Speculative fiction

Speculative fiction is a broad umbrella category of narrative fiction referring to any fiction story that includes elements, settings and characters whose features are created out of imagination and speculation rather than based on attested reality and everyday life. That encompasses the genres of science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, horror, alternative history, and magic realism.[1][2][3] It typically strays strongly from reality and so may feature fictional types of beings like mythical creatures and supernatural entities, technologies that do not exist in real life like time machines and interstellar spaceships, or magical or otherwise scientifically inexplicable elements. The term's popularity is sometimes attributed to Robert Heinlein, who referenced it in 1947 in an editorial essay, although there are prior mentions of speculative fiction, or its variant "speculative literature".

History

Speculative fiction as a category ranges from ancient works to both cutting edge, paradigm-changing and neotraditional works of the 21st century.[4][5] Speculative fiction can be recognized in works whose authors' intentions or the social contexts of the versions of stories they portrayed is now known, since ancient Greek dramatists such as Euripides (ca. 480–406 BCE) whose play Medea seems to have offended Athenian audiences when he fictionally speculated that shamaness Medea killed her own children instead of their being killed by other Corinthians after her departure,[6] and whose Hippolytus, narratively introduced by Aphrodite, Goddess of Love in person, is suspected to have displeased his contemporary audiences because he portrayed Phaedra as too lusty.[7]

In historiography, what is now called speculative fiction has previously been termed "historical invention",[8] "historical fiction", and similar names. It is extensively noted in literary criticism of the works of William Shakespeare[9] as when he co-locates Athenian Duke Theseus and Amazonian Queen Hippolyta, English fairy Puck, and Roman god Cupid across time and space in the Fairyland of its Merovingian Germanic sovereign Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream.[10]

In mythography the concept of speculative fiction has been termed "mythopoesis" or mythopoeia, "fictional speculation", the creative design and generation of lore, regarding such works as J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.[11] Such supernatural, alternate history and sexuality themes continue in works produced within the modern speculative fiction genre.[12]

The creation of speculative fiction in its general sense of hypothetical history, explanation, or ahistorical storytelling has also been attributed to authors in ostensibly non-fiction mode since as early as Herodotus of Halicarnassus, (fl. 5th century BCE) in his Histories,[13][14][15] and was already both practiced and edited out by early encyclopaedic writers like Sima Qian (ca. 145 or 135 BCE–86 BCE), author of Shiji.[16][17]

This suggests the caveat that while many works now considered to be intentional or unintentional speculative fiction existed before the coining of the genre term, its concept in its broadest sense captures both a conscious and unconscious aspect of human psychology in making sense of the world, reacting to it, and creating imaginary, inventive, and artistic expressions, some of which underlie practical progress through interpersonal influences, social and cultural movements, scientific research and advances, and philosophy of science.[18][19][20]

In its English language usage in arts and literature since 20th century, "speculative fiction" as a genre term is often attributed to Robert A. Heinlein. In his first known use of the term, in editorial material at the front of the 2/8/1947 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, Heinlein used it specifically as a synonym for "science fiction"; in a later piece, he explicitly stated that his use of the term did not include fantasy.

However, though Heinlein may have come up with the term on his own, there are earlier citations: a piece in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1889 used the term in reference to Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward: 2000–1887 and other works; and one in the May, 1900 issue of The Bookman said that John Uri Lloyd's Etidorhpa, The End of the Earth had "created a great deal of discussion among people interested in speculative fiction".[21] A variation on this term is "speculative literature".[22]

The use of "speculative fiction" in the sense of expressing dissatisfaction with traditional or establishment science fiction was popularized in the 1960s and early 1970s by Judith Merril and other writers and editors, in connection with the New Wave movement. It fell into disuse around the mid-1970s.[23]

The Internet Speculative Fiction Database contains a broad list of different subtypes.

In the 2000s, the term came into wider use as a convenient collective term for a set of genres. However, some writers, such as Margaret Atwood, continue to maintain a distinction between "speculative fiction" as a "no Martians" type of science fiction, "about things that really could happen." [24]

Academic journals which publish essays on speculative fiction include Extrapolation, and Foundation.[25]

Distinguishing science fiction from other speculative fiction

"Speculative fiction" is sometimes abbreviated "spec-fic", "specfic",[26] "S-F", "SF", or "sf"[27] but these last three abbreviations are ambiguous as they have long been used to refer to science fiction, which lies within this general range of literature,[28] and in several other abbreviations.

The term has been used to express dissatisfaction with what some people consider the limitations of science fiction, or otherwise to designate fiction that falls under readily stereotypical genres so that it can be pigeonholed within such categorical limits as "fantasy" or "mystery".[29] For example, in Harlan Ellison's writing, the term may signal a wish not to be pigeonholed as a science fiction writer, and a desire to break out of science fiction's genre conventions in a literary and modernist direction, or to escape the prejudice with which science fiction is often met by mainstream critics.[30][31]

The term "suppositional fiction" is sometimes used as a sub-category designating fiction in which characters and stories are constrained by an internally consistent world, but not necessarily one defined by any particular genre.[32][33][34]

Author demographics

According to publisher statistics, men outnumber women about two to one among English-language speculative fiction writers aiming for professional publication. However, the percentages vary considerably by genre, with women outnumbering men in the fields of urban fantasy, paranormal romance and young-adult fiction.[35]

Speculative fiction genres

Speculative fiction may include elements of one or more of the following genres:

Name Description Examples
Fantasy Includes elements and beings from human cultural imagination, such as mythical creatures (dragons and fairies, for example), magic and magical elements, sorcery, witchcraft, etc. The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter
Science fiction Features technologies that do not exist in real life (but may be supposed to do in the future), including time travel, interstellar travel, flying cars and also beings and societies from other planets (aliens) Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Star Wars
Horror Somewhat similar to fantasy, but focusing on terrifying, evil and often powerful beings, such as monsters and ghosts. Also aims to transmit actual fear and confusion to the reader/watcher. A Nightmare on Elm Street, Case 39
Utopia Takes place in a highly desirable society, often presented as advanced, happy, intelligent or even perfect or problem-free. Island, Ecotopia
Dystopia Takes place in a highly undesirable society, often plagued with strict control, violence, chaos, brainwashing and other negative elements. 1984, Brave New World
Alternate history Focusing on historical events as if they happened in a different way, and their implications on the present. Fatherland, The Tales of Alvin Maker
Apocalyptic Takes place before and during a massive, worldwide disaster. The Day After Tomorrow, 2012
Post-apocalyptic Focuses on groups of survivors after a massive, worldwide disaster. Waterworld, Metro 2033
Superhero Centers on superheroes (i.e. a hero with extraordinary abilities or powers) and their fight against evil forces such as supervillains. Typically incorporates elements of science fiction and/or fantasy, and may be a subgenre of them. Spider-Man, Avengers

See also

History
Genres
Themes
Other

References

  1. Speculative fiction. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC. 2015.
  2. Bulman, Colin (2007). Creative Writing: A Guide and Glossary to Fiction Writing. Polity. p. 200.
  3. Henwood, Belinda (2007). Publishing. Career FAQs. p. 86.
  4. Barry Baldwin, Emeritus Professor of Classics, University of Calgary, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, "Ancient Science Fiction", Shattercolors Literary Review
  5. "逆援助紹介PARADOX!". paradoxmag.com.
  6. This theory of Euripides' invention has gained wide acceptance. See (e.g.) McDermott 1989, 12; Powell 1990, 35; Sommerstein 2002, 16; Griffiths, 2006 81; Ewans 2007, 55.
  7. See, e.g., Barrett 1964; McDermott 2000.
  8. "Mark Wagstaff – Historical invention and political purpose | Re-public: re-imagining democracy – english version". Re-public.gr. 2005-01-17. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  9. Martha Tuck Rozett, "Creating a Context for Shakespeare with Historical Fiction", Shakespeare Quarterly Vol. 46, No. 2 (Summer, 1995), pp. 220-227
  10. Dorothea Kehler, A midsummer night's dream: critical essays, 2001
  11. Adcox, John, "Can Fantasy be Myth? Mythopoeia and The Lord of the Rings" in "The Newsletter of the Mythic Imagination Institute, September/October, 2003"
  12. Eric Garber, Lyn Paleo Uranian Worlds: A Guide to Alternative Sexuality in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, 2nd Edition, G K Hall: 1990 ISBN 978-0-8161-1832-8
  13. Herodotus and Myth Conference, Christ Church, Oxford, 2003
  14. John M. Marincola, Introduction and Notes, The Histories by Herodotus, tr. Aubrey De Sélincourt, 2007
  15. Jona Lendering. "Herodotus of Halicarnassus". Livius.org. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  16. Stephen W. Durrant, The cloudy mirror: tension and conflict in the writings of Sima Qian, 1995
  17. Craig A. Lockard, Societies, Networks, and Transitions: A Global History: To 1500, 2007, p 133
  18. Heather Urbanski, Plagues, apocalypses and bug-eyed monsters: how speculative fiction shows us our nightmares, 2007, pp 127
  19. Sonu Shamdasani, Cult Fictions: C.G. Jung and the Founding of Analytical Psychology, 1998
  20. Relativity, The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein (1920), with an introduction by Niger Calder, 2006
  21. "Dictionary citations for the term "speculative fiction"". Jessesword.com. 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  22. "The Speculative Literature Foundation". Speculativeliterature.org. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  23. "New Wave". Virtual.clemson.edu. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  24. PLACEHOLDER - foundation | In Other Worlds. Random House LLC. 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
  25. "PLACEHOLDER - foundation | The Science Fiction Foundation". Sf-foundation.org. 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  26. "SpecFicWorld". SpecFicWorld. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  27. "A Speculative Fiction Blog". SFSignal. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  28. Rodger Turner, Webmaster. "The Best in Science Fiction and Fantasy". The SF Site. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  29. "Citations and definitions for the term "speculative fiction" by speculative fiction reviewers". Greententacles.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  30. "Watts, Peter. "Margaret Atwood and the Hierarchy of Contempt", ''On Spec'' 15(2) (Summer 2003)" (PDF). pp. 3–5. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  31. Davies, Philip. "Review [untitled; reviewed work(s): Science Fiction: Its Criticism and Teaching by Patrick Parrinder; Fantastic Lives: Autobiographical Essays by Notable Science Fiction Writers by Martin Greenberg; Robert A. Heinlein: America as Science Fiction by H. Bruce Franklin; Bridges to Science Fiction by George E. Slusser, George R. Guffey, Mark Rose]. Journal of American Studies Vol. 16, No. 1 (Apr., 1982). pp. 157-159.
  32. Izenberg, Orin. Being Numerous: Poetry and the Ground of Social Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011; p. 210
  33. Leitch, Thomas M. What Stories Are: Narrative Theory and Interpretation University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1986; p. 127
  34. Domańska, Ewa. Encounters: Philosophy of History After Postmodernism Charlottesville, Virginia: University Press of Virginia, 1998; p. 10
  35. Crisp, Julie (10 July 2013). "SEXISM IN GENRE PUBLISHING: A PUBLISHER'S PERSPECTIVE". Tor Books. Retrieved 29 April 2015.

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