Science fiction is a type of fiction where the stories revolve around science and technology of the future. Scifi definition is of, relating to, or being science fiction. Science fiction unit welcome to the wacky world of science fiction. Science fiction writers can be as illuminating as they can be ambiguous. Such stories are about an amazing variety of things, topics, and ideas. Science fiction simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wells used the term originally to cover what we would today call hard science fiction, in which a conscientious attempt to be faithful to already known facts as of the date of writing was the substrate on which the story was.
We will explore all sorts of world, dynamics, and characteristics of the genre of science fiction during this unit, reading some short stories together as a class, and exploring sf novels of our choice outside of class. Science fiction sometimes shortened to scifi or sf is a genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. Definitions and boundaries of the genre the many forms of science fiction, from time travel to inner space ideology and identity. Encompasses the genres development across a wide array of media that includes literature, film, comics, and television. In science fiction, a huge variety of personal transportation devices is called on to let astronauts move around outside their spaceships.
American science fiction and fantasy writer james blish wrote. Science fiction is a literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition, and whose main formal device is an imaginative framework alternative to the authors empirical environment suvin 375. Science fiction how is science fiction abbreviated. Science fiction is hard to define because it is the literature of change and it changes while you are trying to define it. A literary or cinematic genre in which fantasy, typically based on speculative scientific discoveries or developments, environmental changes, space. Science fiction often shortened to scifi or sf is a kind of writing. If your story is set on a lunar colony, for example, issues of technology may be of greater concern than a characters personal life. Science fiction stories are often in a world that is very different from the real world. Mystery fiction is a genre in literature that focuses on someone solving a puzzle or a crime. Information and translations of science fiction in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Oxford dictionary of science fiction oxford reference. Biochemistry professor, science writer, and science fiction writer isaac asimov was one of the most prolific authors and is credited with coining the term robotics. Science fiction jc475802020 adobe acrobat reader dcdownload adobe acrobat reader dc.
Science fiction, often called scifi, is a genre of fiction literature whose content is imaginative, but based in science. Science fiction stories can be novels, movies, tv shows, comic books and other literature sf is often about the future. That purpose is rarely to explicitly predict the futurethough theyre frequently touted, the predictive powers of science fiction are mediocre at best. The authors of this article isare permitted to use this pdf file to generate. Science fiction definition in the cambridge english. Science fiction is a special type of fiction, or story.
Findings revealed that science fiction literature has been used in research across. Welcome to the third edition of the encyclopedia of science fiction, edited by john clute, david langford, peter nicholls emeritus and graham sleight managing. Plausible science and technology are central to the plot. This is the first historical dictionary devoted to science fiction.
Click here for the introduction and more on the text. Science fiction definition, a form of fiction that draws imaginatively on scientific knowledge and speculation in its plot, setting, theme, etc. Definition of science fiction science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future. The present encyclopedia was first conceived by peter nicholls in the mid1970s and was published as the encyclopedia of science fiction. Writing historical fiction requires a balance of research and creativity, and while it often includes real people and events, the genre offers a fiction writer many opportunities to tell a wholly unique story. The term science fiction resists easy definition, reads the first sentence of adam. An anthology of essential writings covers such topics as. Sfc provides a unique opportunity for analyzing important societal issues in the context of science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, gaming and other related genres. Citations are drawn from science fiction books and magazines, fanzines, screenplays, newspapers, comics, folk songs, and the internet. Mass markets and juvenile science fiction britannica. Science fiction definition is 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. Beyond that long list, we have further categorized more scifi free ebooks and audiobooks from different subgenres, grouped according to famous authors and from popular free ebook hubs which have a great collection of scifi ebooks. The mammoth encyclopedia of science fiction 2001 usage public domain mark 1. It is important to note that science fiction has a relationship with the principles of sciencethese stories involve partially truepartially fictitious laws or theories of science.
It has been called the literature of ideas, and often explores the potential consequences of scientific, social, and. The term speculative fiction has three historically located meanings. Sciencefiction literature definition of sciencefiction. Some people consider motion pictures such as the star wars movies more as fantasies than science fiction. Science fiction, perhaps more than any other modern genre of fiction, is often written with a social purpose or a goal. Twentyfirstcentury science fiction 341 chronology of key titles in science fiction and developments in science 346. Although fantasy and science fiction tales were published occasionally and artists had depicted fantasy scenes in engravings for many years, the first science fiction magazine proper, amazing stories, appeared in 1927, published and edited by hugo. Pdf this article aimed to uncover the foci, themes, and findings of research literature that utilized. Science fiction reflects cold war realities you cant be a student of american literature and american history and not study science fiction history is the engine that drives literature. Examples reach from early fictional characters such as rossums universal robots. Science fiction and innovative technologies article pdf available in psychology of aesthetics creativity and the arts 104 march 2016 with 1,718 reads. In the original the matrix neo took the red pill, choosing truth and got himself into a world of trouble.
A science fiction is a narrative usually in prose of short story, novella or novel length. Weve managed to gather 232 online scifi web serials from various angles and plots. The hugo awards, given annually since 1953 by the world science fiction society. The question about choosing between harsh truths or willful ignorance is as old as platos cave. Science fiction is the literature of the human species encountering change, whether it arrives via scientific discoveries, technological innovations, natural events, or societal shifts science fiction is the literature of ideas and philosophy, answering such questions as, what if. People have also wondered how different kinds of technology might affect life on earth. Publishing trends brought about an important shift in the development of the genre. Science fiction is difficult to define precisely, as it includes a wide range of concepts and themes. It relies heavily on scientific facts, theories, and principles as support for its settings, characters, themes, and plot lines, which is what makes it different from fantasy. Replace science or scientific with science fiction in these statements, and you concisely define what sf does and the value of its study becomes apparent. Textbook barons houghton mifflin have of late proclaimed 100 words every high school graduate should know. The oxford handbook of science fiction edited by rob latham oxford handbooks.
Science fiction is a hugely popular genre of books, movies and tv shows. Multimedia, visual science fiction and others 326 postscript. Citations are drawn from sciencefiction books and magazines, fanzines, screenplays, newspapers, comics, folk songs, and the internet. Pdf the wesleyan anthology of science fiction download.
Portable document format pdf is a file format used to present and. Sciencefiction literature synonyms, sciencefiction literature pronunciation, sciencefiction literature translation, english dictionary definition of sciencefiction literature. Science fiction meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. In the original the matrix neo took the red pill, choosing truth. Pdf science fiction and dystopia ijellh international. Dec 15, 2016 speculative fiction, as a genre, is huge with many subbranches into science fiction or fantasy fiction, but with my own novels i have come to the understanding that they sit firmly meshed between science and fantasy, with some critical elements of both. The most crucial change in britain was a decline in the publication of threedecker victorian novels and an accompanying expansion of magazine publication. Despite decades of research, massmarket personal aircraft are still science fiction. It shows the development of science fiction words and their associated concepts over time, with full citations and bibliographic information. The level of research, or reality towards the science determines what kind of science fiction it is. Toronto scholar jessica langer has just published a fascinating book called postcolonialism and science fiction. Science fiction and technology meaning through fiction.
Science fiction literature synonyms, science fiction literature pronunciation, science fiction literature translation, english dictionary definition of science fiction literature. Science fiction mass markets and juvenile science fiction. It is also commonly referred to as crime fiction or detective fiction for this reason. Science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future. They include antigravity devices, selfpropelled rocket backpacks, tethers and umbilical cords, and teleportation. Historical fiction transports readers to another time and place, either real or imagined. Science fiction is that branch of fiction that deals with the possible effects of an altered technology or social system on mankind in an imagined future, an altered present, or an alternative past. The title page listed nicholls as general editor, john clute as associate editor, carolyn eardley as technical editor, and malcolm edwards and brian stableford as contributing editors. Science fiction consists of stories in books, magazines, and films about events that.
Madeup stories that address such questions are called science fiction. This adjustment proved highly advantageous to shorter works of science. Science fiction is an adventure, mystery, drama heck, any genere that has some basis in a scientific fact or wild theory faster that light space travel is a great example. Speculative fiction oxford research encyclopedia of literature. 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. Analyzing societal issues in science fiction, fantasy, and. The social fiction conference sfc is celebrating its eleventh year at crown college as a highlight of crowns first year student cocurricular experience.
Fiction in which advanced technology or science is a key element. Science fiction archives download free ebooks, legally. For example, star wars uses a few facts or crazy theories if you prefer, such as the idea of ftl travel through. If you have a kid who likes science fiction, this worksheet will give her a taste of some originators of the oldest scifi works. Analyzing societal issues in science fiction, fantasy, and gaming. The term science fiction was popularized, if not invented, in the 1920s by one of the genres principal advocates, the american publisher hugo gernsback. Humans have long wondered what life on another planet might be like. Technology that, while theoretically possible, is not yet practical. Science fiction simple english wikipedia, the free. Science fiction definition of science fiction by merriam. Hard science fiction is driven more by ideas than characterization. Toward a science of science fiction semantic scholar. Definitions and examples a f g p r x science fiction is not meant to be predictive, but rather it develops myriad what if scenarios. The philosophical roots of science fiction io9 gizmodo.
Science fiction is also the literature of the other, providing alternate points of view on familiar topics in order to give us a clearer perspective. It can be about imaginary new science and inventions such as spaceships, time machines, and robots. Virtually every feature of the 21st century world was anticipated by genre stories, often one hundred years or more in advance. Science fiction science fiction mass markets and juvenile science fiction. Speculative fiction oxford research encyclopedia of. But if youre going to learn obscure words and concepts, it may as well be terms youre. As exciting as these books can be, its good to remind your child that while science fiction may be based loosely on scientific truth, it is still fiction. Provides a groundbreaking and vitally important contribution to the intersecting fields of science fiction, technoculture, and cultural studies. It shows the development of sciencefiction words and their associated concepts over time, with full citations and bibliographic information. Science fiction definition in the cambridge english dictionary.
1063 695 790 858 99 416 1277 1418 375 948 15 130 515 503 937 527 802 121 1324 104 266 1161 826 216 39 1293 1459 880 1454 1090 1450 927 1420 1078 1257 1011 179 639