Adam

Brian W. Aldiss
Science fiction is the search for definition of man and his status in the universe which will stand in our advanced but confused state of knowledge (science), and is characteristically cast in the Gothic or post-Gothic mould. //Trillion Year Spree: the History of Science Fiction (London, 1986)//[| Top] Is it any wonder that a new generation has rediscovered science fiction, rediscovered a form of literature that argues through its intuitive force that the individual can shape and change and influence and triumph; that man can eliminate both war and poverty; that miracles //are// possible; that love, if given a chance, can become the main driving force of human relationships?[| Top] Science Fiction is that class of prose narrative treating of a situation that could not arise in the world we know, but which is hypothesized on the basis of some innovation in science or technology, or pseudo-technology, whether human or extra-terresial in origin. //New Maps Of Hell (London, 1960)//[| Top] Science fiction reflects scientific thought; a fiction of things-to-come based on things-on-hand. //The Fantastic Mirror-SF Across The Ages (Panthenon 1969)//[| Top] Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions. That branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advance upon human beings. http://www.panix.com/~gokce/sf_defn.html


 * || Science Fiction Genre Definition ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ^  || ==== This brief **definition of the Science Fiction Genre** takes a look at some of the interesting aspects of this wonderful genre. Science fiction, sometimes called SF (meaning Speculative Fiction), is a genre of fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component. This is a form of writing that is concerned with a world removed in some fundamental way from our own, whether in time, attitude or knowledge.  Science Fiction genre novels are literature about the future, telling stories of the marvels we hope to see, or for our descendants to see tomorrow, in the next century, or in the limitless duration of time. It doesn't just have to be about science, though. It has been described quite suitably as: "A controlled way to think and dream about the future." It can be about people, ideas, and where the world is going. It can also be about where people have already been.  The main problem with the concept of genre is that it is fairly ill defined by the literary community; This is often compounded by its uses in the film, comic, and gaming communities. The borders of this genre are also not well defined. It has proved difficult to define because it is not a run of the mill genre with the dividing lines between its sub-genres often fluid; It certainly can be described as a constantly shifting genre with blurred boundaries. Unlike the mystery, the western, the gothic, the love story, or the adventure story, to quote a few of the categories to which it is often compared, science fiction has no identifying action or place. Science fiction allows the writer to use his imagination; As Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Depending on whom you ask, the line between Science Fiction and fantasy often tends to blur. To Quote Arthur C. Clarke on this: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Science fantasy is generally a fictional story in which the science elements are mistaken for magic by the characters. One argument is that fantasy and science fiction are equally valid, but they do different things. They are not identical, they cannot even be compared. They are sometimes bracketed together because the ideas of science fiction generate images that affect us as strongly as any archetype in the vaults of fantasy.  ====

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