Whether you are a fan or not, Science Fiction and Fantasy is, or has been, present in your life at some point. The genre has helped progress society in many ways. Sci-fi and Fantasy are for the creative. One cannot embrace the wild and imaginative plot lines without the ability to think creatively. Sometimes the fantastical ideas presented in the books and shows are absorbed by these creative and inventive minds and applied to the real world. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek once said, “For me science fiction is a way of thinking, a way of logic that bypasses a lot of nonsense. It allows people to look directly at important subjects.” These genres are a way of looking at the world in a whole new light, exploring endless ideas of humanity and our society (and in some cases using otherworldly or mythical species to reflect on our own), ideas of what our future may be like, or what the past may have been. It could be a bright idea of humanity overcoming their selfishness and living in harmony in the future, on the other hand, it could also be a warning of sorts. Some books and films take place in a dark future where mankind has almost completely destroyed itself. Either way can inspire the reader or viewer.
Many ancient and medieval poetry and writings have elements of sci-fi/fantasy in them such as trips to the stars or under the ocean. Mythology, even, can be seen as a form of fantasy. Many ancient beliefs from different cultures featured fantastic creatures and places and people with incredible magical powers. Gulliver’s Travels, written in 1726 by Jonathan Swift is considered one of the first true Science Fantasy novels. It is a tale about a man encountering all sorts of strange and seemingly otherworld...
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...ogressing in the direction of a material that will hopefully one day be as strong as the Captain’s shield. Science has even created Batman’s grappler gun! The Grappler is made for use by the military and can be extremely useful in rescue missions. It can even operate under water!
With our world progressing so quickly in science and technology it is fascinating to look back at the literature that was the inspiration for these advances. It is strange that this genre, filled with such outlandish plot lines and characters, could influence the real world. In a way it’s beautiful. When these brilliant minds of mankind are able to grab an idea from the fictional world and work together to make it a reality. For hundreds of years, people have dreamed of what they thought to be impossible but to quote Star Trek, “Things are only impossible until their not.”
Some writers would tend to avoid controversy in their writing, to avoid offending or limiting their audience. Many choose to write brilliantly designed worlds, times or characters, that simply take a reader on a journey. They can use traits of realistic, non-realistic, and semi-realistic fiction. An effective storyteller can create plots, characters and settings which involve themes based on historical events, or mythology to present their tale. Classic themes within the science fiction genre; is this classic blending of scientific and technological facts. Then it is their job to take you to a place or time that shows their finely crafted potential situation and events.
I do not agree with Richler opinion when he says fiction is a waste of time. Reading a piece of information or any novel contribute to human being educational enrichment, never a waste of time. Fiction movies are entertaining, I enjoy science fiction movies because they are interesting and mostly because they are short and easy to follow.
Science fiction writing began in the early 1800’s as a reaction to the growth in science and technology. The genre is characterized by its intellectual excitement, high adventure, and its making of the fantastic possible. Due to the nature of science fiction, film has become an essential piece to its popularity. Science fiction films have been popular since the earliest silent clips because of the outlandish visuals and creative fictional story lines that capture an audience’s attention. Under the guise of this popular platform writers relay political, social and philosophical messages to their audience. The popular 1931 version of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, depicts an anti-exploration and anti-intellectual philosophy. In Frankenstein there is criticisms for the immoral behavior that is involved with progresses, the natural tendency for humanity to attempt to be greater than God and the pursuit of knowledge.
In literature there are over 20 different genres of reading, and each of them contains many similarities and differences. Science fiction, arguably one of the most popular genre’s, is also one of the hardest to understand, however there are certain elements/characteristics that can easily determine if a book is or is not science fiction. The characteristics that make up science fiction are, advancements in technology and the application of advanced technology. In books such as The Veldt and Fahrenheit 451 both technological advancements and there application play a crucial role on determining that these books fall into the science fiction genre.
Darko Suvin defines science fiction as "a literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition, and whose main formal device" (Suvin 7-8) is a fictional "novum . . . a totalizing phenomenon or relationship" (Suvin 64), "locus and/or dramatis personae . . . radically or at least significantly" alternative to the author's empirical environment "simultaneously perceived as not impossible within the cognitive (cosmological and anthropological) norms of the author's epoch" (Suvin viii). Unlike fantasy, science fiction is set in a realistic world, but one strange, alien. Only there are limits to how alien another world, another culture, can be, and it is the interface between those two realms that can give science fiction its power, by making us look back at ourselves from its skewed perspective.
