Hatrack River Writers Workshop: kinds of fiction

This is topic kinds of fiction in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :

This post is just for the ignorant like me--or just for me if there be no others--about the kinds of fiction. I udnerstand literature and I write fiction and I onviously understand genre to a basic extent, however, when I see you each saying you are writing a "speculative fiction" work or some other brand of fiction, well, I'd like definitions. Where are the fine lines?

Just curious. Go easy on me, I'm just 19

Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :

There aren't fine lines. There are big, blurry gray borders.

Posted by Marva (Member # 3171) on :

I guess we could add our understanding the genres here and everyone could tweak as they understand them.

Science Fiction: It's an extrapolation of the future using science that is at least minimally plausible. Accept FTL, wormholes, aliens, future cataclysmic end to civilization as we know it, etc. At least some science in it should be plausible. It could be present day science, if you're talking about alien worlds.

Fantasy: Anything goes and science ain't got nothin' to do with it. Dragons, elves, dwarves, etc. There is no restriction on fantasy.

Speculative: Science fiction or fantasy or horror, for that matter. What if? prevails.

That's sort of how I view it.

Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :

quote:
There is no restriction on fantasy

Au contraire. There are no restriction on what your rules can be, but you had better have some.

Posted by Novice (Member # 3379) on :

I confess to using words I have not seen formally defined. I use them according to my own private definitions, which may or may not have any bearing on actual meaning.

Science Fiction: Fiction based on the limits of our understanding of science. My experience with Sci-fi has mostly been associated with physics, i.e. space travel, time travel, and dimensional worlds. However, any science applies here, including biology (Fantastic Voyage and alien species), chemistry ("silicon-based" life forms and advanced weaponry), and geology (terraforming, which involves a lot of different sciences, but was the first thing that came to my mind for this context).

Fantasy: Fiction with elements of magic, magical creatures, and epic or heroic adventure in alternate worlds. Fantasy and Sci-Fi get mixed up when alternate worlds have advanced technologies, IMO.

Speculative Fiction: Fiction with elements of our contemporary surroundings, but given advanced technologies, alternate histories, and/or magical events. I guess I think of speculative fiction as being just what it says, a speculation about what the world would be like if _____. You fill in the blank with whatever historical twist, scientific discovery, or magical intervention you like.

As I said before, I made up these definitions to fit my own interpretations. There's probably a resource with "real" definitions, but I haven't been motivated to look them up. I'm not sure there are fine lines, and I don't necessarily think there needs to be. I had to look up "slipstream literature" a few days ago, and now I think I'm going to try to call everything I write "slipstream fiction." (Google it...you'll see what I mean.)

Posted by authorsjourney (Member # 3569) on :

Slipstream is an interesting and poorly defined "genre". I happened to be reading about it yesterday through a string of links off IGMS. It was actually coined as a term for lit fic filled with strangeness and magical elements. If you're interested in a little history, the original article that spawned the term slipstream can be found HERE. A discussion on definitions and merits can be found HERE.

As usual, wikipedia has a couple decent (albeit limited) articles on genres, and spec fic in particular:
Speculative Fiction
Science Fiction Genres and Related Topics
Fantasy
Horror
Genres

Hope that's helpful.

Posted by thexmedic (Member # 2844) on :

I like to think that most fiction poses the question: "What if this, possible thing, happened?" while speculative fiction asks, "What if this, impossible thing, happened."

That's the clearest line I have. And I think it's a shame to be confined by any one genre. There again, maybe I've been reading too many of China Mieville's soapbox speeches...

Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :

I usually agree, I think, but not this time. I'd say it this way.

Speculative has a _novum_: something that is contrary to the way reality really is. This something should be essential to the plot. If the story could happen just as well with pistols as ray guns, it's still spec fic, but it shouldn't be.

In SF, this novum is based on a technical or scientific development that is counter to the way reality really is. In fantasy, it's a magical novum.

Clarke's law, "Any sufficiently advanced technology will appear as magic": if it appears as magic _to the reader_, it's magic; if it appears as technology, it's SF.

OSC differs. He says the difference is that SF has bolts and rivets, and fantasy has trees.

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

According to someone whose name I forget, all literature is fantastic...

Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :

I liked that article on slipstream. At least, I didn't like what Sterling said about SF, but it was worth thinking about.

I think I'll order some of those books.

I'd include Sterling's own book, Zeitgeist, in there, very definitely -- with 5 stars.

Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :

So what is Star Wars? It has "bolts and rivets" but I definitely see it as a fantasy story with fantasy story themes. I have called literature like that "Science fantasy" but thats just kind of an extrapolation of the two that I meshed together. Is there a more official title for something like that?

Posted by Jammrock (Member # 3293) on :

quote:
So what is Star Wars? It has "bolts and rivets" but I definitely see it as a fantasy story with fantasy story themes. I have called literature like that "Science fantasy" but thats just kind of an extrapolation of the two that I meshed together. Is there a more official title for something like that?

An aspect of SciFi is fantasy, but along the lines of a futuristic technology that won't appear until our future. Though most SciFi sticklers don't call Star Wars SciFi, they call it a "space opera."

There are honestly a lot of genres in fiction. Especially if you get nit picky about sub-genres. Off the top of my head:

Science Fiction - Futuristic technology/science/society/political focus.

-Speculative Fiction - More contemporary setting but invloving some futuristic ideas.

-Space Opera - Futuristic but concentrating on drama and story than science and technology.

Fantasy - Invloves human like races, typically in created past, involving swords and sorcery.

-High Fantasy - Elves and Dwarves and magic and dragons and other Tolkien'esque themes.

-Contemporary Fantasy - Takes place more in the now (i.e. contemporary world).

-Young Fantasy - Toned down fantasy often involving pre-teens/teens (think Harry Potter).

Action/Adventure - Name says it all, think Tom Clancy.

-Thriller - More drawn out and dramamtical with a hint of mystery.

-Era-based - Like Vietnam, the old high seas, etc.

Horror - shouldn't need to define it.

-Suspense - Less graphic, relies on character tension.

Mystery - nuff said.

Romance - nuff said.

-Period Romance - Pride & Prejudice... i.e. takes place during a specific period of time, like Imperial Britan.

Literary Fiction - Deals with contemporary societal issues.

Historical Fiction - Fictitious stories based around real historical events.

Comedy/Parody - nuff said.

Drama - nuff said.

Graphic Novel - Fiction with pictures for adults.

Classical Fiction - What once was literary fiction, but has stood the test of time and is still commonly read.

...

And so on and so forth.

Jammrock

Posted by Zero (Member # 3619) on :

wow, hey thanks!

Posted by pooka (Member # 1738) on :

When you put it that way, I realize the Star Wars prequels turned the Force into a technology that relies on the concentration of midichlorians, rather than an actual magical/mystical discipline.

Posted by authorsjourney (Member # 3569) on :

Star Wars is a western. It just happens to be set in space.

Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :

Urban fantasy: contemporary fantasy

Magic realism: slipstream written in Spanish. (So some of my colleagues in lit say!)

Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :

"Star Wars" can't be futuristic. It was set a long time ago, in a galaxy far away...

Posted by Jammrock (Member # 3293) on :

quote:
"Star Wars" can't be futuristic. It was set a long time ago, in a galaxy far away...

LOL! That's why it falls under space opera. But the tech is more advanced than we have which classifies it as scifi.