Speculative fiction (abbr. SpecFi [1] ) is a term adopted by English-speaking critics and literary critics (translations are also used: speculative fiction , speculative literature , speculative fiction , etc.), a generic name for a group of genres whose works take place in unrealistic fictional worlds .
Under such speculative (or speculative) science fiction we understand, first of all, literature, which is based on speculative constructions ( philosophical speculations ) associated with the introduction into reality of one or another .
In recent years, there has been a tendency to attribute all science fiction as a whole to speculative (literary) fiction (that is, to use the expression speculative fiction as an analogue of Russian science fiction or French fantastique , see for example ISFDB ). In a narrower sense, when it comes to not a generic name for a genre, but about the characteristics of a particular work or author, speculative fiction usually refers to works of science fiction that fit poorly into the narrow framework of genre literature .
Content
Speculative fiction as an alternative to science fiction
As a term alternative to science fiction, this expression was introduced in 1947 by Robert Heinlein in his 1947 essay “On the Writing of Speculative Fiction” [2] [3] . In this essay, Heinlein considers a kind of science fiction (to which he relates his work as well), in which the achievements of science and technology are just an excuse to describe human actions in an unusual situation. He later clarified that this description does not apply to the fantasy genre , this clarification can be found in the posthumous collection of correspondence "Grunts from the grave." Here Heinlein says that in contrast to the classic SciFi, which, since Jules Verne , has been associated with the “progress of machines”, SpecFi is interested in a wide range of problems of sociology , psychology , cultural studies , biology , etc. [4] Heinlein could use this term and himself, however, for the first time, it was apparently used by M. F. Egan, who in 1889 in called Edward Bellamy 's novel “ A Look Back, 2000-1887 ” [5] [6] . Following Heinlein, the term was used by Michael Moorcock . In a Blast Off 1960 article published in fanzine Bastion, he contrasted speculative science fiction, of which he called Brian Aldiss , adventure fiction, which included [7] .
, echoing John Campbell 's arguments about applying the scientific method to the NF [8] [9] , in 1966 gave the term speculative fiction a definition that described it as literature exploring reality by making some imaginary hypothetical changes in it [ 10] . The essence of such literature is speculation , speculative reasoning. She introduces into the real (or close to real) world a certain and explores what will result. Fantasy, in which a world is built different from ours as a whole, does not fit this definition [2] .
The term speculative fiction , as an alternative disclosure of the abbreviation SF , was picked up by authors and readers of works in the genres of both hard and soft, humanitarian (in particular social ) science fiction , as it allowed them to distance themselves from cheap pulp magazines , from which, in fact, American fiction began [7] . This genre label became very popular during the heyday of the “new wave” [2] , the transformation of science fiction into speculative fiction defined the essence of this stage in the development of fiction [11] . Darko Suvin, in his book The Metamorphoses of Science Fiction, characterized speculative fiction as a kind of inversion of hard science fiction, science fiction that rejects scientific rationalism. As an example of such a fantasy, he named the works of James Ballard [12] .
Applied to fiction in general
Already at the time of the “new wave” , the concept of speculative fiction began to erode. In particular, Samuel Dilany , when compiling his anthology , QUARK , used this term as a subset of the term science fiction rather than as a subset of it [7] .
At present, speculative (literary) science fiction has finally lost any clear boundaries, and now it most often includes not only hard and soft science fiction as a whole, but also fantasy (in the broadest sense of the word) [7] . The term (in modern use) includes all works, including a clearly expressed fantastic beginning, no matter in what era (from antiquity to the most modern works), they were not written [13] . It is this meaning, in particular, recorded in the eighth edition of the Collins English Dictionary [14] .
Although many critics do not consider this term too useful, but since authors of genre distinctions are often less concerned than critics, the definition of speculative fiction is often used to not drive fantastic works into the narrow framework of genre literature [7] [15] [16] , when the work cannot be unambiguously attributed to one or another kind - for example, for works where elements of science fiction are mixed with elements of fantasy or other genres [17] . In particular, Margaret Atwood , characterizes his work as speculative rather than science fiction, noting, for example, that, unlike the latter, her novels such as based on a truly scientific futurological extrapolation of technological progress and social changes [ 18] , but do not describe, for example, non-existent Martians [19] .
Sometimes, in English literary criticism, the term suppositional fiction (where the word suppositional means “hypothetical” or “hypothetical”) is used to designate science fiction literature that does not belong to any particular science fiction genre [20] [21] [22] . Russian science fiction writer Konstantin Mzareulov suggested highlighting works that are difficult to attribute to science fiction, or, conversely, to fantasy in a special subgenre - conditional science fiction [23] .
About translating a term
There is no established translation of this expression in Russian-language literature: phrases such as speculative fiction or literary fiction [24] [25] , speculative fiction [26] , speculative literature [2] [27] are used . However, speculative fiction remains the term of Anglo-American science fiction, the translation of which into Russian is hardly appropriate [28] .
In its modern, “generalizing” meaning, the term speculative fiction more or less coincides with the Russian term fiction (see, for example, ISFDB ), although it has its own specifics. The literal translation of the word fiction into English - fantastic (English) can also be used in this capacity, although the most popular explanatory dictionaries of the English language do not associate it with the designation of the literary genre . As a literary term, this word was borrowed from the French language , having spread after the publication in English of Tsvetan Todorov ’s book “Introduction à la littérature fantastique” ( Russian Introduction to Fantastic Literature ), which was translated by Richard Howard as The Fantastic: A structural approach to a literary genre [29] . In order to get away from Todorov’s definition of science fiction , which applies only to general literary , but not genre-conditioned fiction [30] , and from specific meanings inherent in the term speculative fiction , John Klyut , for example, suggested borrowing the word fantastika from Slavic languages [ 31] [32] . [28]
See also
- New wave
- Literary Fiction
Notes
- ↑ Jeff Prucher. Speculative fiction // : The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction. - USA: Oxford University Press, March 21, 2007 .-- S. 213-215. - 342 p. - ISBN 978-0-19-530567-8 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Dan Shorin. About the "new wave" and speculative fiction // "Ural Pathfinder". - 2014. - No. 12 (690) .
