by Rick Bavera

Created on: March 12, 2009

Just what is science fiction? If I pick up a science fiction story or novel, will I be able to understand it? Will it be so full of science and logical thinking that I will not have any idea of what is going on within the story?

Rest assured that you do not need to worry. One reassuring fact is that often science fiction deals with current science and technological issues. It usually deals with it a way that helps us to understand some of the possible impacts of those issues and trends.

Another reassuring thing is that science fiction literature has the same basic elements that other literature contains. These elements (or characteristics) are storyline, frame, characterization and pacing.

Storyline is the "what is this about?" question and answer. Think of it as the topic, or the plot, such as nuclear war in Nevil Shute's "On the Beach," or robots (technology) in Karel Capek's "R.U.R." or Isaac Asimov's robot novels and stories. Science and technology usually play a large role in science fiction stories, thus the name "science" fiction.

Frame is the setting, the "where and when is this happening?" question and answer. The stories are usually set in the future, as seen from the vantage point of the author of the story. Sometimes this is the relatively near future, as in Kate Wilhelm's "Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" and "Juniper Time," or Edward Bellamy's "Looking Backward." Other stories are in a more distant future, like H.G. Wells's "The Time Machine." The answer to the where can range over the entire universe, from the Earth of Clifford D. Simak's "City," to Milky Way Galaxy-wide stories, as in the various Star Trek tales, to out of our galaxy tales such as the Star Wars series of stories. Stargate SG-1 stories have Earth-based humans interacting with issues on Earth and universe-wide. Science and technology form a strong part of the setting, too, often involving space or time travel, medicine, biology or any other science field you can imagine.

Characterization is the "who" of the story. Science fiction has, overall, had less in the way of character development than other types of literature. The science and technology is often the point of the story, with people there to help the science and technology move forward in the story. In a sense, science is one of the characters, and is often better developed than the individuals who are acting out the story.

Pacing is the movement of the story, sort of the "how and why?" questions. If the action is coming from

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