Characteristics of Science Fiction

7/29/2019 Characteristics of Science Fiction

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Science Fiction


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CHARACTERISTICS OF

SPECULATIVE

FICTION


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Focus on social issues like overpopulation,

AIDS, fear of technology, poverty, classism,

racism, or environmental concerns.

Setting is usually future or near future Earth,

but can sometimes be an alternate

dimension or another planet used as an

allegory for contemporary Earth.


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Societal structure is often a complete

dystopia or a utopia that is based on anethically questionable act, such as ritual

human sacrifice or Big Brother.

Main character is usually in dissent with thesociety, even if he/she begins story at

harmony with society.

Political systems and various philosophies areoften explored in a "petri dish" environment.


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EXAMPLES:

1984 by George Orwell

The Giverby Lois LowryAnthem by Ayn Rand


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CHARACTERISTICS OF

SPACE OPERA


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Stories are generally about people who

live in, work in, or visit outer space andother planets on a regular basis.

Scientific theory is not necessary to the

telling of the story. The characters loves and lives are

central to the plot, as opposed to how

the aliens breathe or how the spaceshipworks.


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Often an alien society's culture such as

their music, class system, familystructure, etc.. is central to the plot.

This sub-genre is usually more

accessible to young adults andmainstream audiences.

Pure space opera is becoming harder to

find as stories bleed over into otherscience fiction themes


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EXAMPLES:

Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard tells thestory of Johnnie Goodboy Tylers fight to wrestcontrol of Earth out of alien hands.

Old Man's Warby John Scalzi is a sci-fi romp in

the classical sense. Plenty of laugh-out-loudmoments pepper this story of a man finding hisfeet as he deals with a new body, a new life, andseveral interstellar combats.

Acorna by Anne McCaffrey tells the story of analien orphan's search for her past with the helpof some big-hearted humans to help take care ofher.


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CHARACTERISTICS OF

HARD

SCIENCE FICTION


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Stories are based on real scientific theories frommany branches of study, such as physics,chemistry, and quantum mechanics.

Plot devices hinge on the characters knowledgeof scientific law and theory.

Controversial speculation is often explored inareas where scientists are not currently in

agreement, such as cloning and artificialintelligence.

Scientific explanations are usually offered for allnew technology introduced within the story,

especially in areas of space travel andcomputers.

Authors will often provide notes in the back ofthe book discussing the research done while

writing the story.


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EXAMPLES: Contactby Carl Sagan. An astronomer who discovers

an alien radio signal learns to balance science andspiritualism in Sagans only work of fiction.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov. A system of statisticalanalysis changes the course of a galactic empire.

Rendezvouswith Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. A team ofEarth astronauts explore a giant alien artifacttraveling through our solar system.

Tomorrow and Tomorrowby Charles Sheffield. A manis cryogenically frozen and awakened time and againthrough the end of the universe.

Ringworldby Larry Niven explores what happenswhen humans encounter technology far in advance ofanything they are capable of creating.


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CHARACTERISTICS OF

TEMPORAL /DIMENSIONALFICTION


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Time travel or alternate dimensions are used toexplore cause and effect both large and small scale.

Main characters often unwittingly alter their presentor future for the ill.

Often used as a vehicle to explore historicallysignificant persons or events, such as the Civil War,

Adolf Hitler, the Roman Empire, and presidentialelections.

The contrast between other timelines and our own isoften used to illustrate social or moral insights.

Characters will usually either never be able to meetthemselves and strive to avoid it at all costs or be ableto interact with themselves from othertimes/dimensions, sometimes with wild results!


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EXAMPLES: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. A man journeys far

into the future and is appalled by the degeneration of

humankind. Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock. A mans

journey into the Biblical past yields many surprisesabout the life of Jesus.

Making Historyby Stephen Fry. A young scientistsattempts to thwart the Holocaust teach him thenature of human destiny.

Man Who Folded Himselfby David Gerrold. Manytime travel theories and clichs woven into a short

novel. Replayby Ken Grimwood. A man wakes up to find

himself young again and again.

The Doomsday Bookby Connie Willis. The first in aseries about time travelers. This one focuses on a tripback to the time of the Black Death.


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Characteristics of Science Fiction

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