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Sciencefiction

Science-fictionbooks,magazines,film,TV,gamingandfandommaterial

Sciencefiction(oftencalledsci-fiorSF)isapopulargenreoffictioninwhichthenarrativeworlddiffersfromourownpresentorhistoricalrealityinatleastonesignificantway.Thisdifferencemaybetechnological,physical,historical,sociological,philosophical,metaphysical,etc,butnotmagical.Exploringtheconsequencesofsuchdifferences(asking"Whatif...?")isthetraditionalpurposeofsciencefiction,buttherearealsomanyscience-fictionworksinwhichanexoticallyaliensettingissuperimposeduponwhatwouldnototherwisebeascience-fictiontale.

Definition

Sciencefictionincludessuchawiderangeofthemesandsubgenresthatitcanbedifficulttodefine.AuthorandeditorDamonKnighthassummedupthedifficultyofdefiningsciencefictionbystatingthat"Sciencefictioniswhatwepointtowhenwesayit".Similarly,criticBonnieKunzel:"Sciencefictionhasbeencalledthebooksthatsciencefictionwriterswrite!Inotherwords,itcanbeaboutanythinginoroutofthisworld."

VladimirNabokovarguesthatifwewererigorouswithourdefinitions,Shakespeare'splayTheTempestwouldhavetobetermedsciencefiction.

Accordingtoscience-fictionwriterRobertA.Heinlein,"ahandyshortdefinitionofalmostallsciencefictionmightread:realisticspeculationaboutpossiblefutureevents,basedsolidlyonadequateknowledgeoftherealworld,pastandpresent,andonathoroughunderstandingofthenatureandsignificanceofthescientificmethod."Heinleinimmediatelyaddsthatifyou"strikeouttheword'future'itcanapplytoallandnotjustalmostallSF."

Science-fictionauthorTheodoreSturgeonwrotethat"agoodscience-fictionstoryisastoryabouthumanbeings,withahumanproblem,andahumansolution,thatwouldnothavehappenedatallwithoutitssciencecontent."FrankHerberthasstatedthat"...sciencefictiondoeshelp,anditpointsinveryinteresting...relativisticdirections...[saying]thatwehavetheimaginationfortheseotheropportunities,theseotherchoices."Herbertpointedoutthatwhile"Humanstendnottoseeoveralongrange.Nowwearerequired,inthesegenerations,tohavealongerrangeviewofwhatweinflictontheworldaroundus."

RodSerlingstatedasadefinitionthat"Fantasyistheimpossiblemadeprobable.ScienceFictionistheimprobablemadepossible."Thisaddressesthedifferencebetweensciencefictionandsciencefantasywheretheformerdescribesunlikelythingsthatmighttakeplaceintherealworldundercertainconditionsbasedonexistingtechnologyandtheories,whilesciencefantasygivesaveneerofscientificrealismtothingsthatsimplycouldn'thappenintherealworldunderanycircumstances.ThewarpdriveandtransporterinStarTrekareperfectexamplesofsciencefantasyinauniverseoftencalledScienceFiction.

Sciencefictionandothergenres

Sciencefictionandfantasy

Ascience-fictionstorymaybefirmlyrootedinrealscientificpossibilitiesastheyareunderstoodatthetimeofwriting,asinArthurC.Clarke'snovelAFallofMoondust,orhighlyimaginative,setinanextraterrestrialcivilizationoraparalleluniverse,asinIsaacAsimov'snovelTheGodsThemselves.

Somesciencefictionportrayseventsthatfalloutsideofscienceascurrentlyunderstood,asinRayBradbury'sTheMartianChronicles.Butonealternateviewpointonsuchtalesistoviewthemnotfromthecurrentera'sunderstandingofscience,buttoviewthetaleinthecontextoftheknownscienceduringthetimethetalewaswritten.AnotherexampleofthatwouldbeHeinlein's"TheManWhoSoldtheMoon",whichpostulatedaprivateenterpriseexplorationoftheearth'smoondecadesinadvanceoftherealeventsin1969—thusacontemporaryreadermightinsteadtaketheworkasamemberofthesubgenreAlternatehistory,ratherthantheHardsciencefictionworkitwasatthetimeofitspublication.

