Relevant Science Fiction.
Debating Fantasy Literature.
Even More Relevant Science Fiction.
Thoughts? Is science fiction/fantasy supposed to be thought provoking, entertaining, or both? Is it supposed to encourage us to think about the human condition or provide an escape?
4 comments:
Anyone who thinks SF should only be about thought provoking comments on the human condition is just an elitist.
There is room for SF to both do that, and also for SF to be nothing but light entertainment. Science Fiction is not some monolithic single entity that should have one identity - there is room for everything.
I enjoy my thought provoking SF. I like PK Dick, I enjoy the occasional Lem, but I also enjoy the Heinlien juviniles and Alan Dean Foster's Flinx books. :)
I agree that science fiction (and fantasy, for that matter) has room enough for all kinds of stories, both serious and entertaining. And I don't think the two need be mutually exclusive.
Nonetheless, it seems to me that all 'serious' sci-fi and fantasy invites us to take a closer look at the world around us.
I'd agree that good serious SF invites to look inwards and outwards, but bad serious SF just comes off as pretentious and arrogant - and most serious SF I've read really falls into that category. Part of the reason I tend towards the escapist.
While I prefer my science fiction and fantasy to be relevant, I'm not opposed to a bit of good fun.
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