I have always enjoyed watching science fiction. I started watching Star Wars before I started kindergarten and have been adding more movies and shows to my list of favorites since. Movies, like The Matrix, Star Trek, and Prometheus, that are about traveling across space, learning about new and different places, and saving the world, have always attracted my attention and usually earn my respect as a work of art. So when I first learned about the television show, Doctor Who, I was immediately interested. It has kept my attention and love for three years now, because of what the story offers to me. It is easy to lose yourself in it and be taken away by the possibilities the fictional universe offers. It inspires me to want to travel and see things before I lose the ability, it reminds me what is important in the world and what my priorities, as a human being, should be.
Mary Shelley’s Sci-Fi horror known as Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus has become a classic novel in history. This dark tale touches on every subject of humanity. One of Shelley’s biggest themes is a big question in the science world we live in, nearly 200 years after publication of the book. That question being can science go too far, is there a line that shouldn’t be crossed? Shelley uses the plot of her story to serve as a warning to readers to be careful when dealing with this imaginary line. Shelley’s tale of a mad scientist and the repercussions he suffers from his experiment is a timeless story. As technology is being pushed to the brink of morality in the modern day, this question has become a huge part of the modern world of science we are living in.
Kornbluth, C. M. "The Failure of the Science Fiction Novel As Social Criticism." The Science Fiction Novel: Imagination and Social Criticism. (1969): 64-101.
The speculative question "what if?" is the starting point for all science fiction. Many scholars list Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" as one of the first science fiction books. Shelley's book gave an answer
...opose the things we can’t begin to explain like vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. SF on the other hand, presents a backstory or plausible explanation like on how people could have their memories whipped, become slaves, and completely believe their someone else. Fantasy works don’t need to answers the who, what, when, where, and why questions in detail because by doing that they would step out of the mysterious realm of fantasy into SF. In SF the plot or setting usually refers back to current understanding of the real world. This is the key distinction. Fantasy does not require such explanations to have a basis in known science. Science fiction does. SF takes a supported, theoretical outlook about the future and makes predictions on what humanity could face. It’s the antithesis of Fantasy, which has every outlook as a scientific unexplainable existence.
Imagine a world without elucidation. It may be uninteresting just bland. That is what the world would be without speculative fiction. Speculative fiction is seeing things with the mind to make possibilities endless. Also, speculative fiction asks the question what-if? There are two main types of speculative fiction: Science fiction and Fantasy fiction. Science fiction extrapolates or pushes the mind into the future, predicting things like flying cars and robot takeovers. Fantasy fiction encompasses magical and mythical beings. Speculative fiction can connect with emotions and imagination. Often the above-mentioned genres teach life lessons yet force reader to become aware of the relevance of that
What makes people fascinated and amused to watch movies? I think all kinds of movies are, in there own way, great. Practically the excitement of horror movies, and science and technology of science fiction movies, and action and enthusiasm in the action movies are some credits that makes people’s engrossment. Even so could all movies create an entertainment and make people experience their thoughts of imaginations in the real world. What are the most interesting things about these film genres, which could establish a fantasy world for their fans to escape to their imaginations and live with it? Participating in suspense, adventure, mysteries, and discovery amuse audiences every time they watch films. There is specific film genres that have most of this attraction to the audience, which make them most likely to have all secretes of attraction in it. These films genres have changed our out look and make us thinks better, because it provides us with a source of leisure; these movies are horror movies, science fiction movies, and action movies.
The genre of what is called science fiction has been around since The Epic of Gilgamesh (earliest Sumerian text versions BCE ca. 2150-2000). The last 4000 years has evolved science fiction and combined it with all categories of genres comprising action, comedy, horror, drama, and adventure in many different ways. From chest bursting aliens, to robot assassins sent back in time science fiction has successfully captured the imagination of nearly everyone that has been introduced to it. The movies Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Independence Day are both examples of films created with the idea of advanced life existing outside the boarders of our own world. The foundation for each film in view of how extraterrestrial life will affect human affairs, however are very different.
In today’s world, technology is transforming conventional methods of every facet of human life; from the way that we grow our crops, to the way that we communicate with one another. Technology has opened our minds to new ideas and even to new places, such as space exploration. Simply put, technology means applying science toward an objective and the outcome is advancement in modes of construction.
“Sheltered as we are by Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, which deflect lethal radiation from space, we are like coddled children who have never ventured into a tough neighborhood” (Folger 2). Humans have been fascinated with space since the beginning of our time. Just like children and rough neighborhoods, we have tackled obstacle over obstacle to make it home again. In the end, we have a better knowledge and strength than before. The future of space exploration can assist us in answering the everlasting question of how the universe came to be. The more we explore the infinite galaxies, the more we can scientifically discover and create new technologies as science advances. As we continue to discover, we can create new fields and occupations for aspiring young students like myself.