What is the difference in emphasis between the terms science fiction and speculative fiction? Which is The Man in the High Castle?
The story in “The Man in the High Castle” reveals the idea of what if World War II was won by the opposite side. Philip K. Dick describes the outcome of how the world would be in the form of racism in different cultures. He then continues the story in a setting of outer space and starts to develop aspects of science fictional.
Philip K. Dick uses a real life historical background and fictionalizes it, adapting science fictional aspects into it. Due to the mixture of different categories of fictional ideas, we cannot entirely say that it is science fictional because it did not have a major role in the story. I believe this story is not reflecting its main idea on a science fictional theme but a historical one, and showing more characteristics of a speculative fictional story.
Hi Daehun. I just want to put my ideas with yours.
ReplyDeleteThe speculative fiction is mainly considered as the variation of science fiction that contains more philosophical and difficult themes in story line or the settings of world. This word fixed with the movement in the field of science fiction which the number of writer worked to bring those themes into science fiction. For example, Brown (2001) describes some core of talented writers would bring an increased literacy sophistication, an appreciation of psychological depth, and a heightened social awareness to the genre in the pulp SF boom 1953. In other words speculative novel is more artistic than science fiction. Incidentally, Philip K dick was one of the outstanding writers of Science Fiction in that movement so there are many philosophic aspects in his novels such as The Man in the High Castle. According to Brown (2001), mind of characters and another world of this novel in close relationships even cannot expect the fate of world without the understanding of individual characters. Furthermore, the answer for philosophical investigation is not easy as much as in his other novels. Therefore, I think it can say this is one of the speculative novels because the psychological term is an important element.