Science Fiction vs. Fantasy

[Aeliara]

Science Fiction vs. Fantasy

How do you catagorise them? What are the differences in you opinion?

I remember when I was younger, I absolutely hated any novel that could be considered "science-fiction," probably because of how I associated it with pop culture. However, recently a good friend of mine has introduced my to beauty that is the BBC show Doctor Who and I am in love. (And I adore the 10th Doctor, but the 9th is MY Doctor wink ) I've also been reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and I have no idea why I didn't read it before; it's absolutely beyond brilliant.

Additionally, how would you classify a show such as Supernatural, which deals with science, religion, and folklore?

(Gratuitous Show picture because Aeliara may or
may not be an unabashed, hand flapping fangirl.)

 

[Catherine of Aragon]

I usually think of SciFi as being centered around technology more that things like elves or dragons, which would be under fantasy. As for Supernatural, not sure, but I'm pretty sure it's Fantasy (I don't watch it much). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an awesome book, it's so hard to find a mix of comedy/scifi 3nodding  

[Sita Harker]

Icon by Wicked_Visions

Agreed with Catherine.

As for Dr. Who, with episodes like the werewolf and witch episodes, it's sometimes hard to tell if it is fantasy or sci-fi, but since everything has a scientific explanation (however lame), it is pure sci-fi.

Dr. Who, not exact quote

What you call a voodoo doll I call a DNA replicator capsule!

Perhaps it is time, however, to include science fiction into our guild? Or maybe even all categories? Or perhaps just a few?

Icon by moi

 

[beaulolais]

in my opinion, science fiction as such has to have a significant element of science, and in particular, of scientific devices and gear.

i love the early work of Nancy Kress, who in my opinion wrote a fantasy all time hall of fame book with Prince of Morning Bells (originally more aptly titled The Tents of Omnium)

now i just read a later work of hers, after she shifted into "hard" sci fi, called Beggars and Choosers; it is quite good for that sort of thing, but misses the awe which true fantasy evokes in me.  

[Catherine of Aragon]

Sita Carew

Icon by Wicked_Visions

Agreed with Catherine.

As for Dr. Who, with episodes like the werewolf and witch episodes, it's sometimes hard to tell if it is fantasy or sci-fi, but since everything has a scientific explanation (however lame), it is pure sci-fi.

Dr. Who, not exact quote

What you call a voodoo doll I call a DNA replicator capsule!

Perhaps it is time, however, to include science fiction into our guild? Or maybe even all categories? Or perhaps just a few?

Icon by moi

Huh, that idea sounds like it could be promising. Adding Scifi could attract new members and increase member activity 3nodding  

[Thrain Okensheild]

That would be and interesting idea. I'm not sure how we would want to propose we work on that but idk if a sister guild, our just a new part to the guild already.

I do like both, Scifi and Fantasy. They both peak my interests.  

[Aeliara]

I feel as if they go hand in hand, but Sita, I remember that quote and loved it! (PS Did you watch the Easter special?) Do you think that science fiction has a "magical" element in a way, though? Maybe in that there is so much that's unexplained?

I also keep thinking about The Claidi Journals by Tanith Lee. She constantly references unexplained phenomena as "science/magic." Since they take place in a sort of other world, I've always thought of them as fantasy, but they could really be science fiction. One of those on-the-cusp sort of stories, I guess.

A science-fiction section would bridge wonderfully, I think. And then how cool would it be to list the fantasy vs the science-fiction ways of doing things. Like travelling between worlds - the Narnia jumping through pools and the Tardis or something. mrgreen  

[beaulolais]

i already belong to a couple sci fi guilds, such as Winding Deep, and they are not exactly prospering.

BMW did great at making a luxury sports sedan.

then everybody starting selling lots of SUVs so they figured they had to have one too.

the BMW SUV is a major disappointment.

the moral of my little story is, let's stick to what we do best.

P.S.: there is in fact an in-between genre, called Science-Fantasy. Marion Zimmer Bradley has a guild for such writers. This magazine tries to include both the more science-y kind and the more fantastic kind: http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/
it avoids too much techno-geeky language, and is more interested in the marvelous than the mechanical. we might consider broadening out that much at least.  

[Catherine of Aragon]

Maybe we can also do a little steampunk.

Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.-wikipedia

Just an idea....It does have fantasy aspects sweatdrop  

[Sita Harker]

Catherine of Aragon

Maybe we can also do a little steampunk.

Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.-wikipedia

Just an idea....It does have fantasy aspects sweatdrop

Icons by Wicked_Visions

I think Steampunk here would fall under SciFi - which leaves us to the question, should we include scifi?

beaulolais, I'm not suggesting a complete overhaul of the guild theme, we'd probably just have a few more threads, themed SciFi

Icons by Wicked_Visions

 

[Lydia the English Major]

For me, Science Fiction is concentrated around science and the future, mainly, while Fantasy is mainly about magic and an idealized vision of the past.  

[beaulolais]

hmm, you may have a helpful distinction here!

whether there is technology or not, or imagination or not, the past/future distinction does seem to hold in most cases.  

[Lydia the English Major]

beaulolais

hmm, you may have a helpful distinction here!

whether there is technology or not, or imagination or not, the past/future distinction does seem to hold in most cases.

That's what I've generally seen, at least. There are examples of both scifi and fantasy that take place in the present, but the fantasy usually talks about things from the past and the scifi usually makes remarks about the futuristic aspects of whatever.  

[beaulolais]

i was just reading a fragment of Tolkein's The Lost Road, and it involves a longing for the past which results in a mystical journey there.

my favorite book, The Hollowing, is about following mythical archetypes (dangerous ones) back through time to prehistory.

those are both fantasy, although the latter one has elements of horror as well....i wonder whether anyone can disprove this past/future theory?  

[Ranewan]

I am a major Sci-fi fan, but I am also a fantasy fan as well as Supernatural. The supernatural and paranormal seem to tie into Sci-fi alot because of aliens, ghosts. There many scifi shows out there and most of them seem to deal with outerspace or extremely ugly looking aliens that intend to kill us. I do think that somethings can be underboth classifications, such as Tinman and Legend of earthsea. both mini series were on the scifi channel,but they also have an element of fantasy to them. Fantasy tends to revolve around princesses, wizards and magic spells, both of which are in Tinman and Earthsea, however Tinman deals with alien like sucking of people's souls, funky looking monkeys and the pepe which are alien like creatures that want to tear your flesh off and Earthsea also has they same kind of creatures.

So, Sci-fi vs Fantasy?

My answer, you can't have one, without the other.