Perhaps we can tackle the question of what speculative fiction is another way. Instead of using one of two extremes, maybe the best approach is somewhere in between. For a more useful definition, let's go back to the concept of speculative fiction asking a question and answering with a scenario.

Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven examines how art can survive in a world devastated by an epidemic. Denis Villeneuve's Arrival—itself a film adaptation of Ted Chiang's short story, "The Story of Your Life"—asks if you would make the same choices despite knowing those decisions would lead to future heartbreak and tragedy. The latter doesn't even sound like a science fiction or fantasy story, but as people who've seen the film know, this question is asked against the backdrop of first contact with aliens whose language alters humanity's perception of time.

Maybe it's best to think of speculative fiction as narratives that examine the world as we know it and push its boundaries. Under this definition, spec fic looks at our world as it exists today and imagines what's possible. If we use this set of conditions, then the idea of speculative fiction becomes more defined. It eliminates stories that already exist within the confines of an existing genre.

For example, A Song of Ice and Fire, by virtue of not being set in our world, no longer falls into the category of speculative fiction. It doesn't need to. It is set in a secondary fantasy world and the label of epic political fantasy is more than adequate to encompass the kind of story it tells.

Meanwhile, speculative fiction becomes more useful as a descriptor for stories like Station Eleven and Arrival. Both narratives are science fiction, but that genre as a descriptor isn't very helpful in signaling to a reader or viewer what kind of science fiction story they are. And in the end, that's the true purpose of genre labels: to categorize stories in ways that make it easier for their ideal audience to find them.

But the reality is that the definition of speculative fiction shifts over time. Robert Heinlein defined it one way. The umbrella term definition later emerged in reaction. And now, yet again, we seek a balance between the two ends of the spectrum, to be more precise and useful. No doubt, the debate over speculative fiction will continue to rage on. At least, we join good company. Margaret Atwood and Ursula K. Le Guin once had a famous debate about this very topic, after all.

What Is Speculative Fiction?

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