Article

Defining Science Fantasy

Viviane Bergue

I
t is often difficult to question being whether Science Viviane Bergue has a PhD
in Comparative Literature
distinguish and define Fantasy is closer to Fantasy or to from the Université Toulouse
the different subgenres SF. For The Encyclopedia of Science 2-Le Mirail, France. A
revised version of her thesis
of imaginative fiction, as publishers Fiction, it is rather the first option, was published in 2015
and critics regularly add new even if Peter Nicholls points out that under the title La Fantasy,
mythopoétique de la quête.
ones that sometimes overlap with “Science Fantasy does not necessarily She is the founder and editor of
existing categories. This is typically contain magic, gods and demons, Fantasy Art and Studies.
the case of Science Fantasy, a term heroes, mythology or supernatural Viviane Bergue est Docteur
which was mostly used in the 1950s creatures3”, all of these being typical of en Littérature Comparée, de
l’Université Toulouse 2-Le
and the 1960s. Science Fantasy Fantasy fiction, but, instead, “certain Mirail. Une version remaniée
is generally intuitively seen as “a SF themes are especially common in de sa thèse a été publiée en
bastard genre blending elements of Science Fantasy – parallel worlds, 2015 sous le titre La Fantasy,
mythopoétique de la quête.
SF and fantasy”, to quote the entry other dimensions, ESP, monsters, Elle est la fondatrice et éditrice
of The Encyclopedia of Science psi powers and supermen – but no de Fantasy Art and Studies.

