Newspaper from the future
Encyclopedia
A newspaper
from the future is a plot device
encountered in various science fiction
/fantasy
stories. An early example of this device can be found in the H.G. Wells 1932 short story
, "The Queer Story of Brownlow's Newspaper
," which tells the tale of a man who receives such a paper from 40 years in the future. The 1944 film It Happened Tomorrow
also employs this device, with the protagonist receiving the next days' newspaper from an elderly colleague (who is possibly a ghost). The television series Early Edition
also revolved around a character who daily received the next day's newspaper, and sought to change some event therein forecast to happen. Back to the Future Part II
used a similar device, having the antagonist prosper after receiving a booklet of sports trivia from the future based upon which he could place bets. In the television series Goodnight Sweetheart
a man who is able to travel at will between his own time (the 1990s) and World War Two-era London manages to place wagers on sporting events of the 1940s by consulting the next day's paper, which exists in his own era (the 1990s) as an antique.
The newspaper from the future, like any communication from the future, raises questions about time travel
and the ability of humans to control their destiny. If the recipient is allowed to presume that the future is malleable, and if the future forecast affects them in some way, then this device serves as a convenient explanation of their motivation
s. In It Happened Tomorrow, the events that are described in the newspaper do come to pass, and the protagonist's efforts to avoid those events set up circumstances which instead cause them to come about. By contrast, in Early Edition, the protagonist is able to successfully prevent catastrophes predicted in the newspaper (although, if the protagonist does nothing, these catastrophes do come about).
Where such a device is used, the source of the future news may not be explained, leaving it open to the reader/watcher to imagine that it might be technology, magic, an act of a god etc. In the H.G. Wells story, the author writes of the newspaper that "apparently it had been delivered not by the postman, but by some other hand". As in It Happened Tomorrow and Early Edition, no explanation is offered for the source of the future news.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
from the future is a plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
encountered in various science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
stories. An early example of this device can be found in the H.G. Wells 1932 short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, "The Queer Story of Brownlow's Newspaper
The Queer Story of Brownlow's Newspaper
"The Queer Story of Brownlow's Newspaper" is a short story by H. G. Wells which was first published in the April 1932 issue of the Ladies' Home Journal.-Plot summary:...
," which tells the tale of a man who receives such a paper from 40 years in the future. The 1944 film It Happened Tomorrow
It Happened Tomorrow
It Happened Tomorrow is a 1944 fantasy film starring Dick Powell, Linda Darnell and Jack Oakie, and featuring Edgar Kennedy and Sig Ruman. It was directed by René Clair.-Plot:...
also employs this device, with the protagonist receiving the next days' newspaper from an elderly colleague (who is possibly a ghost). The television series Early Edition
Early Edition
Early Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
also revolved around a character who daily received the next day's newspaper, and sought to change some event therein forecast to happen. Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II
Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...
used a similar device, having the antagonist prosper after receiving a booklet of sports trivia from the future based upon which he could place bets. In the television series Goodnight Sweetheart
Goodnight Sweetheart
Goodnight Sweetheart is a sitcom that ran for six series on BBC1 from 1993 to 1999. It stars Nicholas Lyndhurst as Gary Sparrow, an accidental time traveller who leads a double life after discovering a time portal allowing him to travel between the London of the 1990s and the same area during the...
a man who is able to travel at will between his own time (the 1990s) and World War Two-era London manages to place wagers on sporting events of the 1940s by consulting the next day's paper, which exists in his own era (the 1990s) as an antique.
The newspaper from the future, like any communication from the future, raises questions about time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
and the ability of humans to control their destiny. If the recipient is allowed to presume that the future is malleable, and if the future forecast affects them in some way, then this device serves as a convenient explanation of their motivation
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
s. In It Happened Tomorrow, the events that are described in the newspaper do come to pass, and the protagonist's efforts to avoid those events set up circumstances which instead cause them to come about. By contrast, in Early Edition, the protagonist is able to successfully prevent catastrophes predicted in the newspaper (although, if the protagonist does nothing, these catastrophes do come about).
Where such a device is used, the source of the future news may not be explained, leaving it open to the reader/watcher to imagine that it might be technology, magic, an act of a god etc. In the H.G. Wells story, the author writes of the newspaper that "apparently it had been delivered not by the postman, but by some other hand". As in It Happened Tomorrow and Early Edition, no explanation is offered for the source of the future news.
Appearances
- John Buchan's novel The Gap in the CurtainThe Gap in the CurtainThe Gap in the Curtain is a 1932 novel by John Buchan. It is borderline science fiction.-Plot:At a country house, five guests gather and are chosen by a brilliant scientist to take part in a shocking experiment which will let them glimpse one year into the future. However, when the experiment takes...
is similarly premised on a group of people being enabled to see, for a moment, an item in the TimesTimesThe Times is a UK daily newspaper, the original English language newspaper titled "Times". Times may also refer to:In newspapers:*The Times , went defunct in 2005*The Times *The Times of Northwest Indiana...
newspaper from one year in the future.
- During the Swedish general election, 2006Swedish general election, 2006A general election was held in Sweden on 17 September 2006, to elect members to the Swedish parliament. All 349 seats were up for election: 310 "fixed seats" in 29 constituencies and 39 members at a national level for what are called "adjustment seats", used to ensure that parties have...
, Folkpartiet liberalernaLiberal People's Party (Sweden)The Liberal People's Party is a political party in Sweden. The party advocates social liberalism and is part of the governing centre-right coalition The Alliance, which achieved a majority in the general election of 17 September 2006...
used election posters who looked like news bill, called Framtidens nyheter ("News of the future"), featuring things that Folkpartiet liberalerna wanted to do if they came to power.