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Sci Fi disbelievers Converted!January 13th, 2004 | 23:02 hrs - Tarex Times Tattler (C) Suspension of disbelief !!! Critical care patients were transported beyond their dull and empty surroundings into the realm of fictional works by literary purveyors extraordinaire! Less than a stroke of a pen, more a stroke of genius. Each moment held for later inspection for its own extant truths, as the yarn, told in multi-plasmic alliteration in duo-biotic speech forms, was unraveled before the audience. Specialists claim a possible cure may be discovered in efforts focused upon truth seeking and moralizing. But proponents and victims alike assert a bolder view. Max Inform of Data Collusion Inc. states "the state of mind achieved in a temporary "suspension of disbelief", allows the subject organism to teleport, albeit only partially, their consciousness - beleaguered by the hum-drum, day-in day-out common experience - to new realms, higher levels, or alternate nodes better suited to enagage the human condition." Claims by Athos Expatriot include statements like "Experiments have shown conclusive evidence that folks like their fiction - 'Sci Fied'". Perhaps the strongest evidence for further study is the necessity of intervention by "Mother" a.k.a. the work of the Gray Aleins. And what to do about all those steaming piles of goo following an Alien invasion ??? The taxpayers will demand action, if only a token gesticulation by one or more extended phalanges!
What constitutes "Science Fiction?"(Oh Boy: Will I ever regret this!) The general measure used here (and often by others) is that a Sci-Fi story must have some aspects that are at least surreal or unreal. The events, circumstances, people, creatures, places, and technology may all be sources of some "other than normal daily life" reality. There exists a well-known quote (Arthur C. Clarke) that sums up the surreal for many folks; "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.". Hence, a new tool can present that surreal element that makes a story compelling.It can be as simple as events that happen too frequently. An example is a greater number of auto accidents or bad weather days. No explanation is required either. That is, a Sci-Fi story does not have to reach any sort of "expected" closure. Sometimes Sci-Fi stories re-intrepret reality to generate a sense of unreality, urgency and strangeness. The degree of strangeness is often manipulated to enhance the experience for the audience. For a written work, this requires a "deft hand" in the creation of prose. For radio listeners, the dialog is accompanied by sounds, pauses and music that enhances the environment of the story. For cinema, the full spectrum of audio, visual and story elements are combined to create a "living tapestry" for the audience. Update: 02 JAnUarY 2006 - Strangeness. An interesting quality. I had not previously written about the extra-ordinary quite well enough. So here goes the "newts!" Flash: Great SciFi is often derived from sociological, political, and historical aspects. Perhaps even the human emotion and general mental or physiological state of a person can provide that extra helping of strangeness that generates a surreal story. Arthur C. Clarke's "Rama" book series or Frank Herbert's "Dune" series unfold, by ever increasing degrees, tapestries of rich and textured social, historical and political elements. As a sub-category of sociological research, religions and other faith/belief structures provide a fertile ground for discourse in the surreal. Human emotions under tight restraint, or unbidden before the reader, add a healthy dose of moisture to the growth of strange forms in the sand. The Bene Gessrit Sisterhood of Dune guard carefully the hazards of emotions, particularly one so difficult to define. JUY-terminex. Two important aspects must be addressed: story elements and character development. Story elements can be simple or complexed, but I think it is moderately essential that Sci-Fi media producers (authors, f/x creators, directors) employ what I think of as "durable story elements" that stand up to the scrutiny of the youngest and oldest audience members. For example, "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry developed basic premises of the federation members: they were explorers and not conquers of space. The federation worlds supply a consistent social structure in which most of the star fleet personnel grew up. I use this example because it will be familiar to most readers here and it is an on-going, ever-evolving series of stories. That is, short stories may not need this kind of durable story elements to be successful. The other key aspect, character development, is likewise more important the longer the story or series becomes. This is true of most fiction and non-fiction. If you as audience cannot connect to the characters, it becomes difficult to empathize within the sphere of the character's world. A bleeding man with radiation burns has more import when you know that he or she knew the injury was avoidable. And that now his/her children will be parentless. My address of key aspects should not suggest that short stories or those without great details are inferior: read "The Eyes Have It" by Philp K. Dick. It is short, surreal and presents a sense of urgency: all without extensive character or durable elements. The audience! You are ultimately the source of the experience. If you are experienced, educated or rule-bound in nature, it may be that the fuzzy boundaries of Sci-Fi stories just seem fake or unbelieveable. Sometimes they are! If you like or need to stay grounded in reality you may not find the escapism in fiction satisfying. But here is the catch: you can't learn well inside so-called "reality". The simulated worlds of fiction have lead to many great realities and have provided safe learning environments. Cities in space are becoming a reality in the International Space Station. We have the "Caves of Steel" (Asimov) in our enclosed malls and connected building of the northern hemisphere. Flight Simulators help pilots practice dangerous flight manuevers and recover from simulated malfunctions in safe environments. Simulation is what fiction is all about. Crafting a good simulated world allows us to obtain experience in absence of the real thing. And if a story gifts us each pause about our own world we may begin to see new paths before us, albeit rocky and treacherous roads they may be. While I am aware that numerous sources have generated their own definitions of what Sci-Fi is about, I prefer to just give you my short qualifications and be done with it. Click here, if you are interested in others peoples definitions. Other misunderstandings: While the "little green men", spaceships from other worlds, errant robots or rogue mutants tend to dominate story themes or elements, they are not the full extent of Science Fiction stories. For example; while Asimov and Clark tend to write more about so-called "science fact" stories (based upon currently or soon-to-be available technologies); Dick writes more decidedly metaphysical, and pyschological stories themes. This variety in the Sci-Fi tapestry is what keeps me reading.
