In two of Poe's works, "A Descent into the Maelstrom" and "MS found in a Bottle" he uses two of the most destructive elements in nature, thunderstorms and hurricanes. Most authors would not be as brave as to write a Science Fiction story about these two elements, but Poe is able to work above the hype and show the Literary fields what destruction can really cause. "MS found in a Bottle" is one of Poe's later works, in it you can find Poe's rendition of a hurricane. In "A Descent into the Maelstrom," you can find Poe's version of being on a fishing boat during a thunderstorm.
             "A Descent into the Maelstrom (1841)" is explained by Poe as a natural phenomenon, he states, "The risk of life s...