Existing comment:
Classic Speculative Fiction:
The illustrations included in this section accompanied early and influential stories of speculative fiction which could be categorized as belonging to multiple genres (science fantasy, sword and planet, heroic fantasy, lost world, etc.). Several primary themes and elements are shared amongst many of these stories -- including quests, supernatural elements, or interplanetary travel. All of the stories behind the illustrations presented in this group, as well as the illustrations themselves, had enormous impact on subsequent authors and artists working in the field.
Many stories and illustrations represented in this section of the exhibition could be described by the genre 'science fantasy.' While a single definition for science fantasy cannot be agreed upon, it can be said that it is a mixed genre within the umbrella of speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon and/or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. As a combination of the two, science fantasy gives a scientific veneer of realism to things that are fantastic and simply could not happen in the real world under any circumstances. |