What separates this from other types of stories?Absolutely nothing! Just you. Often my definition of what is Sci-Fi is based on my preferences. For example, I refain from including vampire or other traditional "horror" genre story themes. While horror tends to rely on surreal creatures (those you don't normally meet at the corner store), horror stories tend to come out of an older time (e.g. vampires, werewolves, and the "living" dead) or they represent extremes of pyschotic human or animal behavior or experiences (e.g. Psycho, Ravenous, Friday the 13th). They arise from an earlier zeitgeist in human history. That is, before Science became formal. This is why I tend to say some so-called Sci-Fi stories are really:
Please don't get upset! This is just the way that I have come to know the world. My training is not in literature, theatre, or film. My observations here represent what every person does: discriminate stimulus items.
Categories or Elements of Science Fiction storiesThe following attempts to identify themes in stories of this genre, giving movies as examples of each.
What is not Sci-FiIf your still having trouble figuring out why something is or is not in this category of fictional story, consider what is not Sci-Fi. Stories that deal with real events, real/actual science or pseudo-science are not Science Fiction stories. Examples of each are found below. Real Science The Human Genome Project Forensic Science used in criminal investigations Agricultural Research Medical Research - Cancer, Heart Disease, etc Any Research employing the Scientific Method & Principles, referencing & following up previous academic research and employing a peer review process. The Employment of the rule of parsimony (the K.I.S.S. principle) is an important part of Science as a method of investigation and philosophy. Real Events The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster Ebola Virus Outbreaks in Africa The Cold War The Cloning of "Dolly" the sheep in England The Sharon Tate Murders - Charlie Manson Cult Mass Whale or other sea-life strandings on shore Meteors falling to Earth (or the Shoemaker-Levy Comet crash on Jupiter. Any Events that actually occurred, witnessed/reported by someone and verified by others and/or leaving some kind of credible evidence, and are not "manufactured" for some form of person gain or publicity. Quite often these are regularly printed in Newspapers or Reported on television. Pseudo-Science UFO Sightings, Astrology, Psychic Powers or Events Elvis Sightings - particularly at Seven-11! (He prefers Kwiky-Marts) Yeti, Abominal Snowman, Big-foot Sightings Bermuda Triangle/Sargasso Sea Disappearances Loch Ness Monster Sightings And other such nonsense that has more entertainment value, hype, and associated fan clubs. :+) Not that I'm against that sort of thing!
"WAS IST DER ZEITGEIST???"The Zeitgeist, or "spirit of the times", represents the social and technological experiences and thoughts of various populations. The influences on your father and mother's youth were far different than your time. These differences lead to common experiences for many people of the same age groups (generations). These common experiences lead to specific and personal "points of reference", "view point" or perspectives. Unless you have been fortunate enough to have seen a black and white movie that has been presented with the original accompaniment of a PIPE ORGAN, you may not have a similar personal view point. I only saw one movie this way: Phantom of the Opera. On Halloween! Which is why I probably classify it as horror. The World had many pipe organs in theatres and many movies were originally viewed for under a dollar! Keep in mind: the written works of authors like Franz Kafka and perhaps Aesop's Fables may have represented "Sci-Fi" for people in that time period. Therefore, by the time I have died and you have rewritten this text, you will claim some grand theory that supersedes my claim to knowing the definition of Sci-Fi. Good-Luck!
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