Science Fiction

Science Fiction: Characteristics

This section discusses the various features of the science fiction genre and provides examples for each.

Science

As the definition suggests, science fiction texts highlight the importance of science, or scientific progress, in a significant way. A science fiction text without science would be… only fiction. It is important to note that the presence of science, or scientific advancement, may be obvious or subtle. There could be a scientific experiment that accidentally grants superpowers, or it could simply be about a new mobile app that changes life in a crucial way. However, the aspect of science is important to the plot.

Let’s look at two examples here.

Sense of wonder

Science fiction sits between reality and imagination. It evokes a sense of wonder among readers and provokes them to ask, 'What if?'. For example, 'What if we could travel in time?' or 'what if we invented machines that made animals talk?'.

The reality of scientific fact is combined with creativity to create a new world, where the apparently impossible is made believable. Action in science fiction relies on science and technology, the latest advances, or possible future development, all of which stimulate the reader's imagination and create a sense of wonder.

Another example that sets off the reader's sense of wonder is Isaac Asimov's Caves of Steel (1953).

Critical commentary

Science fiction texts are not only about exercising one's imagination and speculating about the transformations that scientific progress might bring. Science fiction narratives often engage in critical commentary about the society we live in. The narrative may be set in an imaginative world, but it can reflect the social, economical, cultural, or political issues that we are faced with, and provide us with the author's perspective on the same.

Types of science fiction narratives

There are numerous sub-categories within the genre of science fiction. The most popular ones include:

1. Hard science fiction - these narratives are based on thoroughly researched scientific technologies, and try to be accurate as far as the 'science' aspect in the plot is concerned. These novels often involve a lot of 'techno-babble,' which simply means characters engage in elaborate scientific discussions. A good example of a hard sci-fi novel is Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary (2021).
2. Alien or alien invasion - as the name suggests, this sub-genre features alien creatures and/or alien invasions. H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds (1897) belongs to this category.
3. Apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic fiction - Not all scientific progress is good - some of it can bring about the end times. Apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic fiction is centred on the aftermath of a globally catastrophic event. In Mary Shelley's The Last Man (1826), which is set in the 21st century, the world population is nearly wiped out by cholera. Three to four characters voyage the continents in search of a survivor community. After several disappointments, they are reduced to one survivor, the Last Man in the World.
4. Cyberpunk - Cyberpunk texts are set in a dystopian society, combining elements of the underside of a city with cybernetic augments and technology. Characters in cyberpunk stories have cybernetic augments fitted that enhance abilities or senses. An example of a cyberpunk text is Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968).
5. Space westerns - As the name suggests, space westerns are westerns set in space. Martha Wells' The Murderbot Diaries series (2017 onwards) are a good example of this genre.

Science Fiction: Examples

Jules Verne

The Gothic and Sensation novels grew in popularity over the 18th and 19th centuries. A craze for science-fiction kicked off with the novels of Jules Verne, who combined tales of adventure with the latest technology and scientific discovery.

Some of his most famous novels include:

Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1869)

From the Earth to the Moon (1865)

Journey to the Centre of the Earth introduces Jules Verne’s use of the cryptic code puzzle, a favourite device of his. A geologist and his nephew decipher writings by an ancient Icelandic alchemist explaining how to reach the centre of the earth. The book narrates the journey and adventures of the geologist and his household to and from the centre of the Earth. They encounter oceans, dinosaurs, and giant mushrooms before being ejected back to the earth’s surface through a volcano.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is another journey adventure, this time underwater in an electrically powered submarine. The adventurers are in search of a sea monster and end up at the bottom of the ocean. They walk in deep-sea suits, hunt sharks, and are attacked by a giant squid.

From the Earth to the Moon centres on travelling into space for a wager. The plot revolves around raising enough money to build a cannon big enough to shoot its heroes to the moon. A sequel (Round the Moon, 1869) describes how the space travellers, instead of landing on the moon, circle around it and fire rockets to propel their space capsule back to Earth.

H.G.Wells - The Invisible Man (1897)

In The Invisible Man, a scientist named Griffin discovers how to become invisible by combining a mixture of chemicals. However, he cannot turn back again, and gradually becomes increasingly unhinged in his desperate search for an antidote.

William Morris - News from Nowhere (1890)

The narrator of News from Nowhere falls into a type of dream world that acts as a portal to the future world where money is replaced by barter, and work is undertaken for pleasure, not out of economic necessity. The Houses of Parliament are used for storing manure, and people are freed of industrialisation to pursue what suits them best.

John Wyndham The Midwich Cuckoos (1957)

In Wyndham's novel, the inhabitants of a village are invaded by an alien object overnight. Weeks later the women of the village discover they are pregnant. The children born seem normal, except they have golden eyes and silvery skin. As they grow, it is noticeable that they have telepathic ability and can use mind control. They grow increasingly dangerous in their instinct for survival and self-defence. The children explain that they can only be killed if the whole village is destroyed. A local school teacher with only months to live takes a drastic decision that may be able to save the village.

Science Fiction: influence today

Science fiction has had a massive impact on society and education. By expanding the imaginative possibilities of life and technology, people have been spurred on to study science and thereby advance it further.

Many ideas first developed by writers have since become reality, including space travel, travelling to the moon, androids, and cybernetic augments.

Science fiction offers a practical expansion of the mind and technology, more than most other genres of speculative fiction.