Week Eight: Sci-Fi

Sci-Fi vs. Speculative Fiction

Margaret Atwood (2010) states the difference between “spec-fic” and “sci-fi” comes down to what is possible. Science Fiction deals with impossible or unlikely scenarios (given the state of the world at the time of writing, I suppose) where Speculative Fiction deals with scenarios that could have or could still possibly happen. By this train of thought, sci-fi automatically opens up to encompass anything or everything while spec-fic is bound by real scientific and sociological trends. 

There are some that contest this difference though. Peter Watts (2003) claimed that Atwood is attempting to “redefine the entire genre for no other reason than to exclude herself from it.” Going on to claim that spec-fic only exists as an alternative title to remove the connotations of sci-fi’s non-literary (or rather, critically panned) origins (by which I am referring to pulp novels).  Jamie Rubin (2011) has made the following observation; “It’s a misnomer: to speculate means to form a theory or conjecture without firm evidence. But any fiction is speculative in that sense.” This is an interesting point, and contradicts Atwood’s view by suggesting spec-fic has a much wider scope than she has allowed it. Rubin claims “the term feels like an attempt to rebrand the genre out of shame.”

It seems there are two camps relating to this discussion. On one hand, sci-fi is rejected due to it being seen as lowbrow. On the other hand, spec-fic is rejected by sci-fi purists who believe there is nothing shameful about it, and that its best works can be held in as higher regards as classic works of any literature. Personally, I feel inclined towards the latter, however I don’t take the view that spec-fic is a mere rebranding. Despite people’s opinions, Atwood’s differentiation of the possible versus the impossible is probably the easiest way to look at these genres, and to acknowledge the difference between them as two different points on the same scale, rather than two specifically different genres.

By Atwood’s definition, High Castle is definitely spec-fic. As the events of the novel could not take place without an alternate ending to WWII (of which almost infinite endings could have been possible), the entire novel exists in the “what-if” region of fiction. Admittedly, reading the book (my first by PKD) I had expected more traditional science-fiction elements; time warps, supernatural occurrences or fringe science. It boggles my mind that this novel could be seen as a science fiction in a time where the genre was typically seen as being about aliens and ray-guns, and thus not widely accepted as the great work of fiction that it is. 

Atwood, M. (11 December 2010). Margaret Atwood on speculative vs. science fiction. Retrieved from http://archive.bloggy.com/2010/12/margaret_atwood_on_s.html.

Rubin, J. (25 January 2011). Speculative fiction vs. Science fiction. Retrieved from http://www.jamierubin.net/2011/01/25/speculative-fiction-vs-science-fiction/

Watts, P. (Summer 2003). Margaret Atwood and the Hierarchy of Contempt.  Retrieved from http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts/PeterWatts_Atwood.pdf