Science Fiction vs. Fantasy

Last updated early 1997

As you may know, Clark's law is "Any sufficently advanced technology is inditinguishable from magic". This would seem to imply that any fantasy could be just a science fiction story using really, really advanced technology.

I am not alone in thinking that there is a real (though hard to define) difference between fantasy and science fiction. Having given this matter some thought over the years, this is my analysis.

Rule 1: if there are dragons in the story, it must be fantasy. On the face of it, this seems like a silly rule as the "Pern" novels suggest that one can create "techno" dragons. Despite MacCaffery, I still think this is a true statement.

Rule 2: if there are heroes and princesses, it is fantasy. Again, this seems confounded by many counter examples of science fiction novels with heroes but I still say this is true.

What common element links these two rules? Dragons and heroes are "archetypes" of the European culture from which the genre fantasy emerged.

My definition of fantasy is: fiction based on the conflict between archetypes and set in the archetypel landscape of our culture.

My definition of science fiction is: fiction based around trying to imagine a world where some technological or social change has occured that makes it different from our own world.

These two definitions are not mutually exclusive, and consequently I have little trouble in saying that Zelazny's "Lord of Light" is both fantasy and science fiction.