can science fiction be great literature?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
gsingle33
First of all, I acknowledge that there are great writers who have written great science fiction. Orwell, Anthony Burgess, Herbert, and Tolkien are some of the ones I would put in that group. BUT, my question really boils down to whether you can classify contemporary storytellers who limit their material to space, swords, sorcery, and the like as writers of great literature.
I'm posing this question under the assumption that "great" writers are considered such because a) their work offers itself to expansive interpretation and critical examination, and b) their work is more than just storytelling.
So tell me, who are these fantastic writers? But give me more than just names, anybody can do that. Tell me why they are so fantastic. Back up your statements if you really believe in them. (extra credit for quotes ;) )
I'm going to be a bit mean and assume that you havent read much Science fiction or fantasy for that matter. Like any other genre in literature Sci fi and fantasy can both be critically examined and most of the time it can be more than just storytelling. Alot of them have warnings and hidden meaning.
For example, i read many of Terry Brooks shannara series and at first sight it looks as if it is set in a different world with elves and dwarfs etc when in fact it is set in our world thousands of years after we almost destroy ourselves. I Know your all thinking 'whats this got to do with anything?' my point is simply that he has observed what is going on in our world today, mankinds obsession with power and science and weapons and trying to be better than other nations, how religion and racism are fueling unnessessary wars even when they are not to blame. He has predicted what we will do to ourselves if we continue trying to better ourselves and trying to be the ultimate power. The only thing is he has put all this in to an fantasy book.
If These contexts had been put into a novel based in our time with a character philosophically observing the world around them, realising that hazzards we are causing the world, and that there was noway of preventing it even though they'll try, it might get classed as great literature. so why not class it as great literature in the context that it was written?
Also to single out Si Fi and say that it cant be great literature because it is set out side reality is unreasonable. no matter what you read there is an ounce of Si fi or fantasy in it. Most childrens books are based outside our reality, with sci fi or fantasy in mind,and many of them are classed as great literature. Alice in wonderland, the chronicles of narnia, to name a few.
Also i believe any novel that has any kind of dream sequance, fancy gagets used by agents etc could be slightly noted as being of a sci fi or fantasy sub-context.
Many writers of other 'genres' have delved into writing sci fi/ fantasy. they obviously think its worthy. The Irish crime fiction writer John connelly just brought out a book called 'the book of lost things' which is like an adults fairytale, and is of the fantasy genre. now in all fairness it does plagerise a lot of other works, but it is in fact very good.
Any book that takes modern ideals or politics and put forward into the future is essentially Sci fi. 1984 is great literature, it is also great Science fiction!:)
