Speculative Fiction

ca fr an a im m Speculative Fiction C co ld t. ra aand other genre fiction e v n Science-fiction, fantasy, horror, G sa ue Gerald M. Cimafranca By Dominiquedi ot n eiq i ivillageidiotsavant.com m lag o il D v ( c) This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Philippines License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ph/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Let's get something out of the way first: ca Why Speculative Fiction? fr an a im m C co Isn't all fiction nt.ldspeculative? ra a e v G sa ue iot iq begin with What If? Doesn't all fictionid in ge om illa D v ( c) Let's just chalk it up to a matter of distinction...

...or the degree of unreality... ca anfr a im m C co ld t. What's Real ra an What e v Isn't G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( c) ...or our perceptions, at any rate.

Therefore.... ca an fr a im m C co Realism a n Speculative ld t. er va G sa Fiction ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( c) Real Unreal

ca an fr a im m C co Where does the unreality ld t. come in? ra an e v G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( c)

Elements of Fiction ca Plot an fr a Characters im m C co ld t. ra an e v Point-of-View G sa ue iot iq id in ge Setting illa om D v ( c) Theme Style

Let's Review ca ● Plot is the sequence of events in ra n a story afin the story ● im m Characters are the personalities C co ld t. Point-of-view is the manner of narration ra an ● ● e place of the story Setting is the time and av G s ● ue iot reader derives from Theme is the niq id the meaning the story m i ge o illa D characteristics of language of the Style is) the v (c ● story

The most obvious candidates ca Plot an fr Characters a im m C co ld t. e ra an Point-of-Viewav G s ue iot iq id Setting in ge om illa D v ( c) Theme Style

Example of a SpecFic character ca fr an from Assembled a im of partsom corpses C c Frankenstein's ld t. Monster ra an e v G sa ue iot Brought to life iq id in ge with electricity om illa D v ( c) Image from http://writersforensicsblog.files.wordpress.com

Example of a SpecFic setting ca fr an a im m Underground C co Alice in Wonderlandald kingdomt. er van G sa ue iot Populated with iq id in ge strange creatures om illa D v ( c) Image from http://wallpaper-s.org/18__Alice_in_Wonderland,_2000.htm

At least one character of the story must be n ca ra emotionally af im m C co accessible tora an ld t. the e v reader. G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D This character is ( c) v the reader's guide and proxy through the Unreal.

But let's not forget... ca Plot fr Characters an a im m C co ld t. Point-of-View ra an e v G sa ue iot Setting iq id in ge om illa D v Theme ( c) Style

Call to adventure Refusal of the call Plot Supernatural aid ( c) Crossing the first threshold Departure Belly of the whale D v Road of trials om illa in ge Meeting with the Goddess iq id Woman as temptress ue iot Atonement with the father Campbell's monomyth G sa e v Initiation Apotheosis ra an ld t. For Western SpecFic, usually Ultimate Boon a C co fr Refusal of the Return im m an The Magic Flight ca Rescue from Without Crossing of the Return threshold Return Master of Two Worlds Freedom to Live

Characters ca Plot an fr Point-of-view a im m C co ld t. Discussion: raAvatar e van G sa ue iot iq id in ge Setting D om illa Style ) v (c Theme

Don't let the Monomyth shackle an ca fr you! a im m C co ld t. ra an e v G sa ue iot Break free! iq id in ge om illa D v c) ( Tell new stories!

Themes Humanity a nc Courage /aFear afr In the face of the im m Acceptance / Prejudice C co strange and the ld / Hope t. Despair unknown ra an e v G Love / Lust sa eu iot iq id in ge : om illa D v : ( c) The Unreal highlights aspects of Character more strongly than the Real.

Characters ca Plot an fr Point-of-view a im m C co ld t. Discussion: Ge v ra an Potter Harry ue iot sa iq id in ge Setting D om illa Style ) v (c Theme

Style serves to reinforce the elements of Unreality. ca an fr blinded by the a The Burning Man winced. 'Stop!' he called, im m noise. Again came the dazzling pattern of the echo: C co ld t. ra an e v StOpStOpStOp G sa OpStOpStOpStOp ue iot iq id StOpStOpStOpStOp in ge OpStOpStOpStOpStOp om illa OpStOpStOpStOpSt D v OpStOpStOpStOp ( c) OpStOpStOpSt From “The Stars My Destination” by Alfred Bester.

