Science Fiction as Romance

Jim McDonald, a writer and regular over on Making Light, wrote a very nice short essay about the difference between science fiction and literature.

It's a short read. The gist of it is that science fiction readers want "romance." Not what we today think of romance, but the 19th century use of the term. In the 19th century, a "romance" was any big epic story, featuring drama and larger-then-life heroes. Frankenstein was a classic 19th century romance. The fact that it's also one of the first science fiction novels is no coincidence.

Science fiction, especially in the US, labors under other handicaps. Basically, it's the Star Trek / Star Wars effect. Star Trek is the McDonald's of science fiction, while Star Wars is the Burger King. McDonald's is suitable for all ages, and very sugar-coated. Burger King is slightly more adult, but still OK for anybody over the age of 12 - kids who know they don't like pickles on their hamburgers. But just as McDonald's and Burger King are both valid examples of restaurants, Star Trek and Star Wars are both valid examples of science fiction.

However, if all you know of restaurants are fast food joints, how much respect will you give to the restaurant business? A similar problem afflicts science fiction in America.

So science fiction gets both barrels - we write a style (romance) that's not popular and is perceived as kid's stuff.