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The interpretation and application of the word varies. Growing up in Canada in the 80s, all of Margaret Atwood's books were always considered Canadian Literatu
by slantyyz 8y ago
The interpretation and application of the word varies.
Growing up in Canada in the 80s, all of Margaret Atwood's books were always considered Canadian Literature (aka CanLit).
Since the Handmaid's Tale TV series thrust her into the pop culture consciousness, I always find it interesting when someone in the American media refers to her work as science fiction.
- msla 8y agoAnd science fiction can be great literature, just as romance can be, and drama can be, and any other genre can be. Ultimately, all fiction exists in a genre. Whether it's literature is something else entirely.
- slantyyz 8y ago>> Whether it's literature is something else entirely. And the bar for whether something is literature is subjective, and can change with the passing of time.
- gooseus 8y agoIt would be both... I've read Atwood's claims to be "speculative fiction" rather than "science fiction" because - "Science fiction has monsters and spaceships; speculative fiction could really happen." I read the Maddadam Trilogy (the books that quote was specifically about) and the fact that she can claim it's not sci-fi because it "could really happen" is ridiculous and insulting to actual "hard sci-fi" which do a better job of working out new science could impact the real world. Also, the books literally have monsters in the form of human-intelligent, genetically-mutated pigs.