The Sci-fi phase

With very few people classifying science fiction as serious literature this entry might not be popular,mainly due to the fact that being a student of English I am supposed to write about literature which is much more seriously taught,written about and thought about. A rumor circulates in the Literary world that writing Science Fiction is not a very difficult task to do especially those in possession of basic scientific knowledge and some writing skills. But what people (rather people branding science fiction as can be written anytime by anybody literature) tend to forget is that Science fiction is equally about fictional science as it is about creating characters in a fictional universe, giving them your desired traits something which primarily defines literature. And the amount of scientific knowledge one must have in order to write sensible Science fiction should also be given attention since you can only fictionalize a factual subject if you get your facts right. So it is NOT easy to write Science fiction since possession of decent scientific knowledge is not something which is found in every passerby.

While going through a collection Science fiction short stories I realized that the conventional portrayal of Science Fiction is actually not what Science fiction writers or Sci-fi film directors intended readers and audiences to think of whenever the words Science fiction was mentioned. The collection of science fiction short stories I was reading (courtesy The American Library) was a very different one from those that I have read on previous occasions. Most of the stories dealt with the psychological aspect of fictional science and its effects when applied to a situation. Science fiction is often thought to be futuristic depictions of technologically advanced civilizations. That might be the case in George Lucas's Star Wars (a series I am not very fond of) but most of the short stories in the above mentioned collection dealt with fictionalized scientific theories, incidents even plain simple conversations where the reader could make out that the scientific setting of the world is different from the one we dwell in. So be it a young woman dissatisfied with the futuristic education system but nonetheless ridiculing that one when "Human" teachers used to teach not one but a group of students together, the reader could immediately make out that the setting is scientifically fictional. What I basically loved about these short stories were that most of them had a relatively simple plot but the complications involved were more psychological and at times moral than technological. I know it sounds weird but one reading these short stories will immediately understand the point that I am trying to make. And certain stories gave the concept of science fiction a whole new dimension which at times made the reader forget that it is Science fiction. For me as a reader some stories became just plain pieces of fiction which had scientific elements but a strong story overtook that. Now what more can one ask for in literature. I guess classifying literature's strength on the basis of genre is totally uncalled for. Literature, whatever genre it belongs to will always have its negatives and positives. And it will be enjoyed by all no matter what genre it belongs to.

My sci-fi phase is not only confined to the book I referred to. Two films I watched recently have significantly contirbuted :D. Last Night by Don Mckellar and Primer by Shane Carruth. Last Night features a group of people and what they undergo on the eve of Doomsday. Primer on the other hand features a couple of engineers trying to design a machine which will allow time travel. Writing too much about them will not make much sense since the best way to understand the sci-fi significance of these films will be to watch them intently. Last Night is mostly dark humor,parodying the concept of Human civilization,what it intended to and what it has become. How Human beings behave or rather how their behavior remains unchanged even on the Last Night on this planet is the core story. I strongly recommend Last Night for its take on the end of humanity and the question put up by the director of whether the end is a boon or a bane for the civilization as well as the planet. Primer on the other hand is extremely difficult to understand since it deals with concepts of Physics and the director himself being an engineer has maintained scientific accuracy throughout the character duo's trying to construct a time travel machine. Since it deals with space and time related Physics it might not be understood or liked by everyone but for the hardcore Science fiction fan should go for it since the director like a skilled artisan blends factual Physical science with a fictional story. And now that the film is being studied for possible breakthroughs in time travel related Physics, this might also be enjoyed by students/teachers of Science people who are generally not fond of science fiction.

This phase is ending. Enjoyed it? Ofcourse I did. For someone like me who hates writing anything at all wrote a lengthy essay on this and I guess that is proof enough. Science fiction for me has and I guess always will be a different way to look at Science. The fictional window helps me to see the factual side of it. And though technically not a student of Science, Science fiction has always helped me realize how wonderful he subject is. Guess thats all for the day. Goodnight. :D