Fiction1, in other words a kind of single one of these ingredients is

stories that are in-between Fantasy essential4.”
and Science Fiction, thus explaining The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
the reunion of the antithetical complicates the view by mentioning
words science and fantasy. However competing subcategories,
Peter Nicholls, author of the entry, Rationalized Fantasy and planetary
observes that Science Fantasy romances, while suggesting that
has never been clearly defined. the term Science Fantasy better
Comparatively, The applies to dying-earth tales, in which
Encyclopedia of Fantasy discusses
2
“history and science are like the
the term a bit more thoroughly, stories which underlie most fantasy
though it starts with a definition narratives, and when protagonists in
provided by Gary K. Wolfe in such tales discover what makes their
Critical Terms for Science Fiction worlds tick, the effect is less that of
and Fantasy: A Glossary and conceptual breakthrough than of
Guide to Scholarship, according recognition5.”
to which Science Fantasy refers to Quickly, the scholar or
stories where Fantasy elements are the curious reader who wants to
used in a Science Fiction context. determine what Science Fantasy
Gary K. Wolfe’s definition is not so exactly is finds themselves switching
different from the definition of The from entry to entry, each of them
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. It adding new related terms, and thus
still comes to the basic notion that drawing a galaxy of interconnected
Science Fantasy is a mix between Fantasy categories which may
Science Fiction and Fantasy, the form together the face of Science
Fantasy. Consequently, it seems
1 Peter Nicholls, “Science Fanta-
sy”, in John Clute, David Langford, Peter
necessary to examine these cross-
Nicholls and Graham Sleight (eds.), The references a little closely in order to
Encyclpedia of Science Fiction (digital), establish a definition and a better
http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/ understanding of Science Fantasy
science_fantasy
2 “Science Fantasy”, in John Clute 3 Peter Nicholls, art. cit.
and John Grant (eds.), The Encyclopedia of 4 Ibid.
Fantasy (digital), http://sf-encyclopedia. 5 The Encyclopedia of Fantasy,
uk/fe.php?nm=science_fantasy op.cit.
4
and how it diverges both from Science Fiction This impossible transportation from one planet
and more traditional Fantasy narratives. to another, without the help of a technological
device, signals the work as definitely Fantasy. The
Barsoom and the planetary romance rest of the narrative and the subsequent books
trend confirm this grounding into Fantasy, rather
Both encyclopaedias agree that planetary than plain Science Fiction, with their marvellous
romances in the line of Edgar Rice Burroughs are adventures and epic journeys.
to be considered as Science Fantasy, rather than The Barsoom series also diverge from
actual Science Fiction. In the Barsoom series Science Fiction aesthetically, something that
and similar works, the alien planet on which the is visually emphasized by the various cover
action takes place functions more as a Fantasy illustrations of the books, such as the one signed
world than a typical SF venue. Indeed, these by Frank E. Schoonover for the McClurg edition
planetary romances feature exotic civilizations of A Princess of Mars. This illustration features
that remind of our pre-industrial and pre- in the foreground a man clothed as an antique
technological past – they have royal dynasties, warrior – he wears a kind of tunic and several
theocracies, still use swords to fight and have leather straps and belts that make him look like a
traditions and codes of honour that point to gladiator – and holding a sword in his right hand,
medieval or antique times – though they may his other hand aimed at shielding the woman
possess an advanced technology. Monsters and in the background, who is wearing red antique
psi powers6 are common in these stories. In the robes and a kind of diadem, which looks slightly
Barsoom series, for instance, all Martians are ancient Egyptian. The décor behind them also
telepathic. The Red Martians also have flying looks antique, reminding us of Roman palaces.
machines, and Burroughs imagines weapons that Nothing in this illustration tells that the story
have nothing to envy to other similar devices in takes place on Mars. On the contrary, the image
SF of his time. could be used for the poster of a peplum movie. It
The Barsoom series actually remain a is however consistent with the title of the novel,
classic and a prototype for subsequent planetary A Princess of Mars, since the word “princess”
romances7. Mars is reinvented here as a once points to the world of romances and fairy tales,
flourishing world, much like Earth, but that is rather than the world of Science Fiction.
now decaying: oceans have disappeared and Frank E. Schoonover’s cover illustration
been replaced by deserts, there are numerous is typical of the imagery surrounding the
abandoned cities and ruins, and its inhabitants Barsoom series: the various editions of the
have developed different technologies to adapt series have similar cover illustrations, following
to this mainly dried world. As in more traditional the same aesthetics that looks much like the
Fantasy worlds, Mars – or rather Barsoom as it imagery accompanying Robert E. Howard’s
is called by its inhabitants – also has its legends, Conan stories, published some years later in
its strange beliefs, and a history that is full pulp magazines. On these pictures, men are
of mysterious enigmas concerning the fate of athletic and portrayed as muscular warriors,
supposedly vanished people. whereas female characters are beautiful, sexy,
The first story of the series, A Princess of and generally almost naked. Thus Dejah Thoris,
Mars, initially published in All-Story magazine, the eponymous Martian princess, looks very
has its main protagonist, the Earthman John similar to Red Sonja, a comic book character
Carter, transported to Mars in a completely based on a character invented by Howard. It is
impossible way. From the account of the no surprise then that, if the fiction of Howard has
character, who is the narrator of his own story, been indistinctly referred to as Heroic Fantasy
the reader understands that somehow Carter or Sword and Sorcery, the planetary romances
has had his astral body separated from his actual of Edgar Rice Burroughs and his imitators have
body, left in a cave somewhere in Arizona, and also been sometimes labelled Sword and Planets.
that his astral form has been attracted by Mars8. Their similar aesthetics and the absence of actual
scientific extrapolation in Burroughs’s Barsoom
6 That is mental powers, such as telepathy, teleki- series imply that this sort of planetary romances
nesis, clairvoyance, etc.
is simply a displacement of Sword and Sorcery
7 “Planetary Romance” in The Encyclopedia of
narratives from so-called ancient unknown ages
Fantasy (digital), op.cit., http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/
fe.php?nm=planetary_romance cago, McClurg, 1917 (1912), available at Project Guten-
8 Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars, Chi- berg, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62/62-h/62-h.htm
5
of the Earth9 and imaginary worlds to other The apparent similarity of SF and
planets, the alien venue serving then as a loose Fantasy, due to their distribution through the
explanation for the development of fantastic same channels, the proliferation of narratives
fauna and flora, and seemingly human people that were more interested in adventures than
with special abilities. actual scientific extrapolation and the use of
similar visual aesthetics, was however amplified
An aesthetics rooted in pulps and comic in another growing medium: comic books. Both
books Conan and the Barsoom series were adapted
It is worth noting that both Burroughs’s and in comics, just like the adventures of another
Howard’s fiction were initially published in hero created by Burroughs, Tarzan. Julian C.
pulp magazines. These low-quality paper Chambliss and William Svitavsky have pointed
publications played an important role in the out the continuity between pulp heroes and
spreading of popular literature during the first these iconic characters of comic books that are
half of the twentieth century, because they were superheroes11, in terms of racial and cultural
cheap and they mostly published adventure assumptions, as well as in terms of thematic
and supernatural stories as well as mystery characteristics.
fiction. If Weird Tales, in which Howard’s In this context, it is interesting to observe
stories first appeared, must be considered as the that the Barsoom series has been a major influence
first pulps dedicated to Fantasy – and indeed on Alex Raymond’s comics Flash Gordon, which
it mainly published Fantasy narratives and in turn has been influential on superhero comic
Horror tales, whereas Amazing Stories favoured books12. Flash Gordon is again a planetary
Science Fiction – many pulps did not really romance, in which the eponymous character,
draw a clear line between Fantasy and Science an Earthman, is transported to planet Mongo,
Fiction, and indistinctly published both genres. where he lives amazing adventures. This time,
Consequently, from an editorial point of view, the means of transportation is a technological
SF and Fantasy could be seen as very close, and, device, a spaceship in which the character and
somehow, interchangeable. They appeared in his female friend Dale Arden travel, with the mad
the same magazines, they were illustrated by the scientist Dr Hans Zarkov, in order to prevent a
same artists, and, thus, superficially, they shared collision between Earth and Mongo. Despite this
the same visual aesthetics10. The proximity was beginning that sounds plainly SF, the comics
such that, in 1950, while the pulps were receding turns back to more fantastic and adventurous
and slowly replaced by digest magazines, the tropes. Once on the alien planet, Flash Gordon
British publishing company Nova Publications enters into conflict with Ming the Merciless,
launched a new publication entitled Science the despot emperor of Mongo who calls himself
Fantasy. Funnily, despite its name, Science emperor of the universe. The conflict is a pretext
Fantasy mainly published Fantasy stories by for many adventures that lead the hero and his
authors who have since become famous in the companions to explore the various kingdoms of
genre, namely Michael Moorcock – who became Mongo, each of them a rather fantastic setting,
the editor of another Nova Publications magazine such as for instance the undersea kingdom of the
more focused on Science Fiction, New Worlds, Shark Men or the flying city of the Hawkmen,
when it was acquired by Roberts & Vinter –, whose look has inspired the superhero Hawkman
Thomas Burnett Swann, and Terry Pratchett, from DC Comics. Among the villains faced by
though it also featured the dystopian fiction of Flash Gordon, the giants of Frigia and the Witch
J. G. Ballard. Queen Azura should be mentioned as examples