Also,differentreadershavedifferentideasaboutwhatcountsasscientifically"realistic";anuneducatedpersonwillhavedifferentexpectationsaboutwhatsciencecandothanaprofessionalphysicist.AsClarkehimselfstated,"anysufficientlyadvancedtechnologyisindistinguishablefrommagic"(thirdinClarke'sthreelaws).Thus,evenfictionthatdepictsinnovationsruledoutbycurrentscientifictheory,suchasstoriesaboutfaster-than-lighttravel,maystillbeclassifiedassciencefiction,astheyareinthepopularnovelsandstoriesbyDavidWeber.

TheDyingEarthsubgenreofsciencefictiongivesparticularlystrongexamplesofthegenre-boundariesbeingblurred;JackVance'sDyingEarthworks,firstpublishedin1950,depictanEarthsooldanddesolatethatithasrecededintoasortofdarkage,wherethelinebetweenmagicandtechnologyisblurred.ThistechniqueislaterusedinM.JohnHarrison'sViriconiumsequenceandparticularlyGeneWolfe'sTheBookoftheNewSun,whichdepictsobjectslikealiens,androids,andancientcrashedspaceshipswhileretainingaverymedievalsetting,describedbyanarratorwhodoeshimselfnotcomprehendanyofthesetechnologicalrelics.

Accordingly,theborderlinebetweenfantasyandsciencefictionisblurred,andmanybookstoresandlibrariesshelvesciencefictionandfantasytogether.Thereisasubstantialoverlapbetweentheaudiencesofsciencefictionandfantasyliterature,andmanyscience-fictionauthorshavealsowrittenworksoffantasy.FansoftennominateworksoffantasyforsciencefictionawardssuchastheHugoandNebula,clearlyindicatingasubstantialoverlapamongreaders.

Indeed,itcanbearguedthatsciencefictionissimplyamodernformoffantasy.Accordingtothisview,theelementsthatwouldpreviouslyhavebeenpresentedasfantasy.,magic,shapeshifting,divination,mind-reading,fabulousbeasts,andsoon)arerationalizedorsupportedthroughscientificorquasiscientificexplanationssuchasmarvelousdevices,mutation,psychicabilities,aliens,etc.AnexampleisTheForceandtheconflictbetweentheSithandJediinStarWars.StarWarscouldbeconsideredbothsciencefantasyandstandardsciencefictionduetothemassivetechnologicalwarfareinitsstory.

Thisdefinitionisresistedbysomescholarsandwriterswhoattempttodefinethegenre'saspectsmoresharply,andadvocateanaspirationtopresentaworldwithoutmysticalorsupernaturalforces.Forexample,insuchworksasMetamorphosesofScienceFiction,DarkoSuvinemphasisesacognitiveelementinsciencefiction.AccordingtoSuvin,thepurposeofsciencefictionistointroducescientificortechnologicalnoveltiesinordertocreatenarrativesthatenableustoperceiveeverydayrealityatareflectivedistance.Heusesthetermcognitiveestrangementtolabelthiseffect.

Somesciencefictionclearlyexhibitsthisaspiration,butnotall.Asaresult,sometheoristsareabletoemphasizethedifferencebetweensciencefictionandfantasy,whileothersemphasizecontinuity.Itisalsocommontoseenarrativesdescribedasbeingessentiallysciencefictionbut"withfantasyelements."Morerecently,theterm"sciencefantasy"hasbeenincreasinglyusedtodescribesuchmaterial.

Sciencefictionandmainstreamliterature

Sciencefictioncanoverlapwithmoremainstreamfiction.

Ifthesociety,theperson,thetechnology,andthescientificknowledgebaseinthestoryarealldrawnfromobservedreality,withoutmuchdetailaboutthescientificaspects,thestorymaybeclassedasmainstream,contemporaryfictionratherthanassciencefiction,likeMaroonedbyMartinCaidin,orvirtuallyallthenovelsbyTomClancy.Ifthecharacters'thoughtsandfeelingsaboutthelawsoftheuniverse,time,reality,andhumaninventionareunusualandtendtowardexistentialre-interpretationoflife'smeaninginrelationtothetechnologicalworld,thenitmaybeclassedamodernistworkofliteraturethatoverlapswiththethemesofsciencefiction.ExamplesincludeThomasPynchon'sGravity'sRainbow,WilliamBurroughs'sNovaExpress,KazuoIshiguro'sNeverLetMeGo,andmuchoftheworkofKurtVonnegut,PhilipK.Dick,andStanis?awLem.

Speculativefiction

Thebroadercategoryofspeculativefiction—derivedfromtheinitials'SF'ofScienceFiction—includessciencefiction,fantasy,alternatehistories(whichoftenhavenoparticularscientificorfuturisticcomponent),andevenliterarystoriesinwhichtheonlyfantasticelementisthestrangenessoftheirstyle.JorgeLuisBorges'sshortstoriesareparticularlyknownfortheirspeculativestyle,andOlafStapledon'sDarknessandtheLight,whichpresentstwopossiblefuturesformankinddefinedbydevelopmentsinethicsandphilosophy,isagoodexampleofspeculativefiction.Anotherbranchofspeculativefictionistheutopianordystopianstory.Thesearesometimesclaimedbysciencefictiononthegroundsthatsociologyisascience.Manysatiricalnovelswithfantasticsettingsqualifyasspeculativefiction.Gulliver'sTravels,TheHandmaid'sTale,NineteenEighty-four,andBraveNewWorldareexamples."Magicrealism"couldberegardedasaformofspeculativefiction.

Slipstreamfiction

Slipstreamisatermcoinedforfictionthatdoesnotfitcomfortablyeitherinsideoroutsidethescience-fictiongenre.AgoodexampleistheHugo-nominatednovelCryptonomiconbyNealStephenson.

Precursorsofsciencefiction

Lucianaround160A.D.wroteVeraHistoria.AwhirlwindtransportsashipsailingbeyondthePillarsofHerculestotheMoon,wherethevoyagersfindtheKingisabouttogotowarwiththeEmperoroftheSunoverrightstocolonizeVenus.Fabulousbeastssuchasfleaarchersthesizeofelephantsareemployed.Thebattleoutcomewasdecidedwhenlong-waitedreinforcementsfromSiriusarrivedtosupporttheEmperorattheend.FollowingthistheEmperor'sforcessurroundedtheMoonwithfogclouds,leavingitwithoutsolarpower.TheinhabitantsoftheMoonwereforcedtosurrenderandthedecisionwasmadetocolonizeVenuswithjointefforts.Giventhescientificknowledgeoftheday,thiscouldfitthedefinitionofsciencefiction,whileJohannesKepler'sSomniumismoremarginal,ashisexplorerreachestheMoonbywitchcraft,eventhoughtheMoonitselfisdescribedasaccuratelyascontemporaryastronomypermitted.

EarlyelementsofsciencefictionarealsofoundinancientIndianepicssuchastheRamayana,whichhadmythicalVimanaflyingmachinesthatwereabletoflywithintheEarth'satmosphere,andabletotravelintospaceandtravelsubmergedunderwater.

Voltaire's"Micromégas"(1752)isasignificantdevelopmentinthehistoryofliteraturebecauseitoriginatesideaswhichhelpedcreatethegenreofsciencefictionitself.It'sataleofthevisittoEarthofabeingfromaplanetorbitingSiriusandhisfriendfromSaturn,andisregardedasthefirstexampleofscience-fictionphilosophicalirony.

Precursorsofthecontemporarygenre,suchasMaryShelley'sGothicnovelFrankenstein,ortheModernPrometheus(1818)andherpost-apocalypticTheLastMan(1826),andRobertLouisStevenson'sTheStrangeCaseofDr.JekyllandMr.Hyde(1886)arefrequentlyregardedassciencefiction,whereasBramStoker'sDracula(1897),basedonthesupernatural,isnot.AborderlinecaseisMarkTwain'sAConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur'sCourt,wherethetimetravelisunexplained,butsubsequenteventsmakerealisticuseofscience.Shelley'snovelandStevenson'snovellaareearlyexamplesofastandardscience-fictiontheme:Theobsessedscientistwhosediscoveriesworsenabadcircumstance.

Accordingto.Bailey:

Thetouchstoneforscientificfiction,then,isthatitdescribesanimaginaryinventionordiscoveryinthenaturalsciences.Themostseriouspiecesofthisfictionarisefromspeculationaboutwhatmayhappenifsciencemakesanextraordinarydiscovery.Theromanceisanattempttoanticipatethisdiscoveryanditsimpactuponsociety,andtoforeseehowmankindmayadjusttothenewcondition.(PilgrimsThroughSpaceandTime[NewYork,1947])

Subjectmatter

Sciencefictioncoversnumerousdistinctsubjectsrangingfromtimetraveltoalieninvasion.ManyofthesewereoriginallytreatedbyearlysciencefictionpioneerssuchasH.G.WellsandJulesVerne.

Verne'sfictiondepictedthefuture(Parisinthe20thCentury),1863,Spacetravel(FromtheEarthtotheMoon),1865,Technologynotyetinvented(SubmarinesTwentyThousandLeaguesUndertheSea),1870,Terraforming(InvasionoftheSea),1904,andmentalchangesinhumans(TheGreenRay),1882

.Wells'fictiontreatedthesubjectsofTimetravel(TheTimeMachine),1895,biologicalchangesinhumansoranimals(TheIslandofDr.Moreau),1896,Humanswithextraordinarypowers(TheInvisibleMan),1897,Contactwithaliensfromotherworlds(TheWaroftheWorlds),1898,Thefuture(WhentheSleeperWakes),1899,Spacetravel(TheFirstMenintheMoon),1901,Nuclearwarfare(TheWorldSetFree),1914,andtheevolutionofthehumanrace(MenLikeGods),1923.

Terminology

Theterm"sciencefiction"firstcameintopopularusageinthe1930swiththepublicationofScienceWonderStoriesmagazinebyHugoGernsback.Gernsbackhadpreviouslycoinedtheportmanteauword"scientifiction"forthegenre,butthetermdidnotgainacceptance.Beforethen,storiesinthisgenrewereoftenreferredtoas"scientificromances."

Twocompetingabbreviationsfor"sciencefiction"areincommonusage."SF"(or".";alsosf)isthetermmostcommonlyusedbyscience-fictionwritersandseriousfans.Infannishcirclesinthefortiesandfiftiestheabbreviation"stf"(pronounced"stiff"or"stef"),fromHugoGernsback'scoinage"scientifiction",wassometimesused,aswastheadjectivalform"stfnal".TheuseofSFisnotunambiguous,however.Itisalsousedasanabbreviationforspeculativefiction,usuallydefinedasabroadergenreincluding,butnotlimitedto,sciencefiction.

Theeuphonic"sci-fi,"popularizedbyForrestJAckermanin1954,butusedfiveyearsearlierbyRobertA.Heinlein,hasgrowninpopularityandistodaybyfarthemostcommontermusedinthepopularpress,althoughmanyhardcorefansandauthorscontinuetowinceatitsusageorevenconsideritoffensive.BrianAldiss,defendingtheabbreviation"SF,"notesthatitisflexibleenoughtostandforsciencefantasyorspeculativefiction,aswellassciencefiction.Somedetractorsoftheterm"sci-fi"havecorrupteditspronunciationto"skiffy,"whichitselfhasbecomeasub-genretermfor