One of the reasons that Space Opera is absolutely still within the greater category of Science Fiction is exactly what you're describing -- it's the Sense of Wonder (or facetiously, "sensawunda") that is so important in Star Wars and in Asimov, in Le Guin and in Bradbury.
See, this is really interesting, because one of my distinctions between fantasy and science fiction (admittedly I don't have much experience with science fiction) was always that sci fi seems to be so much more - grounded, I guess the word would be. Both feet flat on the ground and no sense of wonder, whereas "sense of wonder" was in my list of elements that make a book a fantasy.
And in fact - I'm guessing because I have negative associations with sci fi - I associate any borderline sci fi/fantasy, like Connie Willis and even the Ray Bradbury book I just read - as fantasy.
I think "getting to Mars" is a sci fi concept, but The Martian Chronicles isn't really about that, is it? It's about human nature more than anything, and I thought it wouldn't be out of place categorized with fantasy.
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sarken
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Date: 2012-07-17 10:32 pm (UTC)See, this is really interesting, because one of my distinctions between fantasy and science fiction (admittedly I don't have much experience with science fiction) was always that sci fi seems to be so much more - grounded, I guess the word would be. Both feet flat on the ground and no sense of wonder, whereas "sense of wonder" was in my list of elements that make a book a fantasy.
And in fact - I'm guessing because I have negative associations with sci fi - I associate any borderline sci fi/fantasy, like Connie Willis and even the Ray Bradbury book I just read - as fantasy.
I think "getting to Mars" is a sci fi concept, but The Martian Chronicles isn't really about that, is it? It's about human nature more than anything, and I thought it wouldn't be out of place categorized with fantasy.