You’ve probably heard of “The Lord of the Rings”, “Dracula”, and “The Handmaid’s Tale”. We know that all of these titles are works of fiction, but did you know they are also part of a specialized literary category called speculative fiction?
Speculative fiction consists of stories that couldn’t take place in our world as we know it because they have fantastical or hypothetical elements. If you’ve ever read a story with vampires, time travel, or an alternate history where the Allies lost World War II, you’ve read speculative fiction.
This umbrella genre asks, “What if?” to explore the human condition and how changes to the world would shape human behavior and society.
Take George Orwell’s “1984”, where a totalitarian regime controls thought itself and the reader is forced to consider the impacts of surveillance and propaganda on personal freedom. Or maybe the dystopian trilogy “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, which was adapted into an enormously successful film franchise. The series poses questions about political violence and class warfare through its portrayal of Panem, a society that pits children from various social districts against one another in televised gladiatorial death-matches.
We’re going to take a look at how speculative fiction is different from literary and genre fiction, the trajectory of its popularity, and how it has influenced both writers and artists of other mediums.
Before we can talk about speculative fiction, we need to define ‘literary fiction’ and how it differs from what scholars and editors call ‘genre fiction’. While both are written to entertain their audiences, they have distinct purposes, themes, and stylistic compositions.
Genre Fiction
Genre fiction is a form of creative writing with one primary objective: entertain the reader. This type of fiction is focused on providing an escape for the reader rather than critiquing social or cultural norms. Genre fiction is plot-driven, and unlike literary fiction (which avoids the use of popular storytelling tropes) it relies on specific formulas and motifs to successfully tell stories.
This isn’t to say that a book being categorized as genre fiction is a sign of bad writing. In fact, it is far from it! Also called pulp or popular fiction, genre fiction is designed to appeal to the masses, giving the everyday reader access to compelling stories in their favorite genres such as romance, mystery, fantasy, and horror.
Famous genre fiction authors include Stephen King, Agatha Christie, and Terry Pratchett.
Literary Fiction
Literary fiction traditionally focuses on character studies and realism rather than genre tropes or high-tension plotlines. The purpose of literary fiction is to encourage readers to examine the human condition rather than look for an escape from real life. It relies on complex themes, depth of characters, and an emphasis on experimental and sophisticated style over mass market appeal.
Famous literary fiction authors include Toni Morrison, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jhumpa Lahiri, and James Baldwin.
Literary Fiction That Leverages Elements of Genre Fiction
It’s important to note that while literary fiction is often grounded firmly in reality, it isn’t always the case. Many authors have produced work that challenges the definitions of genre fiction, particularly science fiction and fantasy, by publishing work based in alternate worlds that also wrestles with the existential questions posed by traditional literary fiction.
One of the most famous of these authors is Octavia E. Butler. Influenced by writers like Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein, her books “Dawn”, “Kindred”, and “The Parable of the Sower” are rooted in traditional themes of science fiction such as aliens, space travel, and alternate realities. However, Butler intentionally subverts these classic tropes to examine greater cultural questions about race, gender, and sexuality.
Generations of writers have taken inspiration from authors like Butler, which has caused literary fiction as a whole to move away from a strict definition of realism. As more literary authors have experimented with combining otherworldly setting and complex, character-driven narratives, genres like sci-fi and fantasy have been steadily elevated from their pulp fiction status of the past.
This intersection of complex characters, social and cultural commentary, and classic elements of sci-fi and fantasy genre fiction is what we define as “speculative fiction”.
The Roots of Speculative Fiction (prior to 1947)
Although the term ‘speculative fiction’ wasn’t coined until the 1940s, writers have long been creating works that utilize elements of both popular genre fiction and traditional literary fiction. It’s not uncommon for these early authors’ work to have been classified as genre fiction only to later be recategorized as speculative fiction.
For example, Charles Dickens was considered a popular fiction writer during the Victorian era due to his ability to appeal to both the lower and upper classes. However, while his writing was famous for its humor and accessibility, he was also deeply concerned with asking social, moral, emotional, and psychological questions about poverty and the personal autonomy of children, blurring the line between popular genre fiction and more complex literary fiction.
“A Christmas Carol”, arguably Dickens’ most famous work, combines the witty prose he was famous for with an existential examination of ethics and community, particularly when it comes to social class.
The main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is visited by ghosts who help him travel through time and space, where he is confronted with the mistakes of his past as well as the potential to do good in the future. The book concentrates heavily on Scrooge’s actions as a miserly, upper-class business owner and how his greed directly affects his working-class employee Bob Cratchit. This meld of the real and the surreal to frame issues surrounding class and morality is a prime example of speculative fiction written long before the category was “officially” introduced.
