Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality,[1] instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or other imaginative realms.[2] This catch-all genre includes, but is not limited to, science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, magical realism,[3] superhero fiction, alternate history, utopia and dystopia, fairy tales, steampunk, cyberpunk, weird fiction, and some apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction. The term has been used for works of literature, film, television, drama, video games, radio, and their hybrids.[1]
Distinguishing science fiction from other speculative fiction[edit]
"Speculative fiction" is sometimes abbreviated "spec-fic", "spec fic", "specfic",[4] "S-F", "SF", or "sf".[5][6] The last three abbreviations, however, are ambiguous as they have long been used to refer to science fiction (which lies within this general range of literature).[7]
The term has been used by some critics and writers dissatisfied with what they consider to be a limitation of science fiction: the need for the story to hold to scientific principles. They argue that "speculative fiction" better defines an expanded, open, imaginative type of fiction than does "genre fiction", and the categories of "fantasy", "mystery", "horror" and "science fiction".[8] Harlan Ellison used the term to avoid being pigeonholed as a science fiction writer. Ellison, a fervent proponent of writers embracing more literary and modernist directions,[9][10] broke out of genre conventions to push the boundaries of speculative fiction.
The term "suppositional fiction" is sometimes used as a sub-category designating fiction in which characters and stories are constrained by an internally consistent world, but not necessarily one defined by any particular genre.[11][12][13]