How Fantastic Fiction Impacts Social Issues and Reformation

Fantastic fiction be used to bring about social changes and/or political reforms In order to better understand fantastic fiction we should also understand other fictions. The most resourceful genre that involves movies shows art and books is science fiction. Most science fiction is labeled as drama or comedy.It is much more than those two things that is what makes it so much more interesting and enjoyable. There are many definitions and meanings of what science fiction are. In order to define what science fiction maybe and to support my definition, I am going to give some examples of stories that I think to fall into this genre first and then give a semi-solid definition of what I think science fiction is. The first example of science fiction I’d like to take a look at is Alien. A prime example of straightforward science fiction would be this movie. Space miners (or merchants…something like that) are awakened from their cryogenic sleep-state much earlier than was originally planned. A distress/warning beacon on an unfamiliar planet caused their ship to awaken them so that help could be dispatched. Of course, it turns out to be a ship that was taken over by the Aliens and the Earthlings’ ship was soon to be infested.

A given is when movies involve space travel and aliens it's easily categorized as science fiction. Another example of science fiction, and one that proves science-fiction’s elusive nature is Tarzan. This is a fantastic example of a popular story that nobody would normally think of as being sci-fi. Everyone knows the story: A baby is lost in the jungle, raised by apes, and then is discovered years later by some jungle-adventurers. It sounds sort of questionable as to whether this should be considered science fiction, but it remains a fact that this story takes place on Earth and involves a character that has adopted ape-like qualities. This can raise some questions and debates it has some science but also fantasy, so that is why it is science fiction. Science fiction has over years produced some of the greatest novels in the world since the time of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New York world and George Orwell’s 1984. A good number of these authors seems to reach a consensus that there is watertight evidence that science fiction merits have long been discussed in the critical circles as well. In as much, a lot of emphasis has been given to the specifically paid genre’s strong information. According to Kingsley () there is adopted focus in the new study that is considered a cornerstone in the science –fiction criticism.

He says that the genre tries to achieve a way of dramatizing social inquiry that provides a cultural tendency which can easily be isolated and judged (Kingsley). Therefore this genre serves a very good example of the more general tendency of fiction which provides a good grounds for social criticism. This provides a social discourse which will enable this theme to be discussed in the social circles. Dick in is classic work, Valis of Trilogy combines both irony and colloquialism with a rich theological and the dialectic one man debate to bring out the serious and technical discussions about life. He claims that he received a vision from God the modern world is a fraud and therefore it is easy to establish some of these claims. Metaphorically speaking he was trying to pass a message for the modern sensibilities. However other critics tend to agree with Kingsley but they go on to add that the power of science fiction as a tool as such depends generally on its content. According to Christine Brooke, science fiction is the hypothesized on the basis of some innovation in science or technology whether human or any other origin. She identifies science fiction as subject area.

When hearing the term “science fiction” one would imagine a film filled with unrealistic gadgets, humans with superpowers and even technology of the future. However, science fiction is much more than that. Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction dealing with whimsical concepts such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space and time travel, parallel universes and extraterrestrial life. Over time, this genre has changed and thrived due to an increase in available technology and science which led to an increase in special effects and filming techniques. Viewers are transported into more believable worlds of Utopias run by shiny machines or cities being overrun by a giant, violent monsters. The films Metropolis (Dir. Fritz Lang, 1927) and Gojira (Dir. Ishiro Honda, 1954) provide evidence that show how the genre has changed over time; the former film being set in the Silent Period and the latter film being set in the Postclassical Period.

A genre is composed of myths, conventions, and iconography. Myths of a genre tend to portray the content of a film as a defining force following certain ideologies. Science fiction follows the myths that extraterrestrial life forms are invading earth and here to harm humans or that shiny new technology can take over the need for basic human functions. While each science fiction film follows different story lines or plots, they stick to these same myths. These myths remain unchanged, but as time goes on, the way these myths are approached and conveyed across the screen changes. For example, in the early twentieth century when special effects were still being developed, sets would be very basic Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions. That branch of literature which is concerned with the impact of scientific advantage upon human beings. This definition reflects both the experiences I have had reading the genre, as well as the probable themes of most other science fiction works. This definition is very useful because it doesn't handicap itself by putting the changes that face us into one category. It is deliberately left open.

