Science fiction is a genre with a long history. Some find its origins in "True Stories", written in the 2nd century by Lucian of Samosata. The term itself first appeared in 1851, in an essay by William Wilson entitled "A Little Earnest Book Upon A Great Old Subject". In fact, it was not until 1929 that the term came into common use in the United States. In the French-speaking world, it was used with a hyphen from 1950 onwards.

Defining science fiction is an arduous task, since this generic term - like classical music, for example - covers an infinite variety of genres and sub-genres, sometimes far removed from the original notion. Nevertheless, it's necessary to attempt it, if only to know what we're talking about.

The first development of science fiction took place in North America, where it exploded in the mid-twentieth century, although it remained a genre reserved for amateurs at a time when science was essentially a male domain. Initially exclusively literary, it evolved into cinema, comic strips and video games. France adopted the genre in the second half of the last century.

Since then, much has changed, both in terms of content and production, and in terms of its audience. It's no longer just about science, especially since the happiness guaranteed by scientific and technical evolution, which was probably one of the reasons for its success, is no longer a certainty. The term "anticipation" is certainly more appropriate today, even if "science fiction" remains both the most widespread term and certainly the one that best promotes its achievements.

A major element in the current evolution is the feminization of a genre that for too long remained in the hands of men. More and more women are writing science fiction, and more and more women are reading it.

Isaac Asimov imagined humanoid robots, but it's what we call artificial intelligence that has made a dramatic entry into science fiction. Another current element that this genre has not been able to avoid integrating is biology, and in particular research into genetics, which makes possible the excesses of H.G. Wells' "The Island of Doctor Moreau". Of course, there are also few works that do not integrate climate change into our future. Sometimes the Earth has become unlivable, or at least largely unlivable for humans, sometimes it's the main subject and solutions are envisaged, as in Kim Stanley Robinson's latest novel, "The Ministry of the Future".

Finally, haven't you noticed that science fiction texts and films increasingly evoke "the near future"?

Science fiction has a history, deals with recurring themes and leads to reflections that involve futures that are already here.


Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.