Part II: Talking sheep
As a child, a librarian once described to me the difference between non-fiction and fiction. Non-fiction is true, she said; fiction is not.
She couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
The fissure that divides the two factions of literature, non-fiction and fiction, irregularly dissects the truth. But in librarian logic, it is category, a form – something the truth does is not easily confined to.
History books, how-to books, biographies, atlases – these are non-fiction because they supposedly describe the world for what it is. But all you have to do is look at the controversy surrounding the content of textbooks in Texas to realize that non-fiction authors often take as much artistic license as their counterparts on the fiction shelf.
Across the isle, fiction consists of stories that are “made up” … or so we were told. When we take the time to dig into these authors’ lives, it becomes apparent that much of fiction is remixed autobiographical content. The stories tell the personal narratives of the non-fiction history books on the opposite shelf.
Pushed to the very end of the fiction shelf is science fiction and fantasy. What sets these genres apart from general fiction is the inclusion of imaginary story elements. But they no more falls on the wrong side of truth than other forms of fiction.
Science fiction is fantasy in the age of science. It’s aliens instead of ogres, ray guns instead of magic rings. Comic book heroes are part of this class. Though Superman and Batman may not be science fiction in the classic sense of the term, they are materially indistinct from fantasy. For example, Iron Man is both fantasy superhero and science fiction technology. This correlation is nothing new either. Just read the stories of ancient Chinese martial arts legends who fought villains with their seemingly supernatural powers to keep peace in society and you’ll see what I mean.
The common thread linking the Hobbit, Batman and Star Trek is this: the authors felt the need to insert imaginary elements into their stories.
I think we sometimes assume that the writers of science fiction and fantasy did so on a whim, simply because they like spaceships or wearing underwear on the outside or whatever. But what I’m really going for here is that these authors felt the need to bend the boundaries of reality.
To understand why, we turn to another type of literature that contains fantastical elements: fables. It’s not hard to draw a line from science fiction to fantasy to myths, legends and fables. Talking sheep are really no stranger than flying saucers.
Now here’s something my librarian was right about. She told us that fables were intended to communicate virtues and morals. Aesop’s Fables are a prime example . “The Tortoise and the Hare” is not simply a story about talking animals, it’s a treatise on the value of perseverance. Stories such as these can be found in many, if not all, cultures.
In today’s world, we don’t interact everyday with animals; however, we do interact everyday with technology, hence science fiction’s androids, robots, and Transformers. From comic books to Star Wars, it is not surprising that the stories of these modern fables revolve around the struggle between good and evil, heroes and villain.
Writers have long understood that the deepest of truths, such as those dealing with morals and ethics, are sometimes best embedded within strong fictional narratives. There are plenty of examples in literature, from Aesop’s Fables to Animal Farm.
If you don’t believe that fiction is often more apt at telling the hard truths than non-fiction, just read The Onion, a fictional news website. Peel back the satire, and you’re left with some truths that may make you laugh or cry. Another example is Comedy Central’s satirical TV news program, “The Daily Show,” whose host, Jon Stewart, ranks among the most trusted men in America.
The truth is that the real truth is many times far too dangerous to say directly. It needs to be cushioned in the satirical, the anthropomorphic, the fictional, the fantastical – including science fiction. It it any wonder than the man who wrote Animal Farm also wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four?
There’s another realm that fiction, especially science fiction, is uniqeuly equipped to address: the unknown.
To be continued…
Part II: Talking sheep
As a child, a librarian once described to me the difference between non-fiction and fiction. Non-fiction is true, she said; fiction is not.
She couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
The fissure that divides the two factions of literature, non-fiction and fiction, irregularly dissects the truth. But in librarian logic, it is category, a form – something the truth does is not easily confined to.
History books, how-to books, biographies, atlases – these are non-fiction because they supposedly describe the world for what it is. But all you have to do is look at the controversy surrounding the content of textbooks in Texas to realize that non-fiction authors often take as much artistic license as their counterparts on the fiction shelf.
Across the isle, fiction consists of stories that are “made up” … or so we were told. When we take the time to dig into these authors’ lives, it becomes apparent that much of fiction is remixed autobiographical content. These stories tell the personal perspective of the narratives in the non-fiction history books on the opposite shelf.
Pushed to the very end of the fiction section is science fiction and fantasy. What sets these genres apart from general fiction is the inclusion of imaginary story elements. But they no more belong on the wrong side of the truth than other forms of fiction.
Science fiction is fantasy in the age of science. It’s aliens instead of ogres, ray guns instead of magic rings. Comic book heroes are part of this class. Though Superman and Batman may not be science fiction in the classic sense of the term, they are materially indistinct from fantasy. For example, Iron Man is both fantasy superhero and science fiction technology. This correlation is nothing new. Just read the stories of ancient Chinese martial arts legends who fought villains with their seemingly supernatural powers to keep peace in society and you’ll see what I mean.
The common thread linking The Hobbit, Batman and Star Trek is this: the authors felt the need to insert imaginary elements into their stories.
I think we sometimes assume that the writers of science fiction and fantasy did so on a whim, simply because they like spaceships or wearing underwear on the outside. But what I’m really going for here is that these authors felt the need to bend the boundaries of reality.
To understand why, we turn to another type of literature that contains fantastical elements: fables. It’s not hard to draw a line from science fiction to fantasy to myths, legends and fables. Talking sheep are really no stranger than flying saucers.
Now here’s something my librarian was right about. She told us that fables were intended to communicate virtues and morals. Aesop’s Fables are a prime example. “The Tortoise and the Hare” is not simply a story about talking animals, it’s a treatise on the value of perseverance. Stories such as these can be found in many, if not all, cultures.
In today’s world, we don’t interact everyday with animals; however, we do interact everyday with technology, hence science fiction’s androids, robots, and Transformers. From comic books to Star Wars, it is not surprising that the stories of these modern fables revolve around the struggle between good and evil, heroes and villain.
Writers have long understood that the deepest of truths, such as those dealing with morals and ethics, are sometimes best embedded within strong fictional narratives. There are plenty of examples in literature, from Aesop’s Fables, as was already mentioned, to Animal Farm.
If you don’t believe that fiction is often more apt at telling the hard truths than non-fiction, just read The Onion, a fictional news website. Peel back the satire, and you’re left with some truths that may make you laugh or cry. Another example is Comedy Central’s satirical TV news program, “The Daily Show.” No one would believe that its host, Jon Stewart, is a “real” news anchor. He’s a comedian, and yet he ranks among the most trusted men in America.
The truth is that the real truth is often far too dangerous to say directly. It needs to be cushioned in the satirical, the anthropomorphic, the fictional, the fantastical – even science fiction. It it any wonder than the man who wrote Animal Farm also wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four?
But if the intrique of science fiction just stopped there, with simplistic sketches of good and evil, all we would is fairy tales. Thankfully, there’s another, deeper realm that fiction, especially science fiction, is uniqeuly equipped to address: the unknown.
To be continued…
