What is the difference in emphasis between the terms science fiction and speculative fiction? Which is The Man in the High Castle?
Science
Fiction: The definition of which is tricky to encapsulate since there are so
many sub-genres that stem from the idea of SF. In a nutshell Wikipedia sums it
up clearly for my brain to understand, “Science
fiction is a term mostly based on imagined future scientific or technological
advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space
or time travel and life on other planets.” (Wikipedia, 2015). Got it! It’s an
IMAGINED idea about the future and what it may or may not be like but staying
within the realm of plausibility.
Speculative
Fiction is a sub-genre out of the SF realm. The clearest definition for this
is: “speculative fiction is mostly considered as a different kind of science
fiction that has more philosophical lines and difficult themes in the setting
of its world. Speculative fiction is more artistic than science fiction in
terms of literary sophistication, appreciation of psychological depth and a
hightened social awareness” (Brown 2001) Great! It’s a type of fiction that
places a bit more emphasis on the REAL aspect of where the story may have found
inspiration or originated from and deals with a ‘what if’ aspect.
In a nutshell:
Science fiction is a made up reality based on (mostly) plausible ideas such as
alternate universes, time travel and such wherase speculative fiction deals
with ideas that aren’t part of our scope of reality so the author must speculate
(kind of the give-away there) about the outcome of certain things. A great
example of this Neugebauer, 2014
in which she states that the defining line between science fiction and
speculative fiction lies within what is being speculated. “So dropping a bad
guy into a nest full of alligators, while thrilling, isn’t “speculative”
because it could really happen in our world. Dropping a bad guy into a nest
full of mutant alligator-sharks is “speculative” because it isn’t possible in
our world; the author must “speculate” on how that would go. (And I’m guessing
the answer is “not well.”)”
Based on these two definitions it’s
difficult to find a succinct category to box Man in High Castle into. It’s filed under the Alternate Fiction box
and technically that is correct. But HOW the content is used is the key to
unlocking where the story fits in. On the one hand I lean towards Speculative
Fiction seeing as, since the Allies didn’t actually lose World War 2 (WWII),
Dick is speculating what the world would have become had that been the reality.
On the other hand I feel like Science Fiction is more relevant as a genre since
it’s based on (mostly) real life history just with a (plausible) change in
events through a little creative imagination. The lines are obviously blurred
on this particular case…
What I do find interesting about Man in High Castle is how it challenges
the reader to think about their own reality. Are we real? What is real? (WHAT
EVEN IS LIFE??) How do we define our reality? Man in High Castle never sets out to answer any of these questions,
merely to plant the seed in (y)our minds. “Dick suggests that the world presented in The Man in The High Castle
is but an illusion, that other, better worlds might exist.” (Brown, E.) Food for thought!
Dick, P.K.
(2001; 1962). The Man
in the High Castle. London:
Penguin
Eric, B. (2001). Introduction. In
Dick, P.K., The Man in the High Castle (p. x, xii). London: Penguin.
This is really cool, I love your writing style and the way you convey your points. Super easy to read and understand :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post :) understood your points clearly.
ReplyDeleteCheers guys!! :) I find it difficult to understand all the academia ways of analysing things so i really need to put it in my own words and hopefully the main points still come across! Sometimes i get carried away with my own opinions haha
ReplyDeleteHi Tharina, I really enjoyed this post. I wrote mine on the same topic and it was great to see someone else's take on it. I found speculative fiction really hard to understand, I found after reading yours that I understood it far better. I love the description about the aligators, I used that in my post too, as I found it to be very effective. Good work, this post was very clear and easy to read/understand.
ReplyDeleteGood, thanks Tharina. A lively discussion in your own style. Yes, there are some interesting cross-overs with our discussion around definitions of fantasy.
ReplyDelete