Science Fiction (A Definition)

Yesterday, in my current sf course, we discussed and attempted to define what we mean when we talk about “science fiction.” We read several introductions to the topic, considered a couple of illustrative texts, and decided that any definition of science fiction must be locally situated: i.e., there is unlikely anything we can call “SF” as in an absolute, immutable genre, but we must content ourselves with the local and contingent “sf.” We decided we like the “sf” more than “sci-fi,” since the former also includes “speculative fiction,” and seems to be the choice of those who do the deepest thinking about science fiction. As one student said yesterday, “sci-fi” is a TV station, suggesting that this is the popular side of science fiction. Both are valid, but our study will stick with “sf.”