Why read or write ca Speculative fr an a Fiction? im m C co d . al nt er va G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ) (c

Why read or write ca Speculative fr an a Fiction? im m C co d . al nt er va G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ) (c In fact, why bother with fiction at all?

ca an fr a “Story is the im m C co ld t. ra an basic unit of e v G sa ue iot iq id human thought.” in ge om illa D v ( c)

“Fiction is not the opposite ca fr an of Truth; the opposite of a im m C co Fiction is Fact.ld nt. ra a e v G sa ue iot iq id “Good Fiction must contain in ge om illa D v anc)element of Truth.” (

ca an fr a “Truth is a matter of im m C co ld t. ra an the Imagination.” e v G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( c)

Seriously now: why read or write ca an fr a Speculative Cim om ld t.c Fiction? Gera van ue iot sa iq id in ge om illa D v Why bother about the ( c) Unreal? Why bother about the Fantastic?

ca Speculative Fiction reconnects us fr an with wonder and spirituality. a im m C there is an instinct co ld because they touch Just as we all like love tales because . r talesant of sex, we all like astonishing a e of astonishment.... This the nerve of the ancient instinctav G s ue amazement. These tales say ot proves that even nursery tales only echo an almost pre- natal leap of interest and di iq i in ge om ifound that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we lla that they were green. They D with wine only to make us remember, make rivers run v ( c) moment, that they run with water. for one wild --“Orthodoxy”, G.K. Chesterton

So what about Science Fiction, ca fr an Fantasy, and a im m C co Horror? a ld t. er van G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( c)

So what about Science Fiction, ca fr an Fantasy, and a im m C co Horror? a ld t. er van G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( c) Again, it's a matter of distinction and categorization.

In rough terms: ca Science fiction attempts fr an to a use science as a way om im to C c plausibly explain its ld tsituation... . ra an e v G sa ...but you ue ot know, it could be just mumbo-jumbo. iq idi in ge Fantasy Dom illa on magic by way of relies c) explanation... v ( ...shhh, don't ask too many questions. Just accept it.

ca Star Trek an fr a im m C co ld t. vs.a van er G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( The Lord of the c) Rings

Discussion ca an fr a im m Star Wars: t.co ld C ScienceGe av ra an Fiction e ots qu idi or Fantasy? ni e i g om illa D v ( c) “No blasters! No blasters!”

(Arthur C.) Clarke's Laws ca ● fr an When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that a something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that somethingCim mis impossible, he is very probably wrong. ld t. co ra the n The only way of discovering va limits of the possible e G past them into the way tsa ● is to venture a little e impossible. qu idio ni e i g om illa ● Any sufficiently advanced technology D v c) is indistinguishable from magic. (

ca an fr a im m C co willing In the end, it's about ld t. ra an e v suspension of disbelief. G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( c)

Or better yet, let's call it a Sense of Wonder ca fr an a The man of science says, "Cut the stalk, and the apple will fall"; but he says it im m calmly, as if the one idea really led up to the other. The witch in the fairy tale C co says, "Blow the horn, and the ogre's castle will fall"; but she does not say it as if ld t. it were something in which the effect obviously arose out of the cause. ra an Doubtless she has given the advice to many champions, and has seen many e v castles fall, but she does not lose either her wonder or her reason. She does G sa ue iot not muddle her head until it imagines a necessary mental connection between a horn and a falling tower. But the scientific men do muddle their heads, until iq id in ge they imagine a necessary mental connection between an apple leaving the tree and an apple reaching the ground. They do really talk as if they had found not om illa only a set of marvellous facts, but a truth connecting those facts. They do talk D v c) as if the connection of two strange things physically connected them ( philosophically. They feel that because one incomprehensible thing constantly follows another incomprehensible thing the two together somehow make up a comprehensible thing. --“Orthodoxy”, G.K. Chesterton

Horror is about ca emotion. an fr a im m C co It's about takingan ld (negative) t. ra e v G sa emotionsque iot to extremes. ni eid i g om illa D v ( c) Fear? Yes. But also sadness, despair, anger, lust, etc.

Discussion ca an fr “The Cask of Amontillado” a im m C co by Edgar Allan Poed t.al n er va G sa ue iot iq id in ge Bram Stoker “Dracula”a by om ill D v ( c)

Genre ca anfr a im m C co category ld t is a loose set of criteria for. a a of composition; the vae rtermnis often used G sa ue iot to categorize literature and speech, but iq any other form of art. is also used in eid for m lag o il D v ( c)

Discussion ca an fr a im m C co See Speculative Fictionld t. from Genres ra an e v http://www.squidoo.com/speculativefiction G sa ue iot iq id in ge om illa D v ( c)

Exercise ca an fr a im m C co ld t Read and discuss. “All Summer ra in a Day” e van G sa ue iot by Ray Bradbury. iq id in ge om illa D v ( c)

ca fr an a im m Speculative Fiction C co ld t. ra aand other genre fiction e v n Science-fiction, fantasy, horror, G sa ue Gerald M. Cimafranca By Dominiquedi ot n eiq i ivillageidiotsavant.com m lag o il D v ( c) This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Philippines License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ph/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

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Speculative Fiction

by Dominique Cimafranca on Feb 21, 2010

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Speculative Fiction — Presentation Transcript