Other examples of early speculative fiction writers include:
- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley: Shelley’s most famous work, “Frankenstein”, is often considered the first work of science fiction. However, it is also grounded in questions surrounding personhood, scientific responsibility, and the ethics of creation.
- Jules Verne: In works such as “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”, Verne blends adventure, science, and ideas about technological advances to create rich texts that resonated deeply with his European audience. His work was largely influential for “The War of the Worlds” writer H.G. Wells.
The Rise of Speculative Fiction (1947-today)
Robert Heinlein, one of the best-selling science fiction writers of the 20th century, played a key role in popularizing the term “speculative fiction.” In his 1947 essay, “On the Writing of Speculative Fiction,” he defined these stories as the embodiment of “the notion ‘Just suppose‘ or ‘What would happen if…?’” But how did these stories gain the popularity they have today?
The advances of science and technology, particularly those associated with space travel, provided ample inspiration for sci-fi and fantasy writers during the Cold War era. This explosion of innovation, combined with a collective awareness of quickly-evolving societal norms, created a ripe market for imaginative fiction that could examine the possibilities of the future against the anxieties of the present.
Speculative fiction only increased in popularity as writers continued to push the boundaries of literary fiction and genre-specific elements. This resulted in both a wider reach of speculative fiction in literature, as well as a growing influence on other forms of art and pop culture. For example, Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1968 speculative fiction series “The Books of Earthsea” is a critical influence on both fantasy author George R.R. Martin and acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.
Octavia E. Butler’s work helped spark the beginning of Afrofuturism, a multimedia movement that expresses Black identity, agency, and culture through a science fiction lens of liberation and technology. While this movement was born primarily from Black speculative fiction writers, it quickly spanned disciplines to include music, visual art, production design, and more.
Here are some examples of Afrofuturist artists and artwork:
- Sun Ra: Avant-garde musician and composer whose cosmic jazz arrangements linked the African-American experience with ancient Egyptian mythology and outer space.
- Kindred: Octavia E. Butler’s 1979 novel about a young Black woman who is transported through time and space from her California home to a plantation in the pre-Civil War South.
- Marvel’s Black Panther: A massively successful 2018 film set in Wakanda, a technological utopia that showcases what Africa could have looked like in a future free of colonization.
The Future of Speculative Fiction
The future is bright for speculative fiction. More than ever, readers are gravitating towards its unique blend of social commentary and fantastic setting, giving authors even more incentive to explore new, bold worlds in their writing.
Prestigious organizations, such as The Hugo Awards and The Nebula Awards, that once honored writers like Heinlein, Butler, and Ursula K. Le Guin now showcases a new generation of authors who are striving to build a more diverse and inclusive speculative future. These writers are boldly pushing the boundaries of speculative fiction in a time when scientific innovation and technological advancement is everyday news.
Some examples of contemporary speculative fiction authors include:
- N.K. Jemisin: Jemisin’s work, which spans several novels, short story collections, and a novella, often explores themes around systemic oppression of minority groups, political power, and climate change. In 2018, Jemisin became the first author to win three Best Novel Hugo awards in a row.
- Rebecca Roanhorse: With a thematic focus on power, prophecy, and cultural mythology, Roanhorse subverts the traditionally Eurocentric trappings of the fantasy genre to imagine a future through an indigenous perspective. Her trilogy “Between Earth and Sky” won a 2025 Hugo award for Best Series.
Without speculative fiction, the authors who pioneered it, or the fans who have supported it, we wouldn’t have popular works of film and television like “Blade”, “Black Mirror”, “Westworld”, and “Game of Thrones”. These imaginative worlds, their iconic characters, and their enthralling stories became cultural touchstones. They shaped genres and sparked conversations about society, technology, and human nature.
More than just entertainment, speculative fiction is a reflection of the real world, exploring the problems and anxieties we have now under the veil of storytelling.
Conclusion
Speculative fiction is a genre that explores “what if?” scenarios by creating worlds altered by fantastical or hypothetical elements. It examines the human condition and society while questioning fundamental aspects of life, like existence, morality, fate, and death. Speculative fiction does this through the imaginative lens of its wide range of genres like fantasy, science fiction, superhero fiction, horror, alternate history, and other boundary-pushing narratives.
Speculative fiction reflects the real world by exploring current problems and anxieties through storytelling. It’s gone beyond entertainment to become a field of study and influence on philosophy, literature, and all forms of media at large, including film, television, and video games. Without authors like Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia E. Butler, speculative fiction wouldn’t have evolved into the rich, thought-provoking genre it is today.
Studying this genre sharpens writing, media literacy, and analytical skills by encouraging readers and writers to evaluate ideas, question assumptions, and communicate complex concepts clearly. These are the same skills you’ll practice and build through National University’s English programs. National University has three options you can pursue:
