Rebecca Wilson

April 5, 2004

Science Fiction as Genre

A (very) Brief History of Science Fiction

Precursors and Pioneers:  Thomas More’s Utopia, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,  Poe’s Pym, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll, and Jules Verne.

Early Science Fiction:  late 19^th century in Europe – Jules Verne (scientific romance), H.G. Wells (social criticism), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Lost World).  In America, Hugo Gernsback founded Amazing Stories in 1926; the Gernsbackian era was not noted for the quality of its prose.  Edgar Rice Burroughs probably fits this period.

The Golden Age: Ushered in by John W. Campbell, who founds Astounding Science Fiction in 1937.  He introduced Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein.  Campbell insisted on scientific extrapolation, and frequently suggested plots and themes.

The Post-War Era: Written in the shadow of the nuclear arms race.  With the launch of Sputnik, the future is now.  George Orwell, Frederick Pohl, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut.

The Modern Era: Began in the mid-60’s, with the popularization of soft science fiction.  Frank Herbert’s Dune, Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek.

The Post-Modern Era: The New Wave surfaces in the late 60’s, bringing an increased attention to style.  Since we’re still living in it, it seems to have fragmented into the sub-genres listed below.

Some Sub-genres of Science Fiction

Hard Science Fiction: emphasizes scientific detail and accuracy.  Plot often hinges upon a technological point.  Examples: Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson, David Brin, Robert Heinlein, Kim Stanley Robinson.

Soft Science Fiction: emphasizes themes of philosophy, sociology, psychology, and sociology.  Orson Scott Card, Ursula K. LeGuin, Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert.

Space Opera: originally a pejorative term, emphasizes romantic adventure, space battles, interstellar drama, and character drama.  Dominated by TV and film, from Star Trek to Battlestar Galactica to Farscape.  David Brin’s Uplift series.

Cyberpunk:  dystopian, nihilistic underground of digital society; alienated loners.  William Gibson’s Neuromancer.  Vernor Vinge, K.W. Jeter, Pat Cadigan, Philip K. Dick, and Bruce Sterling.  Think Blade Runner.

Postcyberpunk: though nanotech abounds, characters are more involved in society, more likely to defend an existing social order or try to make the world a better place.   Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age.

Steampunk: An odd subgenre of cyberpunk.  Thermal mechanics, Victorian settings.  TV’s The Wild, Wild West, and The Difference Engine by  Bruce Sterling and Iain M. Banks.

Alternate History: what if…?  Harry Turtledove, Orson Scott Card’s Alvin Maker series, George R.R. Martin’s Wild Cards.

Utopian/Dystopian: constructing the world as ideal or nightmare.  1984, Animal Farm, Brave New World, Farenheit 451, The Handmaid’s Tale.

Comic:  Recent, exploits science fiction’s conventions for comic effect.  Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Hary Harrison’s The Stainless Steel Rat novels.

Science Fiction sitcoms: The Jetsons, Red Dwarf, Futurama, 3^rd Rock from the Sun.

Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic: It’s the end of the world as we know it.  Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon, Stephen King’s The Stand, P.D. James’ The Children of Men, Niven and Pournelle’s Lucifer’s Hammer.  Films like 12 Monkeys, the Mad Max series, and Waterworld.

Xenofiction: dramatically different from humans.  Richard Adams’ Watership Down, and C.J. Cherryh’s Faded Sun trilogy.

So, What is Science Fiction, Anyway?

Very tricky question.  Let’s try three different approaches.  I will dub them:

1)      The grok approach, as in you’ve just gotta get it:

Damon Knight: “Science fiction is what we mean when we point to it.” (rec.arts.sf.written FAQ)

Orson Scott Card: “Science fiction is what sf writers write.”

2)      The analytical approach, as in science fiction has some of these elements:

neologism: new words

novums: imaginary inventions

historical extrapolation/historical futurism

oxymoron: time travel, alternate universe

scientific impertinence: violation of the known laws of science

sublime chronotopes: chronotope – a “space-time” where everything operates

according to its own laws.  Cyberspace,  alien worlds.

parable: vehicles for moral tales. (Csicsery-Ronay-Jr.)

3)      The backwards approach, as in it’s not a way of writing, it’s a way of reading:

Consider the sentence “Her world exploded.”  In mainstream fiction, this unquestioningly denotes an emotional crisis.  In S/F, it raises a myriad of questions: What planet is this? Is it her world because she lives there or because she owns it?  Why did it explode anyway? (DanehyOakes)

Discussion Questions

1)      Is science fiction really a genre or is it just a marketing technique used to encourage people like me to buy more books?

2)      In a course on Shakespeare, my instructor made it clear that Shakespeare’s plays were the popular entertainment of the day.  Their audience was not rarified, like the opera fans of today.  Does the fact that science fiction is “popular” entertainment preclude the possibility that it is “literature?”  What’s the difference?

3)      Consider as an opening sentence, “I spent a demimonth working as an oretracer in the monopole mines through the outer asteroid belt of Delta Cygni.”  What does it mean to you immediately?  How much science fiction have you read?

Sources:

Csicsery-Ronay, Jr., Istvan.  “The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction.” Science Fiction Studies.  November 1996.  3 April  2004. <http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/70/icr70art.htm>.

DanehyOakes, Daniel. “SF History (was Re: Oldest Published Novelist)” Online posting.  16 Nov 1994.  3 April 2004. < news:rec.arts.sf.written>.

Gunn, James. “The Protocols of Science Fiction.”  University of Kansas.  3 April  2004.  <http://www.ku.edu/~sfcenter/protocol.htm>.

Taormina, Agatha.  “The History of Science Fiction: A Chronological Survey.”  Northern Virginia Community College.  5 November 2003.  3 April 2004.  <http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/scifi/history/default.htm>.

Wikipedia.  “The History of Science Fiction.” and information on subgenres of Science Fiction.  3 April 2004.  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction>.