Critical Theory and Science Fiction by Carl Howard Freedman

This association has been furthered by matters of both production and content. In The Metamorphoses of Science Fiction (1979), Darko Suvin describes paraliterature as “the popular, ‘low,’ or plebeian literary production of various times, particularly since the Industrial Revolution.” 2 As Suvin’s definition suggests, the speculative genres have often found expression in popular media, including mass media accessible to children and the lower and working classes, hence their sub-cultural status. And it is not unusual for science fiction fans to enjoy fantasy or horror the genres often share creators and publishers or studios as well.ĭespite valid usages of this sort, “speculative fiction” is often invoked to counter the stigma attached to science fiction and other paraliterary genres and media.

Pulp science fiction pioneer Hugo Gernsback was an influence on DC Comics impresario Julius Schwartz. Horror film director John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) is based on the novella “Who Goes There?” (1938) by legendary science fiction editor and writer John W. 1 It is in this latter sense particularly that such coverage is warranted look closely at the content, production, or reception of “genre” literature or film and you will see boundaries a-blurring. science fiction, fantasy, and horror–belonging to what the late Tzvetan Todorov called The Fantastic.

It is a formulation that parallels “speculative fiction,” an umbrella term for writing that addresses any of a number of topics–augmentations of the human body, journeys through space and time, the wonder and warnings attached to technological developments, utopias and dystopias, alien encounters, and more it also covers a range of genres–e.g. “Speculative Visions” is a title rich with denotative and connotative meanings covering the scope of this issue of (In)Visible Culture and of Cultural Studies more generally. For Issue 27, the editorial board of InVisible Culture is honored to present a special introduction by Dr.

Critical Theory and Science Fiction by Carl Howard Freedman