gordo said:
Ooohhh! Lol. Fight me do ya? Lol.
Here is my spiel...minus the huge words...
During the mid 1960’s, an era that witnessed Science Fiction and Fantasy texts gaining momentum amongst the under 30s demographic, the ‘Umbrella’ term SF emerged. Distinction between the three genres Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror was difficult as they reject compositional boundaries, rules and definitions. The term SF was applied to incorporate and welcome the melding nature of these genres. SF is an ever changing genre, constantly shaped by current world trends, movements in literature and film and innovations in society. Its purpose is not only to engross the responder but also encourage them to view our society from a different perspective as supported by Ursula Le Guin: ‘SF stories are thought experiments whose purpose is not to predict the future but to describe reality’.
SF is escapist alternative fiction, the ‘literature of the impossible’, encouraging the responder to explore unreal characters, worlds, objects, language, landscapes, industries and customs, often embellished by contemporary societal debate.
Often, SF explores change (especially fantasy texts) and its impact on society. Over time, the genre and its conventions have proved their malleability; changing to reflect progress of society, the human race and it’s relationship with technology and the environment. Speculative Fiction is highly imaginative, highly original and innovative; it is a constantly evolving and appealing genre that throws us into worlds of speculation, enticing modern day responders to ‘suspend their disbelief’