11 Julian C. Chambliss and William Svitavsky,

9 Conan stories take place in the Hyborian Age, a “From Pulp Hero to Superhero: Culture, Race, and Iden-
fictional period that Howard places before the beginning tity in American Popular Culture, 1900-1940”, Studies in
of actual ancient history. See Robert E. Howard, “The American Culture 30 (1), October 2008
Hyborian Age” (1936, 1938) and “The Phoenix on the 12 According to Les Daniels, Superman’s costume
Sword” (1932) in The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, is based, among others, on Flash Gordon’s spatial equip-
New York, Del Rey Books, 2002. ment. Indeed Flash Gordon’s outfit is red and blue. See
10 The Pulp Magazine Archive at Archive. Les Daniels, Superman: The Complete History, the Life
org, https://archive.org/details/pulpmagazinear- and Times of the Man of Steel, San Francisco, California,
chive?&sort=-downloads&page=8, gives a good idea of Chronicle Books, 1998, p.9. See also Arie Kaplan, From
what pulp magazines looked like, and how much they Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books, Philadel-
were similar in terms of visual aesthetics. phia, Jewish Publication Society, 2008, p.13.
6
of fantastic figures displaced in a supposedly Consequently, The Encyclopedia of
typical SF venue. Later adventures have the hero Fantasy is right in referring to Rationalized
travel to other planets, after the overthrow of Fantasy in its entry dealing with Science Fantasy,
Ming, thus transforming the planetary romance since the two subgenres seem to overlap and
into a space opera13. might be considered as two different terms
Flash Gordon shows the perenniality of a referring to the same kind of fiction. According
certain kind of narratives, which see other planets to The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, Rationalized
as merely fantastic venues where everything is Fantasy can be given three meanings, all of them
possible, from the existence of monsters and consistent with Science Fantasy, as a blending of
impossible fauna and flora to strange ancient Science Fiction and Fantasy. The first meaning
civilizations and people with seemingly magical concerns stories in which magic is codified
powers. The comics also bridge the gap between through almost rationale systems. The second
fantastic pulp fiction and superhero stories. meaning is about stories in which what appears
fantastic at first finally receives a rationale
Rationalizing Fantasy explanation16, for instance when the Fantasy
Planetary romances from pulps and comics are a events happen to be a dream, especially in
real claim for the need of a term such as Science Children’s Fantasy. The encyclopaedia also gives
Fantasy that combines the two main genres of the example of Dave Duncan’s The Seven Swords
imaginative fiction, even if it could be tempting trilogy (1988) in which the so-called wizards
to say that these narratives do not have so much “turn out to be masquerading technologists even
to do with Science Fiction. However these tales though the world they inhabit is one in which
express a tendency to rationalize their Fantasy. the Goddess and her magical servants regularly
Even Burroughs extrapolates his idea of a Mars intervene17.”
that is now a decaying world from current Meaning 3 comes closer to Science Fantasy
speculations from scientists of his time14. In and the planetary romances that have been
Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover series and discussed, since it applies to stories in which the
Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern, that can fantastic is explained through SF tropes. “Thus
be both labelled as planetary romances from the in Julian May’s Saga of Pliocene Exile (1981-
Science Fantasy trend, the fantastic aspects of the 1984) the Fairies whom the adventurers meet
worlds described receive a rational explanation. in the past turn out to be aliens, the Vampires
Both Pern and Darkover were originally settled in Barbara Hambly’s Those who Hunt the Night
by people from Earth, who either were unable to (1988) have been changed by a virus with which
leave the planet or wanted to create an agrarian it is possible to experiment in the laboratory,
society there, and their descendants gave birth and so on18.” Sometimes it is the reverse: SF
to a new civilization that developed psi powers icons are given a magical rationale, as in Barbara
and forgot all about its origin. The very fact that Hambly’s Dragonsbane (1986), in which it is
Darkover and Pern’s societies look medieval said that dragons have arrived on Earth “by
appears then as a consequence of this oblivion winged flight from another planet19.” Similarly,
and the necessity faced by the first settlers to in a sort of modern process of euhemerizing the
rebuild a civilization from nothing, without Northern gods, the recent movie adaptations
being able to rely on technology. So what looks of the Marvel comics Thor make the gods, the
magic at first glance can be explained, and the giants and the elves come from other planets20. It
remnants of the original spaceship can take can be noted, in passing, that these adaptations
fantastic proportions15. thus diverge from the original comic books, in
16 In Todorov terms, this sort of narratives would
13 “Flash Gordon”, in Guy Haley (ed.), Sci-Fi be labelled as uncanny.
Chronicles: A Visual History of the Galaxy Greatest Sci- 17 “Rationalized Fantasy”, in The Encyclopedia
ence Fiction, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Firefly Books, 2014 of Fantasy (digital), op.cit., http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/
14 See for instance the works of Percival Lowell, fe.php?nm=rationalized_fantasy
who speculated on the existence of canals on Mars, thus 18 Ibid.
giving ground to Burroughs’s Fantasy of a Martian world- 19 Ibid.
wide system of canals to distribute water on this rather 20 Medieval accounts of the Northern myths have
dried planet. already considered that the gods were merely magnified
15 Jacques Goimard, Critique du merveilleux et de men, as it is the case in Snorri Sturluson’s Ynglinga Saga,
la fantasy, Paris, Pocket, 2003, chapter 7 “La Science in which the gods are the ancestors of the Ynglings, and
Fantasy” and chapter 8 “Les superpouvoirs” thus the ancestors of the kings of Norway.
7
which Asgard, the city of the gods, is located words, SF is concerned with the multiple possible
on Earth. The change might be due to the humanities from alternative presents to unknown
producers’ will to create an inner consistency in futures, whether on Earth or on faraway planets.
the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hardly existing Somehow, the more the narratives that can be
in the various competing versions of the Marvel labelled Science Fantasy tend to a rationalization
superhero comics, so that a character from of their Fantasy elements, the more they get
Northern mythology like Thor can coexist with closer to actual Science Fiction, and can appear
the hyper-technological hero Iron Man, without less as Fantasy tales than as Science Fiction
generating a sense of discontinuity and disbelief. stories in Fantasy disguise.
Hence the Asgardians live in another world, that
is rather explicitly presented as another planet, Science Fantasy is certainly a problematic
and they can create machines that look very and challenging term as it creates a bridge
much like robots, such as the Destroyer sent by between Fantasy and Science Fiction, two genres
Loki to kill Thor. Bifrost, the marvellous rainbow which, according to Darko Suvin’s famous
bridge that links Asgard to Midgard (e.g. Earth), theorization of SF, seem antithetical. However,
is a wormhole, according to astrophysicist Jane when one looks closer at the galaxy of narratives
Foster’s data, and the Dark Elves are a people and subcategories related to Science Fantasy, it
who spread in the universe before light existed21. appears that this subgenre always displays an
Imagining that gods, elves and dragons internal tension between favouring fantastic and
come from other planets and should be plainly unrealistic adventures and a tendency
considered as extra-terrestrial beings might to rationalize its more fantastic elements, even
appear as an even better explanation or, in any on a superficial level. Thus planetary romances
case, a more appealing one than saying that may describe worlds that look definitely Fantasy
gods and elves were actual men whose deeds but can be made believable through the idea of
and lives were embellished so as to make them divergent evolution of fauna and flora, due to an
bigger than life, or that dragons were fantasised environment that differs from Earth’s. Similarly,
creatures based on the observation of dinosaurs the existence of creatures from folklore and
bones. Indeed, by identifying them as alien mythology becomes suddenly possible because
beings, the narratives then acknowledge both they are reinvented as extra-terrestrial beings
their extraordinary abilities, which can be easily who travel in spaceships.
interpreted as magical by pre-industrial societies, In any case, the fusion of SF and Fantasy
and their impossible anatomy. Suddenly these into Science Fantasy has been rendered possible
mythological and folkloric creatures gain some mostly by the editorial context of pulp magazines,
kind of veracity, they leave the plainly impossible the legacy of which is perceptible in comic books
to enter the probable. It is certainly in this way, and in digest magazines that have replaced pulps.
more than in displaying traditional SF elements Writers and readers alike were then confronted
such as other planets and flying machines, that to publications that indistinctly offered Fantasy
Science Fantasy comes closer to Science Fiction. and SF stories, without clearly drawing a line
Indeed, according to Darko Suvin, SF is a genre between the two genres, while using similar
in which cognition, that is what we know of visual aesthetics to illustrate them.
the laws of nature, and a form of estrangement Although the term Science Fantasy is less
interact. SF “does not ask about The Man or The used today, the kind of fiction it refers to has not
World, but which man? in which kind of world? disappeared, as the movie adaptations of Marvel
and why such a man in such a world22?” In other comics Thor show, and it is probable that the
subgenre will keep challenging the views on what
21 See Kenneth Branagh, Thor, 2011, and Alan Tay- makes a story either a Fantasy or a SF narrative.
lor, Thor: The Dark World, 2013. Fiction Genre”, College English, Vol.34, N°3, December
22 Darko Suvin, “On the Poetics of the Science 1972, p.375

