I really liked the different types of Sci-Fi we have delved into this semester. They are all under the umbrella term of Science Fiction, but what exactly is Science Fiction. There isn’t really a concrete definition for it. The genres for the books seem to change and grow all the time, making it difficult to have a lasting definition. Personally I call something Sci-Fi if there is a change in technology, from the current time period, which impacts society.

Let me break it down a little. The change in tech comes from my idea that in order to be sci-fi, science has to be different. This doesn’t always have to mean an advancement. It could just be a change. I base the change off of what time period the piece is written in. For example, if something was written in the early 1900’s about going to the moon that work would be sci-fi. Even though it is scientifically possible to go to the moon now, it wasn’t then. Lastly the change needs to affect something. There needs to be a change in how the society functions. In the avengers movies society is basically the same but there are new idles and the acceptance of superheroes. Society has changed.

Not all the books that we have read go under the definition of sci-fi. Handmaids Tale to me isn’t sci-fi. Yes society changed, but the technology didn’t change it. STD’s and cult people did. Life after Life isn’t sci-fi either. There is no change in science. Its more historical realism, or fantastical realism. These books are closer to fantasy because not even science can explain them. A clear sci-fi book I feel we have read this year is Left Hand of Darkness. The change in society would be the fact that Ai’s job exists and the intergalactic space travel.
Giving genres definitions can be difficult.

New genres are constantly being though up and changed. Like the appearance of the YA novel or middle school novels. Sci-Fi works as an overall umbrella term, but I don’t think it can be used to define many books themselves. There are now many little subcategories that can more appropriately define a book such as Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, and Fantastical Fiction.