So I've been thinking a bit lately about fantasy and sci fi and how they differ--particularly about the kinds of stories they allow us to tell and the kinds of things they allow us to talk about. On the surface, they're both pretty similar forms; they aren't particularly connected with the "real" world, and there are all sorts of strange new things. There are those who will argue that the difference is that sci fi is based in reality and is just an extrapolation of what we already know, while fantasy is purely imaginary and not based on anything in particular. I would disagree, though--fantasy has just as much internal logic as sci fi does, and sci fi has just as much imagination as fantasy does.

The difference, I think, is that sci fi settings seem more real to us, while fantasy settings seem more fairy-tale-esque. It is the seeming that is the important part, after all; how stories affect us is all about our perception of them. The interesting thing about this difference is that it means that we can discuss different kinds of things with a sci fi story than we can with a fantasy story--or at least that fantasy is more natrually predisposed to talk about some things, while sci fi is about others.

Because we see sci fi as more rooted in reality, it is easier to project the actual occurences of a sci fi story into our world. This makes it easier to talk about politics and social issues through sci fi than through fantasy. Fantasy, on the other hand, seems to be less rooted in reality and more rooted in fairy tales, dreams, and myths. This makes it a bit easier to tell stories about how individuals should live, stories that are guides for the self.

It seems to come down, then, to self vs. society. Fantasy is well suited to telling stories about the self and personal growth and discovery, while sci fi is well suited to hammering out suggestions of how we can all live as people. Certainly, there are a number of exceptions to this general idea, but I think it holds true for the most part. Any opinions out there?