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| '''Science fiction''' is a form of fiction which deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. Sometimes the characters involved are not |
'''Science fiction''' is a form of fiction which deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. Sometimes the characters involved are not | ||
| Such literature may consist of a careful and informed extrapolation of scientific facts and principles, or it may range into far-fetched areas flatly contradictory of such facts and principles. In either case, plausibility based on science is a requisite, so that such precursors of the genre as ]'s Gothic novel ''], or the Modern Prometheus'' (]) and ]'s ''Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (]) are plainly science fiction, whereas ]'s '']'' (]), based purely on the ], is not. There are, of course, many borderline cases of works using outer-space settings and futuristic-looking technology as little more than window-dressing for tales of adventure, romance, and other typical dramatic themes; examples include ] and many Hollywood ]s. Fans of ] would regard such films as fantasy, whereas the general public would probably place them squarely in the science fiction category. | |||
| Science fiction was made possible only by the rise of modern science itself, notably the revolutions in astronomy and physics. Aside from the age-old genre of fantasy literature, which does not qualify, there were notable precursors: imaginary voyages to the moon or to other planets in the 18th century and space travel in ]'s ''Micromégas'' (]), alien cultures in ]'s ''Gulliver's Travels'' (]), and science fiction elements in the 19th-century stories of ], ], and Fitz-James O'Brien. Science fiction proper began, however, toward the end of the 19th century with the scientific romances of ], whose science was rather on the level of invention, as well as the science-oriented novels of social criticism by ]. | |||
| The development of science fiction as a self-conscious ] dates from ], when ], who coined the portmanteau word ], founded '']'' magazine, which was devoted exclusively to science fiction stories. Published in this and other ] with great and growing success, such stories were not viewed as serious literature but as sensationalism. With the advent in ] of a demanding editor, ], of '']'' (founded in ]) and with the publication of stories and novels by such writers as ], ], and ], science fiction emerged as a mode of serious fiction. Ventures into the genre by writers who were not devoted exclusively to science fiction, such as ], ], ], and ], also added respectability. Magazine covers of bug-eyed monsters and scantily-clad women preserved the sensational image for many, however. | |||
| In ], ] combined ''science fiction'' with '']'', resulting in the term '''sci-fi'''. | |||
| A great boom in the popularity of science fiction followed ]. Some science fiction works became paperback best-sellers. The increasing intellectual sophistication of the genre and the emphasis on wider societal and psychological issues significantly broadened the appeal of science fiction to the reading public. Science fiction became international, extending into the ] and other eastern European nations, where it was frequently used as a vehicle for political commentary that could not be safely published in other forms. (The Polish author ] is one of the non-English science fiction writers who has become widely known outside his native country.) Serious criticism of the genre is now common, and science fiction is studied in colleges and universities, as literature and in how it relates to science and society. | |||
| One of the unique features of the science fiction genre is its strong fan community, of which many authors are a firm part. Local fan groups exist in most of the English-speaking world, as well as in Japan, Europe, and elsewhere; these groups often publish their own works. Many "fan" magazines (and a few professional ones) exist that are dedicated solely to informing the science fiction fan on all aspects of the genre. The premiere awards of science fiction, the ]s, are awarded by members of the annual ], which is almost entirely volunteer-run by fans. | |||
| Science fiction writers' work have included predictions of future societies on ], analyses of the consequences of ], and imaginative explorations of other forms of intelligent life and their societies in other worlds. | |||
| Science fiction has also been popular in ], ], ], and ]; it is notable that about three-quarters of | |||
| the ], (source: IMDB June 2002) are based | |||
| around science-fiction or fantasy themes. | |||
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| === Genres and subcategories === | |||
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| ==External resources== | |||
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Revision as of 12:50, 8 February 2003
Science fiction is a form of fiction which deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. Sometimes the characters involved are not