Sci-Fi

General info: Science Fiction, as a genre in literature, cinema, and other forms of art, is steeped in fantastic assumptions, interpretations and reinterpretations of science, technology, natural sciences, and the humanities. Known as both Sci-Fi and speculative fiction, the genre is often bathed in the conflict of the way the steady march of progress interacts with people and society, for good or ill. It is a broad genre that incorporates a multitude of settings and themes, from new discoveries, to grand inventions, facts unknown to science, space exploration, and time travel. The action of science fiction often takes place in the future, which makes this genre related to futurology, though it also houses subgenres in alternate history, such as the ever-popular Steampunk subgenre. The author of the term “Sci-Fi” is thought to be Yakov Perelman, who in 1914 wrote and published an additional chapter titled Breakfast in a Weightless Kitchen to Jules Verne’s novel From the Earth to the Moon, which he gave the term “Science Fiction.” But the true depth of the genre is endless, and each writer who has stepped into the realms of speculative fiction, both past and present, have truly pushed the boundaries of what we may even consider Sci-Fi. Its popularity has grown since its start in the 19th century, and now the genre contains many subcategories that differ in atmosphere, mood, and scientific assumptions.

Cultural overview: Jules Verne, William Gibson, Herbert George Wells, Arthur Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Stanislaw Lem, Ursula K. Le Guin, etc.
The genre grew in popularity with 19th century classics such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Both stories contributed to the creation of the “mad scientist” trope which has since become a famous archetype in Science Fiction. Writers such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells promoted the genre into the boom of the 20th century. Authors including Arthur Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and George Orwell have helped solidify the place of Science Fiction in serious literature.

Meaning: The advent of science fiction was sparked by the industrial revolution in the 19th century. Originally, Science Fiction was a genre of literature describing the achievements of science and technology, the prospects for their development. As the genre made its way into the mid 20th century, a new golden age of Sci-Fi centered on celebrating the progress of scientific achievement. Many of these works were utopian in nature, such as Isaac Azimov’s Foundation series. This led into the new wave of Sci-Fi projects that were often much grander in scope, such as the seminal Star Trek series and Frank Herbert’s Dune books.
The later development of technology came to be viewed in a negative light and led to the prominence of dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction. These stories often center around the ways technology can be used for control or destruction, instead of for the betterment of mankind.

Most used keywords: #space exploration, #time travel, #inventions #technologies #cyber #weapon #spaceships #robots #machines #aliens #timetravel #spacetravel #teleportation

Distinctive traits of symbols: The Sci-Fi category is characterized by technogenic civilizations, with spaceships, robots, exoskeletons, high-tech machines, military uniforms, weapons of unusual shapes, battles with alien monsters, interstellar battles, confrontations of various space races, and much more. Also, Sci-Fi has elements of post-apocalypse and cyberpunk. Plastic, chrome, flat textures, and cold light are an integral part of this atmosphere.