Subject: SF Criticism
Terms used in the criticism or discussion of science fiction, e.g. names of genres or tropes.
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| sci-fic n. (1933) | abbreviation of science fiction n. 2 |
| secondary world n. (1947) | the setting of a work of fantasy where this setting is different from the real world, but is internally consistent; cf. primary world n. |
| sensawunda n. (1961) | = sense of wonder n. |
| sense of wonder n. (1936) | a feeling of awakening or awe brought on by an expansion of one’s awareness of what may be possible; the primary emotional experience of reading science fiction n. 2; see also sensawunda n. |
| sf n. (1929) | = science fiction n. 2 |
| sf adj. (1929) | = science fiction adj. |
| SF/F n. (1981) | science fiction and fantasy, regarded as a single broad genre |
| SF/F/H n. (1979) | abbreviation for science fiction, fantasy, and horror |
| sf-ish adj. (1959) | = science-fictionish adj. |
| sfnal adj. (1938) | = science fictional adj. |
| SFX n. (1973) | special effects |
| shaggy god story n. (1965) | a story in which a religious (esp. biblical) myth is explained as having a science fictional origin |
| sharecrop n. (1991) | fiction set in a universe that was created by (and is sometimes under license from) another, typically more-established, author |
| sharecrop v. (1994) | to write a sharecrop n. |
| sharecropped adj. (1989) | having the quality of a sharecrop n. |
| sharecropper n. (1987) | a writer of sharecrops |
| sharecropping n. (1987) | the practice of writing sharecrops |
| sharecrop-writer n. (1997) | someone who writes sharecrops |
| shared world n. (1985) | a fictional setting in which multiple authors set their stories, esp. one created for this purpose |
| skiffy n. (1973) | = sci-fi adj. |
| slash n. (1984) | a subgenre of fiction, originally published in fanzines and now esp. online, in which characters who appear together in popular films or other media are portrayed as having a sexual (esp. homosexual) relationship |
| slipstream n. (1989) | fiction which, while not classified as science fiction, engages to some extent with scientific or futuristic subject matter, esp. such fiction regarded as constituting an identifiable genre; this genre of fiction |
| slipstreamer n. (1997) | a writer of slipstream fiction |
| slipstreamy adj. (1995) | having the characteristics or qualities of slipstream n. |
| soft science fiction n. (1977) | science fiction based on the soft sciences (as sociology, anthropology, etc.); (also) science fiction in which the scientific elements are relatively unimportant to the story |
| space epic n. (1943) | a subgenre of science fiction featuring adventure-driven plots set in outer space; a work in this genre; cf. space opera n. |
| space fiction n. (1929) | science fiction set in space or on other worlds, or involving space travel n. |
| space-fictional n. (1963) | resembling or characteristic of space fiction n. |
| space opera n. (1941) | a subgenre of science fiction featuring adventure-driven, extravagantly dramatic plots (often including elements of romance) set in outer space; a subgenre of science fiction which uses stock characters and settings, especially those of Westerns translated into outer space; a work in this genre, regarded as being of an unsophisticated or clichéd type |
| space-operatic adj. (1953) | being or resembling space opera n. |
| speculative fiction n. 1 (1889) | = science fiction n. 2; (sometimes spec.) hard science fiction n. |
| speculative fiction n. 2 (1952) | = imaginative fiction |
| speculative fiction n. 3 (1968) | fiction which includes science fictional elements but which is regarded as not part of the genre of science fiction, as because it is soft science fiction, or to avoid a stigma felt to be associated with the term ‘science fiction’ |
| splatterpunk n. 1 (1987) | a subgenre of horror fiction characterized by the frequent and graphic description of grisly violence, bloody deaths, and extreme sexual situations; (in later use also) a similar genre of movies, video games, etc. |
| splatterpunk n. 2 (1987) | an author of splatterpunk writing |
| steampunk n. 1 (1987) | a writer of steampunk n. 2 |
| steampunk n. 2 (1987) | a subgenre of science fiction which has a historical setting (esp. based on industrialized, nineteenth-century society) and characteristically features steam-powered, mechanized machinery rather than electronic technology |
| steampunkish adj. (1993) | of, pertaining to, or characteristic of steampunk n. 2 |
| Sturgeon’s Law n. (1960) | a humorous aphorism which maintains that most of any body of published material, knowledge, etc., or (more generally) of everything is worthless: based on a statement by Theodore Sturgeon, usually later cited as ‘90 per cent of everything is crap’ |
| sub-creation n. (1947) | J. R. R. Tolkien’s word for: the action or process of creating a fully realized and internally consistent imaginary or secondary world n. |
| sub-creator n. (1947) | J. R. R. Tolkien's word for: a person who creates a secondary world (see sub-creation n.); (later also more generally) an author regarded as occupying the position of God in relation to his or her own fictional creation |
| subgenre n. (1955) | a style or category (of fiction, film, etc.) that is a regarded as a subset of another, broader genre |
| subjunctivity n. (1969) | the relationship between reality and something portrayed in a text |
| sword and sorcery n. (1953) | a subgenre of fantasy n. 1 which describes the adventures of larger-than-life heroes or heroines in bronze-age or medieval settings, and especially their battles with magical or supernatural foes; = heroic fantasy n. |
| technothriller n. (1978) | a thriller which employs science fictional technology or gadgetry |
| thought-variant n. (1933) | a story characterized by a focus on significant ideas rather than action |
| thud and blunder n. (1940) | (a disparaging term for) an adventure story that features violent exploits |
| tie-in n. (1949) | a book, film, or the like published to take advantage of the appearance of the same work in another medium |
| time opera n. (1953) | a subgenre of science fiction featuring adventure-driven, extravagantly dramatic plots based on time travel; a work in this genre |
| time paradox n. (1942) | a paradox caused by an action of a time traveller which alters history so that the action is no longer logically possible or sensible, such as travelling into the past to kill a dictator which leads to a peaceful world from which the time traveller would have had no reason to depart; cf. grandfather paradox n., temporal paradox n. |