Speculative Fiction Analysis

Speculative fiction is a genre of literature that explores worlds that are different from the real world in a specific or purposeful way. The sequence of events presented in speculative fiction is often like events possible in the real world, but fantastic enough to seem equally impossible. “The key emphasis in this definition is on speculative representation of what would happen had the actual chain of causes or the matrix of reality- conditions been replaced with other conditions” (Gill 73). This genre of literature allows the reader room to interpret a text and apply it to reality. Speculative fiction is sometimes considered a sub-genre of science fiction; however, other scholars consider science fiction to be a sub-genre of speculative

“Dystopias usually exaggerate contemporary social trends and in doing so, offer serious social criticism” (Burnett et al 77). It allows us to see the seeds of destruction in our own society from an outside or more removed perspective. While the depicted failed societies can seem hopeless, they represent hope in our own society. Recognizing a similarity between a dystopian society in a novel and our own society provides us the opportunity to change the direction which society is going. A purpose of dystopian speculative fiction is to force the readers to think about their choices and the impact they have on their community. To identify a seed of destruction—a breakdown of the commons—within our own society which is identified in a speculative dystopian novel is to respond to the presented problem before it leads to society’s collapse. It is an opportunity to shift the direction in which society is moving to prevent its downfall. In this way, speculative dystopian fiction is an excellent tool through which modern society can be analyzed.

The Speculative Dystopian Fiction of Octavia