- ↑ Robert A. Heinlein, On the Writing of Speculative Fiction in Of Worlds Beyond: The Science of Science-Fiction Writing ed. by LA Eshbach, Fantasy Press, 1947, pp. 9-17.
- ↑ Robert Heinlein, ed. Virginia Heinlein. Chapter III. Gloss and teenagers "Skribner." March 4, 1949: Robert E. Heinlein - to Lerton Blassingheim // Grunting from the grave = Grumbles from the Grave.
- ↑ Egan, MF Book-Talk // Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. - 1889. - October. - P. 597.
- ↑ . Dictionary citations for the term “speculative fiction” . Jessesword.com (April 28, 2009).
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Speculative Fiction - article from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
- ↑ Of Worlds Beyond ed. by Eshbach, Lloyd Arthur. New York: Fantasy Press, 1947, p. 91.
- ↑ Introduction by John W. Campbell, Jr. on George O. Smith Venus Equilateral . Prime Press, 1947, p. 8-13.
- ↑ Definitions of SF - article from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
- ↑ Seed, 2007 , Mike Ashley. Science Fiction Magazines. The Fourth Transformation, p. 70.
- ↑ Darko Suvin. SF and the Novum § 1.3 // Metamorphoses of Science Fiction. - P. 67. - 317 p. - ISBN 9780300023756 .
- ↑ Barry Baldwin, Emeritus Professor of Classics, University of Calgary, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, “Ancient Science Fiction”, Shattercolors Literary Review
- ↑
Speculative fiction // Collins English Dictionary . - Eighth edition. - 2006. - 1888 p. - ISBN 978-0007232307 .Speculative fiction - a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical or futuristic elements
- ↑ Gary K. Wolfe. Critical terms for science fiction and fantasy: a glossary and guide to scholarship. - Greenwood Press, 1986. - 162 p. - ISBN 9780313229817 .
- ↑ The Handmaid's Tale. About Speculative Fiction . gradesaver.com. Date of treatment June 12, 2015.
- ↑ Citations and definitions for the term “speculative fiction” by speculative fiction reviewers . Greententacles.com. Date of treatment February 10, 2013.
- ↑ Watts, Peter. "Margaret Atwood and the Hierarchy of Contempt", '' On Spec '' 15 (2) (Summer 2003) (PDF) 3-5. Date of treatment February 10, 2013.
- ↑ Margaret Atwood . Margaret Atwood: the road to Ustopia // The Guardian . - 2011.
- ↑ Izenberg, Orin. Being Numerous: Poetry and the Ground of Social Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011; p. 210
- ↑ Leitch, Thomas M. What Stories Are: Narrative Theory and Interpretation University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1986; p. 127
- ↑ Domańska, Ewa. Encounters: Philosophy of History After Postmodernism Charlottesville, Virginia: University Press of Virginia, 1998; p. 10
- ↑ Mzareulov , § 15. Conditional fiction.
- ↑ Vasily Vladimirsky . Speculative Fiction. James Morrow Only begotten daughter. Series "Alternative". M .: AST, 2003. . PETERbook.
- ↑ Vasily Vladimirsky . Daughter of the American God . Probability Report "o3" . Ozon.ru (08/27/2003).
- ↑ Levin, AE Anglo-American fiction as a sociocultural phenomenon // Philosophy Issues . - 1976. - No. 3. - S. 154.
... speculative fiction , seeking to expand the freedom of constructing fantastic worlds, eventually came to the degeneration of the meanings it creates ...
- ↑ Biro, F. What is science fiction? / F. Biro, J.-K. Rib // Dossier of extraterrestrial civilizations. - M .: Kron-Press, 1998 .-- 269 p. - (Mysterious world). - ISBN 5-232-00740-8 .
The motivation for science fiction is the man’s eternal desire to subjugate the disobedient forces of nature and conquer uncharted spaces, in the tireless search for the place he occupies in the Universe and the desire to know his future. In this, she approaches philosophy, and perhaps that is why one of the schools of American science fiction has replaced the term "scientific fanaticism" with the term " speculative fiction ".
- ↑ 1 2 Skvortsov V.V. Science Fiction. Question of terminological translation // Discussion. - June 2014. - No. 6 (47) .
- ↑ Todorov T. The Fantastic: A structural approach to a literary genre. - Fourth Printing edition. - New York: Cornell University Press, 1975 .-- 179 p. - (Cornell Paperbacks). - ISBN 978-0801491467 .
- ↑ Neyolov E. M. 1. On genre-conditioned forms of science fiction // Folklore Intertext of Russian Science Fiction. Textbook for a special course. - Petrozavodsk: Petrozavodsk State University , 2002. - P. 14-16. - 124 p.
- ↑ John Clute. Pardon This Intrusion: Fantastika in the World Storm. - Beccon Publications, 2011 .-- 375 p. - ISBN 978-1870824606 .
- ↑ Fantastika - article from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
Literature
- Speculative Fiction - article from The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
- David Seed. A Companion to Science Fiction. - Wiley-Blackwell, 2007 .-- 630 p. - (Blackwell companions to literature and culture). - ISBN 978-0-470-99705-5 .
- Mzareulov K. Chapter 3. Variety of the genre // Fiction: general course.
- Dan Shorin . About the “new wave” and speculative fiction // Ural Pathfinder: Journal. - Ekaterinburg, 2014. - No. 12 . - S. 79 .