Speculative Fiction Overview

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts related to speculative fiction, specifically focusing on fantasy, science fiction, and adventure genres.

Speculative Fiction

A category of fiction that departs from reality, exploring supernatural, futuristic, and imaginative themes.

Fantasy

A genre where magic and supernatural phenomena are incorporated into the plot, often set in an imaginary world.

Adventure Fiction

A literary subgenre featuring exciting stories about a brave hero who saves someone from danger and often involves a journey.

Magic

An element in fantasy fiction that includes a system of laws or powers not found in the regular world.

Heroic Adventure

A narrative structure where the protagonist undergoes challenges and risks during their journey.

Science Fiction

A genre focused on technology, time travel, and speculative science, often exploring futuristic concepts and societal impacts.

Power Structure in Fantasy

The hierarchy or governing authority that often reveals the moral conflicts and motivations of characters in fantasy stories.

Characteristics of Adventure Literature

Includes elements such as a heroic protagonist, a journey or quest, unusual locations, action, and danger.

Narnia

A magical winter world in C.S. Lewis's 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' where characters face adventures and moral challenges.

The Odyssey

An ancient Greek epic poem traditionally attributed to Homer, detailing Odysseus's journey home and his encounters with mythical creatures.

Dystopian Fiction

A subgenre of speculative fiction that explores social and political structures in a dark, nightmare-like world often characterized by oppression and misery.

World-building

The process of constructing an imaginary world with its own geography, history, and laws, essential for establishing immersion in fantasy and science fiction.

Magical Realism

A literary style where supernatural or magical elements are integrated into a realistic setting, treated as normal parts of everyday life.

The Hero's Journey

A narrative template, also known as the Monomyth, involving a hero who goes on an adventure, wins a victory in a crisis, and returns transformed.

Steampunk

A subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19^{th}-century industrial steam-powered machinery.

Cyberpunk

A subgenre of science fiction set in a futuristic urban society, typically featuring advanced technology alongside a breakdown in social order (low life and high tech).