David (Cinéma)
New member
This question is inspired by one posted earlier tonight regarding Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, which was made into a movie last year. The question more or less was: "How is this science fiction?" Which I found interesting because the novel, which is very openly set in an alternate British dystopia of the author's imagination, completely centers on human clones. So, duh, it's partly science fiction. Because it grabs hold of actual science--genetics, cloning--and imagines a fictional version of said science.
I also notice, now and then, a person discussing, say, P. D. James' Children of Men and its film adaptation, and they'll have this tone of, "Oh, it's science fiction, I s'pose, but it's not SCIENCE FICTION. It's smart and has contemporary themes and is for adults."
So: do you ever get the feeling a lot of people assume science fiction as a genre begins and ends with the form and cliches of space opera--Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.? The dashing hero, space battles, alien races...
Bonus: Have you ever read anything by Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and/or Stanis?aw Lem?
I also notice, now and then, a person discussing, say, P. D. James' Children of Men and its film adaptation, and they'll have this tone of, "Oh, it's science fiction, I s'pose, but it's not SCIENCE FICTION. It's smart and has contemporary themes and is for adults."
So: do you ever get the feeling a lot of people assume science fiction as a genre begins and ends with the form and cliches of space opera--Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.? The dashing hero, space battles, alien races...
Bonus: Have you ever read anything by Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and/or Stanis?aw Lem?