Literary review My thesis is that science fiction literature offers a utopian hope for the future in which individual differences will no longer be criticized. To conduct this literature review I used multiple sources of information to examine issues of gender and sexuality within science fiction literature. None of these sources claims to have produced a conclusive work on the interpretation of gender and sexuality in science fiction. Some of what I have read appears to be a general overview while some is more focused, but everything clearly references other theorists, studies and texts to support the arguments made. The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction - Edward James This book combines essays by academics and science fiction writers, who examine the genre from different perspectives. Examines the beginnings of science fiction from Thomas More to the present day and presents significant critical approaches such as Marxism, feminism, and queer theory. There is an overlap of themes that offers the possibility of reading related topics from different angles written by numerous authors, which makes the work stronger. In "Gender in science fiction" Helen Merrick explores representations of masculinity and femininity. It illustrates how science fiction is adept at examining gender issues, noting texts that have contributed to going against standard sociocultural norms. This chapter is only a brief discussion of the pioneering work of feminist science fiction writers (particularly the emergence of women science fiction writers), however, Veronica Hollinger delves into the topic in "Feminist Theory in Science Fiction." In Merrick's chapter his general point is that the science fiction genre is a means of investigating gender and humanity and freeing the mind from the austerity of standard norms. What… half of the article… deals with similar and dissimilar topics, some of which overlap or deepen the discussion. It is clear that, by applying the theories and arguments set out above, there is certainly an opportunity to use science fiction literature as a means of understanding gender, sexuality and utopia in a way that is relevant to current affairs. References Attebery, B (2002). Decoding genre in science fiction. New York: Routledge.Gordon, J, Hollinger, V & Pearson, W, (2008). The sexuality of queer universes in science fiction. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.Hollinger, V. Merrick, H. Pearson, W. (2003). The Cambridge companion to science fiction. London: Cambridge University Press.Jameson, F (2007). Archeologies of the future: the desire called utopia and other science fiction. London: Verso.Larbalestier, J (2002). Battle of the sexes. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press.