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Science fiction (sometimes shortened to SF or sci-fi) is a genre of speculative fiction, which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.
- What Is Science Fiction?
- Science Fiction vs. Fantasy
- Examples of Science Fiction
Science fiction, popularly shortened as sci-fi, is a genreof fiction that creatively depicts real or imaginary science and technology as part of its plot, setting, or theme. The fiction part of science fictionmeans, of course, that it’s a fictional story—not a real-life account. The word science refers to the fact that the story in some way involve...
The genres of science fiction andfantasy are often considered to be part of an even larger genre known as speculative fiction, defined as “a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements.” Speculative fiction speculatesabout fictional worlds and characters completely different from our own or w...
Science fiction began as a literary genre. It has spawned written works in many forms, including countless novels, short stories, and works of flash fiction. But the genre is also extremely popular in other forms of media, including comic books, graphic novels, movies, shows, and video games. In general, there are certain topics, themes, and plots ...
Apr 19, 2024 · science fiction, a form of fiction that deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals. The term science fiction was popularized, if not invented, in the 1920s by one of the genre’s principal advocates, the American publisher Hugo Gernsback.
- Bruce Sterling
- Science fiction is a form of fiction that deals principally with the impact of actual or imagined science upon society or individuals.
- The emergence of science fiction became most evident in the West, where the social transformations caused by the Industrial Revolution first led wr...
- The term science fiction was popularized, if not invented, in the 1920s by one of the genre’s principal advocates, the American publisher Hugo Gern...
- Science fiction gained popularity in the 1950s because developments in technology, such as nuclear energy and space exploration, coupled with the e...
- Science fiction differs from fantasy in that science fiction employs questions of scientific and technological plausibility while fantasy typically...
- Space colonization, on the Moon, Mars or space stations, is widely debated. Some argue humans have a moral duty to save our species from extinction...
- Grace Lapointe
- Robots. This is often a subset of the Frankenstein or “humans vs. technology” plot. Robots are a specific form of technology designed to serve humans, whom they can either rebel against or befriend.
- Time Travel. The Time Machine, an 1895 novella by H. G. Wells, is credited with originating this plot type. It introduced the concept of a time-traveling device, later used in Doctor Who and countless other sci-fi stories.
- Apocalypse and Post-Apocalypse. There are myriad possibilities for fiction about the end of the world. The end of life on Earth, or the universe itself, may be imminent, or the collapse of a particular civilization may lead to a post-apocalyptic society.
- Dystopia. If a post-apocalyptic society persists long enough, it often becomes a totalitarian, oppressive dystopia. This is not the only way dystopias are created, of course, either in fiction or in real life.
Cultural influence. See also. References. Further reading. External links. Dune (novel) Dune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published as two separate serials (1963–64 novel Dune World and 1965 novel Prophet of Dune) in Analog magazine.
Science fiction blends authors’ imaginative creations with scientific ideas, theories, predictions, and conjectures. Authors often utilize science fiction to explore the complexities and limitations of human nature in extraordinary circumstances.
Mar 21, 2022 · Unlike many other genres, what is science fiction hinges on elements of setting rather than a suite of plot points. We all know what makes up a story in the mystery genre, for example.
