What makes a text a science fiction text? What makes it a fantasy text? In
this study, I would like to discuss why it is impossible to clearly draw a line
between these two genres. In order to do so, I am going to focus on the
“justification” of the unreal, respectively, the supernatural elements of a
story. I shall be discussing why a text can be considered a science fiction
text or a fantasy text – and why, in some cases, there is no clear answer to
the question of which genre a text is belongs to. While one might answer the
two questions put at the beginning of this study rather quickly by stating a
rule of thumb – scientific elements make a text a science fiction text,
magical ones make it a fantasy text – it is obvious that this would lead to a
very broad definition. It is thus necessary to go into detail, which I am going
to do. In order to investigate what, apart from the technical and the magical
elements, are the characteristics of the respective genres mentioned at the
beginning, I am going to give the definitions of these terms which can be
found in standard reference texts. In order to go into detail, I shall add more
information from academic literature about the fantastic genre, which both
science fiction and fantasy are part of. I would then like to go a step further
by testing the definitions with the help of three texts – H.G. Wells's The
War of the Worlds as an example for the science fiction genre and Bram
Stoker's Dracula as an example for a fantasy text. In addition, I shall be
discussing Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein. In this text, there
are elements of both science fiction and of fantasy. After this, I would like to
conclude my study.
Any selection of texts will necessarily be arbitrary, as it is impossible
to include everything into a study like this. I chose three texts from
approximately the same period, as this will provide a sound basis. In
addition, these texts are widely known, and there is generally no dispute
over the fact that they are part of the fantastic genre.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Roots: Fantastic Literature
2.1. Science Fiction: The Literature Of Change
2.2. Toward A Definition Of Fantasy
3. The Three Novels
3.1. What Makes The War Of The Worlds A Science Fiction Text?
3.2. What Makes Dracula A Fantasy Text?
3.3. Frankenstein: Something In Between
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This study examines the inherent difficulty in distinguishing between the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy by analyzing the justification of unreal and supernatural elements within narratives. It investigates how different literary works define their fantastical components and tests these definitions through case studies.
- Theoretical definitions of Science Fiction and Fantasy
- The role of the "Novum" in fantastic literature
- Comparative analysis of H.G. Wells, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley
- The intersection of scientific and supernatural motifs
- Challenges in genre categorization in literature
Excerpt from the book
3.1. What makes The War of the Worlds a science-fiction text?
Most probably, nobody will disagree that H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds belongs to the science fiction genre. When asked why, the answer will be that there are beings from outer space in the story. These beings from Mars are the “Novum”, which, as has been shown, are essential for a text in order to be considered a “fantastic” text. In order for a fantastical text to be considered a science fiction text, this new phenomenon has to be possible according to the law of nature. This is clearly the case here. The fact that mankind has not yet made contact with beings from other planets does not mean that this will never happen. Much less does it mean that the existence of life in outer space is impossible.
The Martians in Wells' text are a novelty, in two respects. First, they are intelligent beings from outer space – something that, until Wells published his text, has not existed before, not even in the science fiction genre. Even Jules Verne's and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's texts do not mention any beings from outer space. However, this idea has remained a prominent (and a recurring) motif in science fiction texts until the present day.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The author outlines the research problem regarding the blurred boundaries between Science Fiction and Fantasy and presents the methodology for testing genre definitions using three specific novels.
2. The Roots: Fantastic Literature: This chapter establishes the theoretical foundation by defining "the fantastic" and examining specific academic criteria for distinguishing Science Fiction from Fantasy.
3. The Three Novels: This section applies the previously established theoretical frameworks to evaluate individual texts and categorize them based on their use of scientific or supernatural justifications.
4. Conclusion: The author summarizes the findings, concluding that a clear, definitive line between the genres is often impossible to draw and suggests that Science Fiction may share too many elements with other genres to be considered entirely distinct.
Keywords
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fantastic Literature, The War of the Worlds, Dracula, Frankenstein, Novum, Genre Theory, Supernatural, Scientific Justification, Literary Analysis, H.G. Wells, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Metamorphosis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this study?
The study examines why it is difficult to clearly distinguish between Science Fiction and Fantasy, focusing on how different texts justify unreal or supernatural elements.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The work covers genre theory, the definitions of Science Fiction and Fantasy as sub-genres of "the fantastic," and the structural analysis of 19th-century literature.
What is the main research question?
The research explores the criteria that define a text as either Science Fiction or Fantasy and investigates why some texts, like Frankenstein, defy clear categorization.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a comparative, text-analytical approach, applying definitions from standard reference works to three specific literary examples.
What does the main body of the text cover?
It provides detailed definitions of the genres, followed by an analysis of H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fantastic Literature, Novum, Genre Theory, and the specific titles analyzed by the author.
How does the author define the "Novum"?
The Novum is defined as a new, distinguishing element that separates fiction from reality as presently constituted, such as a vampire or extraterrestrial life.
Why is Frankenstein considered a hybrid text?
The novel is considered a hybrid because it employs both scientific technology (galvanism) and gothic, supernatural, or occult-rooted elements.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Christoph Ewen (Autor:in), 2013, Science Fiction And Fantasy, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/276802
