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Old 04-29-2008, 02:35 PM   #1
Threshold
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Join Date: Apr 2002
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Comparing Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, and Fantasy

The discussion in got me thinking about the overall differences between the genres of science fiction, science fantasy, and fantasy.

This set of theories is a work in progress. So be gentle, and feel free to help me flesh it out.

Some quick terms:

SFi = Science Fiction
SFa = Science Fantasy
FA = Fantasy

I think in general, the two main goals of all 3 of these genres are:

1) Escapism: They give the reader, player, or watcher the joy of escaping their real life for a bit to experience an incredibly different world.

2) Confront Modern Issues in a Less Confrontational Way: All three genres tend to address and discuss issues that matter to us in our real lives, but by putting them in such fantastical frames of reference, they are able to boil the issue down more and present it in a way that is a little less contentious or political.

So, where do they diverge?

Fantasy tends to deal more with huge moral issues: good versus evil (Demons vs. Angels. Evil Overlord vs. Knight in Shining Armor, etc.), human rights (slavery, serfs vs. nobles, etc.)

Science Fiction tends to deal more with ethical issues: cloning, artificial intelligence, personal liberties, state control and/or monitoring (Big Brother), utopia/dystopia, etc.

Science Fantasy blurs the lines a bit, and can deal with both pretty easily.

Obviously, there are exceptions. There are fantasy works that may deal with issues of state control, and scient fiction works that deal with good vs. evil. But I think in general, the above generalization holds true.

Anyway, as I said this is a work in progress. I am interested to hear what others think.

Last edited by Threshold : 04-29-2008 at 03:08 PM.
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