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Speculative Fiction ranagrande Send a noteboard - 11/05/2011 02:03:12 PM
It would be more nearly correctly descriptive to call the whole field "speculative fiction" and to limit the name "science fiction" to a sub-class -- in which case some of the other sub-classes would be: undisguised fantasy (Thorne Smith, the Oz books), pseudo-scientific fantasy (C. S. Lewis's fine novel Out of the Silent Planet, Buck Rogers, Bradbury's delightful Martian stories), sociological speculation (More's Utopia, Michael Arlen's Man's Mortality, H. G. Wells' The World Set Free, Plato's Republic) adventure stories with exotic and non-existent locales (Flash Gordon, Burroughs' Martian stories, the Odyssey, Tom Sawyer Abroad). Many other classes will occur to you, since the term "speculative fiction" may be defined negatively as being fiction about things that have not happened.

-Robert A. Heinlein, coining the phrase "speculative fiction" in his essay on the nature of science fiction, Ray Guns and Rocket Ships, 1952.
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RAFO Challenges for May and June: what are your choices? Rebekah - 01/05/2011 10:56:11 AM 878 Views
Right. I have decided. Rebekah - 03/05/2011 12:59:32 PM 661 Views
So. Finished the first of my three. Rebekah - 09/05/2011 07:49:32 PM 628 Views
Are we the only two left doing these challenges? Also: I finished my first as well Camilla - 09/05/2011 07:53:18 PM 612 Views
Maybe. Rebekah - 09/05/2011 07:55:46 PM 678 Views
Re: Maybe. Camilla - 09/05/2011 07:58:03 PM 641 Views
Not at all. But it'll probably be for June, for me, Vanity Fair is taking a while. *NM* Legolas - 10/05/2011 08:11:02 PM 268 Views
No, I'm just wildly behind. Stephen - 10/05/2011 10:07:37 PM 712 Views
And I've changed my mind. Rebekah - 18/05/2011 01:52:16 PM 671 Views
After careful deliberation... Camilla - 03/05/2011 01:44:08 PM 789 Views
I don't know what that means. nossy - 10/05/2011 05:02:15 PM 646 Views
I'm counting Summer Tree as spec fic nossy - 10/05/2011 07:16:15 PM 610 Views
I figure the idea is "spec fic" covers everything that's, well, spec fic, without being fantasy / SF Legolas - 10/05/2011 08:09:31 PM 598 Views
Huh Camilla - 10/05/2011 10:28:58 PM 692 Views
That was what I meant, maybe I phrased that badly... Legolas - 11/05/2011 08:53:14 PM 669 Views
Re: That was what I meant, maybe I phrased that badly... Camilla - 11/05/2011 08:54:52 PM 614 Views
I'd have to agree with Rebekah that e.g. The Time Traveller's Wife qualifies. Legolas - 11/05/2011 09:00:03 PM 599 Views
Gaiman's short stories? Camilla - 12/05/2011 10:54:59 AM 692 Views
Some of them would be, yes. Rebekah - 12/05/2011 11:12:05 AM 635 Views
Replay by Ken Grimwood. Rebekah - 11/05/2011 09:00:32 PM 661 Views
MIdnight's Children? jh - 11/05/2011 09:11:24 PM 698 Views
Thomas Ligotti. Michael Cisco. Algernon Blackwood. Larry - 11/05/2011 11:14:45 PM 750 Views
Indeed. Rebekah - 10/05/2011 10:37:51 PM 633 Views
I'm glad our fearless leaders are so sure. nossy - 11/05/2011 01:31:52 AM 760 Views
Speculative Fiction ranagrande - 11/05/2011 02:03:12 PM 674 Views
I entirely agree, evidently I phrased my opinion badly though... *NM* Legolas - 11/05/2011 08:55:00 PM 272 Views
Sure, I'll give it a shot. *NM* Legolas - 10/05/2011 08:10:04 PM 316 Views
Pure pimpage: In a few weeks, I'll have a story being published in an anthology that'd meet this Larry - 11/05/2011 11:18:17 PM 622 Views
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