Hello Fandom,
The other day I was discussing the very hybrid nature of SF –the
marriage of science and fantasy.The unison of seemingly two opposite
humane attributes. But how to define SF academically? I am too little
an authority to attempt doing such an academic exercise but there
seems no harm in making atleast a try? Isn't it? We are already
familiar with many literary forms of social fictions i.e. stories,
novels, novelettes etc, which depict several shades of our society in
a lucid and interesting manner. The themes and plots of such social
fictions are based only on past or present happenings related to man
and his society. That is why the oft repeated adage, "literature is
the mirror of society". Science fiction on other hand is the portrayal
of man's future. And here lies the difference between social and
science fictions, notwithstanding the many similarities of both the
genres as they entail identical ways of story telling, selection of a
theme and structuring a plot around it and above all engaging the
readers with a continuous and sustained flow of suspense leading
ultimately to the climax of the story. But the million dollar question
still remains unanswered, "how to honour this genre by giving it a
proper and intelligible academic definition"? Let me venture to this
in my next post. Meanwhile why don't you try a definition yourself,
please!
Regards,
Arvind