Many people would say that any science fiction has to put humanity to a test or have it face a threat. This is simply not true. As long as a book addresses the nature of changes we may face, whether a threat, a trial, an ethical dilemma, or an opening of new possibilities and horizons, it may be considered worthy of the brand “science fiction.” Scientific advantage doesn't have to be a negative story about the disaster, it can portray the joy of exploration or thrill of discovery. True science fiction has this new something result in consequences that require a change in modern-day thinking. If anything, science fiction is a means of getting people thinking about issues that we may face in the future. Good or bad they will change how the world works. The Time Machine H G Wells' The Time Machine fits well into Isaac Asimov's definition of science fiction. As the change that face us, Wells chose the long term effects of Social Darwinism and evolution. The Dark Romantics or Gothic Fiction was part of the Romanticism Movement that emphasized the use of primitive, medieval, wild and mysterious elements including supernatural events and horrifying situations.

The Dark Romantics took place in the eighteen hundreds and started as a reaction to the Transcendentalists, but did not entirely embrace the ideas of Transcendentalism. The Dark Romantic works were less optimistic than the transcendental works that believed that knowledge could be arrived at not just through the senses, but also through intuition and contemplation of the internal spirit. The Romantics took on a shadowy approach to the fantastical with the use of creepy symbols, horrific themes, and psychological effects of guilt and sin. Writers use symbols like objects or characters to help the readers make connections in the story and to enforce the meaning of the story. The uses of horrific themes was used to state the struggles of human nature, the idea that surroundings could be filled with evil and explore the horrors of evil lurking in everyone. The writers also exploration the psychological effects of guilt and sin, that leads to the grotesque, the fantastic, and the morbid. The two writers that had an impact on the Dark Romantics literary movement were Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson. Edgar Allan Poe is considered a major figure in world literature, based on his ingenious and profound short stories, poems, and critical theories. His stories had an immense importance among authors such as Stephen King, along with helping to establish the genres of science fiction and the detective story, which got him the named father of the detective story.

Science Fiction has been interpreted by many in a wrong way. Most people feel that the author is just in love with the future. However this is not the truth in most science fiction novels. The majority of Science Fiction books are more about the horrors of the future. In Fahrenheit 451 the author Ray Bradbury makes an argument for societies need to consider that the outcomes of science fiction might become realities. The origin of science fiction '…evolved from the industrial revolution that spawned notions of the rockets, robots, time machines, computers, satellites, matter-transports, and the like'; (Johnson 6). Science Fiction has dramatically changed over the years form total destruction of the earth, to more of a wonderful place to live. We should '…consider events…rationally and is concerned with the impact of change on people'; (Gunn and Boucher 1). There have been two events in history which has change science fiction into what is today, the '…explosion of the first atomic bomb and landing on the moon'; (Gunn and Boucher 5). Think about it, seeing a little space ship go millions of miles into space and landing on a moon. People would thinks to themselves wow. Or seeing a huge mushroom cloud fling into the air and destroy everything it touches. That the only purpose of science fiction is to '…deals with events that did not happen, may have happened, or have not yet happened'; (Gunn and Boucher 1).

People often have a hard time understanding that Science Fiction and Fantasy are very different from one another. Fantasy deals with the supernatural where as Science Fiction doesn't. So in no way will Science Fiction ever be the same as Fantasy. One of the greatest writes of his time, Ray Bradbury has contributed so much to the science fiction world. He has the ability to make people think about subjects which they have never thought about. He is different from all the other writes due to the fact that he is a '…self taught writer'; (Johnson 4). He is such a good writer because he interbreeds his dreams and his youthful experiences into his works. He tries to show us possible '…earthbound futures with death, his science-fiction stories, set on earth tend to be warnings'; (Mogen 94). Science fiction means a lot of things to a lot of different people, thus a variety of definitions have arisen to allow for this. Perhaps the most simple of these can be found in the The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, which states that science fiction is 'fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals' (652).

Most of academia, however, prefers an extended version from Darko Suvin, who says SF is: A literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition, and whose main formal device is an imaginative framework alternative to the author's empirical environment (Online 4). While either of these is a solid idea of what SF is, there are many who, frustrated with society's inability to properly label the genre, have come up with more sarcastic connotations. A good example is this: 'Science fiction is a label applied to a publishing category and it's application is subject to the whims of editors and publishers' (Clute and Nichols, Online 4). Even this holds some amount of truth. But, while all of these quotes are sufficient, none are satisfactory. Throughout the centuries, scholars and fans alike have attempted to accurately define science fiction, however no single definition could ever truly exist because the genre has been forced to adapt to keep pace with a swiftly evolving world. This is more of a problem than it might seem at first because without an agreed-upon definition how can one recognize when the genre of SF began? The answer is, you can't. This date had been argued by scholars for quite some time, but there is one thing that most agree on, science...