What is SF and what distinguishes it from anything else? Some thoughts on a misunderstood genre.
Science fiction (SF) gets a bad press. It's decidedly uncool to be a "Sci-Fi" fan. (Please note: SF fans never call it "Sci-Fi".) It has spawned some of the world's highest-grossing movies. It is written by some of our most respected scientists and thinkers. It is an established literary tradition with roots stretching back centuries. But despite its impressive qualifications, Science Fiction is still considered a minority genre, put on shelves in the basement (often labelled "SF & Fantasy", or "SF & Horror"—are these genres supposed to have something in common with one another?) and generally looked down on by "Lit-Fi" fans (well, what would you call them?)
I believe that many people don't understand what Science Fiction is. Just spend some time browsing your local book store or library. Notice anything odd about the shelf labels? Here is a typical example:
Romance
Western
Crime
Science Fiction
20th Century Fiction
General Fiction
Alright, let's stop and analyse this. What on Earth is "20th Century Fiction"? About the 20th century or written in the 20th century? Are they implying that Romance, Science Fiction, Western, and Crime are all written in (or about) some other century? And what is "General Fiction"? Fiction about generals? Well, no. "20th Century Fiction" and "General Fiction" seem to mean "everything else that doesn't fall into a convenient category". In other words, "fiction which isn't really about anything". Gosh, that sounds exciting. Do people really read that? Or does it just exist to win snobbish prizes?
So, what is Science Fiction and what distinguishes it from any other genre (and from "fiction which isn't really about anything")? Consider these two plot outlines:
One Man's Island
Jonathon Drake, 18th
century merchant seaman, finds himself the lone survivor of a shipwreck. Washed
up on the shore of a tiny Indonesian island, he is saved from death by a native
culture that has never seen a white man. In his dealings with the
natives, we see him overcome his own prejudices, learn that even the most
primitive cultures have something to offer a sophisticated European traveller,
and finally win the respect of a people that consider him the inferior.
When hope of rescue finally arrives, he must face the most agonizing choice of
all . . .
One Man's Planet
Jon Drake, 22nd century spaceman,
finds himself the lone survivor of a crashed star ship. In the hostile
environment of Epsilon VII, he is saved from death by an alien culture that has
never seen a Human. In his dealings with the aliens, we see him overcome
his own prejudices, learn that even the most primitive cultures have something
to offer a sophisticated Earthman, and finally win the respect of a people that
consider him the inferior. When hope of rescue finally arrives, he must
face the most agonizing choice of all . . .
Who can tell me the main difference between these two novels? Wrong! I'll tell you the difference: the first is shelved under "General Fiction" (or possibly "Historical Fiction"). The second is shelved under "Science Fiction". That's the only difference. It's the same story. I just copied the first paragraph and replaced a few words. I could do the same thing with the entire novel. Not convinced? Try this one:
Mean City Nights
Karen Hamilton, homicide detective, is on the run;
framed for a murder she didn't commit. In the dark underworld of New Orleans,
only her wits and her .38 can keep her ahead of the people who want to silence
her. Thrown into an unlikely alliance with a street-savvy thief, she must
unravel a tangled web of corruption and deceit that reaches to the highest
levels of City Hall.
Cybercity Nights
Kaz Hamilton, homicide detective, is on the run;
framed for a murder she didn't commit. In the dark underworld of Nu-Orleans,
only her implanted memory chips and her cybernetic combat enhancements can keep
her ahead of the people who want to silence her. Thrown into an unlikely
alliance with a street-savvy net runner, she must unravel a tangled web of
corruption and deceit that reaches deep into the computer network which
controls the city.
The point is, I can do this with any novel that you care to name. With no substantive changes to the plots, the characters, or the conflicts therein. Adding an alien, or a few bits of technology, does not change a story into a "Science Fiction" story.
[Please note that none of the above novels exist, to the best of my knowledge. At least not yet.]
You see, Science Fiction isn't about aliens. Or robots. Or space ships. It's not even about the future. It doesn't even have to be about science. Seriously! There is more science in an episode of ER than there is in an episode of Star Trek.
Science Fiction is about ideas. Unlike the "fiction which isn't really about anything" genre, which doesn't appear to be about anything. (Name one recent Booker Prize winner, or any "Lit-Fi" novel, that contains an original idea. No, seriously, please name one. I would probably enjoy reading it. I'll even review it in a future article. That should be interesting . . .)
Science Fiction takes an idea, such as "one day people will learn by direct memory implant", and asks a question about it. "What would be the consequences for free thought if all your knowledge came from sanitised computer implants?" Now that is a good plot for a Science Fiction story. Science Fiction challenges us. It makes us think about the world now and the world as it might be. It makes us question where we want the world to go.
I think that's a pretty important thing.
But the genre is still looked down on by the literary snobs.
So, I propose we banish the genre of "Science Fiction". Take it off the shelves in the basement. Put it on the shelves where it belongs. The detective stories set on Mars go on the "Crime" shelf. The Human captain falling in love with his alien passenger goes on the "Romance" shelf. And so on. And to distinguish the books from "General Fiction", we can put a little label on them:
Warning! This book contains IDEAS
A great deal of science fiction is written by scientists. This isn't because they know a lot about science. It's because they are Very Smart people who have Big Ideas. Or maybe it's just that people who are Science Fiction fans in their youth are more likely to turn to science, become respected scientists, and then write Science Fiction. It's the same thing. It doesn't matter which is the cause and which is the effect. What matters is that these are the people who drive our civilisation forward. Science Fiction is going to drive our civilisation forward. Let's give it a bit more respect.
I want to leave you with a quote. I wish I could have said this myself, but somebody beat me to it:
Great people talk about ideas. Average people talk about things. Small people talk about people. This is also the difference between television shows like Star Trek, a show about ideas, and shows like Melrose Place, which deals with who's zoomin' who. Star Trek episodes usually deal with themes like the dehumanisation of man in a technological society. Typical prime-time fare deals with gossip.
-- Dave Marinaccio, "All I really need to know I learned from watching Star Trek"
There is No Such Thing as Science Fiction. Long live Idea Fiction.
Thanks for listening.
© 2000 by David Meadows. All rights reserved.
23 September 2000
This essay is dedicated to Jane Mather, for showing me that Lit-Fi fans can be interesting people too.