8
Bibliography

Primary sources
Kenneth Branagh, Thor, 2011
Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars, Chicago, McClurg, 1917 (1912), available at Project
Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/62/62-h/62-h.htm
Robert E. Howard, The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, New York, Del Rey Books, 2002
The Pulp Magazine Archive, Archive.org, https://archive.org/details/
pulpmagazinearchive?&sort=-downloads&page=8
Alan Taylor, Thor: The Dark World, 2013

Secondary sources
Julian C. Chambliss and William Svitavsky, “From Pulp Hero to Superhero: Culture, Race, and
Identity in American Popular Culture, 1900-1940”, Studies in American Culture 30 (1), October
2008
Les Daniels, Superman: The Complete History, the Life and Times of the Man of Steel, San
Francisco, California, Chronicle Books, 1998
“Flash Gordon”, in Guy Haley (ed.), Sci-Fi Chronicles: A Visual History of the Galaxy Greatest
Science Fiction, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Firefly Books, 2014
Jacques Goimard, Critique du merveilleux et de la fantasy, Paris, Pocket, 2003
Arie Kaplan, From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books, Philadelphia, Jewish Publication
Society, 2008
“Planetary Romance” in John Clute and John Grant (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (digital),
http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=planetary_romance
Peter Nicholls, “Science Fantasy”, in John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls and Graham
Sleight (eds.), The Encyclpedia of Science Fiction (digital), http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/
entry/science_fantasy
“Rationalized Fantasy”, in John Clute and John Grant (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
(digital), http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=rationalized_fantasy
“Science Fantasy”, in John Clute and John Grant (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (digital),
http://sf-encyclopedia.uk/fe.php?nm=science_fantasy
Darko Suvin, “On the Poetics of the Science Fiction Genre”, College English, Vol.34, N°3,
December 1972