Speculative fiction is an umbrella phrase encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres , specifically science fiction , fantasy , horror , supernatural fiction , superhero fiction , utopian and dystopian fiction , apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction , and alternate history in literature as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts.
It has been around since humans began to speak. The earliest forms of speculative fiction were likely mythological tales told around the campfire. Speculative fiction deals with the "What if?" scenarios imagined by dreamers and thinkers worldwide. Journeys to other worlds through the vast reaches of distant space; magical quests to free worlds enslaved by terrible beings; malevolent supernatural powers seeking to increase their spheres of influence across multiple dimensions and times; all of these fall into the realm of speculative fiction.
Speculative fiction as a category ranges from ancient works to cutting edge , paradigm -changing, and neotraditional works of the 21st century. It can be recognized in works whose authors' intentions or the social contexts of the versions of stories they portrayed is now known. For example, Ancient Greek dramatists such as Euripides , whose play Medea (play) seemed to have offended Athenian audiences when he fictionally speculated that shamaness Medea killed her own children instead of their being killed by other Corinthians after her departure. The play Hippolytus , narratively introduced by Aphrodite , is suspected to have displeased contemporary audiences of the day because it portrayed Phaedra as too lusty.
In historiography , what is now called speculative fiction has previously been termed "historical invention", "historical fiction ," and other similar names. It is extensively noted in the literary criticism of the works of William Shakespeare when he co-locates Athenian Duke Theseus and Amazonian Queen Hippolyta , English fairy Puck , and Roman god Cupid all together in the fairyland of its Merovingian Germanic sovereign Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream . In mythography it has been termed "mythopoesis" or mythopoeia , "fictional speculation", the creative design and generation of lore, regarding such works as J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings . Such supernatural , alternate history , and sexuality themes continue in works produced within the modern speculative fiction genre.
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Selected profile
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson FRS (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria 's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his first pieces, "Timbuktu". He published his first solo collection of poems, Poems Chiefly Lyrical , in 1830. "Claribel" and "Mariana ", which remain some of Tennyson's most celebrated poems, were included in this volume. Although described by some critics as overly sentimental, his verse soon proved popular and brought Tennyson to the attention of well-known writers of the day, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge . Tennyson's early poetry, with its medievalism and powerful visual imagery, was a major influence on the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood .
Tennyson also excelled at short lyrics, such as "
Break, Break, Break ", "
The Charge of the Light Brigade ", "
Tears, Idle Tears ", and "
Crossing the Bar ". Much of his verse was based on
classical mythological themes, such as "
Ulysses ", although "
In Memoriam A.H.H. " was written to commemorate his friend
Arthur Hallam , a fellow poet and student at
Trinity College, Cambridge , after he died of a stroke at the age of 22. Tennyson also wrote some notable
blank verse including
Idylls of the King , "
Ulysses ", and "
Tithonus ". During his career, Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success. (
Full article... )
Selected work Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a 2018
fantasy film directed by
David Yates and written by
J. K. Rowling . The sequel to
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), it is the second instalment in the
Fantastic Beasts film series and the tenth overall in the
Wizarding World franchise. It features an
ensemble cast including
Eddie Redmayne ,
Katherine Waterston ,
Dan Fogler ,
Alison Sudol ,
Ezra Miller ,
Zoë Kravitz ,
Callum Turner ,
Claudia Kim , William Nadylam,
Kevin Guthrie ,
Jude Law , and
Johnny Depp . Set in 1927, it follows
Newt Scamander and
Albus Dumbledore as they attempt to take down the dark wizard
Gellert Grindelwald while facing new threats in a more divided wizarding world.
A second Fantastic Beasts film was announced in October 2014, and in July 2016 Rowling confirmed she had completed the script. Depp was cast in November 2016, causing some controversy due to domestic violence allegations made against him. Law signed on in April 2017. Principal photography began in July 2017 at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden , in England. Filming also took place in London, Switzerland, and Paris, and wrapped in December 2017. (Full article... )
Selected quote
“
Sci-fi can be succinctly defined as speculation, whether based on established scientific facts or on logical pseudo-facts consistent with the framework of the fiction in question, involving smelly green pimply aliens furiously raping or eating, or both, beautiful naked bare-breasted chicks, covering them in slime, red, oozing, living slime, dribbling from every horrific orifice, squeezing out between bulbous pulpy lips onto the sensuous velvety skin of the writhing sweating slave-girls, their bodies cut and bruised by knotted whips brandished by giant blond vast-biceped androids called Simon, and written in the Gothic mode.
”
—Peter Nicholls (b.1939), True Rat 7 (1976).
Selected picture
An engraving of action from Act I, Scene 1 from William Shakespeare 's The Tempest , in which Prospero (right) has caused the ship carrying his brother Antonio and the King of Naples Alonso to run aground on the island to which he and his daughter Miranda had been exiled . The play is believed to have been written in 1610–11 and is now considered to be one of Shakespeare's greatest works. (POTD )
Did you know...
Upcoming conventions
Selected article Captain Jack Sparrow is a
fictional character and the main
protagonist of the
Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The character was created by screenwriters
Ted Elliott and
Terry Rossio and is portrayed by
Johnny Depp . The characterization of Sparrow is based on a combination of
The Rolling Stones ' guitarist
Keith Richards and
Looney Tunes cartoon character
Pepé Le Pew . He first appears in the 2003 film
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . He later appears in the sequels
Dead Man's Chest (2006),
At World's End (2007),
On Stranger Tides (2011), and
Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
In the films, Sparrow is one of the nine pirate lords in the Brethren Court, the Pirate Lords of the Seven Seas. He can be treacherous and survives mostly by using wit and negotiation rather than by force, opting to flee most dangerous situations and to fight only when necessary. Sparrow is introduced seeking to regain his ship, the
Black Pearl , from his mutinous first mate,
Hector Barbossa . Later, he attempts to escape his blood debt to the legendary
Davy Jones while fighting the
East India Trading Company . In later adventures he searches for the
Fountain of Youth and the
Trident of Poseidon . (
Full article... )
On this day...
May 31 :
Book releases
Television series
Births
Anniversaries and events
Possible futures
Possible events in the future as suggested by science fiction:
On April 27 of 2,774,020, Murcheson's Eye explodes into a supernova and becomes a black hole.
Things you can do...
Here are ideas for how you can help improve the coverage of speculative fiction topics on Wikipedia:
Join a WikiProject or task force:
Science fiction (task force ): The 4400 , Babylon 5 , Battlestar Galactica , Doctor Who , Firefly , Futurama , G.I. Joe , Heroes , Hitchhiker's Guide , Life on Mars , Lost , Pokémon , Red Dwarf , Star Trek , Star Wars , Stargate , Superman , Transformers , Twilight Zone .
Fantasy : Artemis Fowl , Discworld , Fabelhaven , Harry Potter , Highlander , His Dark Materials , Inheritance Cycle , Lemony Snicket , Middle-Earth , Narnia , Oz , Percy Jackson , Redwall , Roald Dahl , Shannara , A Song of Ice and Fire , Warriors .
Horror : Buffy , Twilight .
Other and related: Animation , Anime and manga , Balzac , Children's literature , Comics , Disney , Machinima , Games (Board and tabletop games , Warhammer 40K , RPGs (D&D ), Video games (Square Enix )).
Start a requested article:
Create an article which someone has requested .
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Expand a new article:
Expand and update a new speculative fiction article from the following list:
Note: If no articles are shown below, please work on those found in the Archive .
This list was generated from these rules . Questions and feedback are always welcome ! The search is being run daily with the most recent ~14 days of results. Note: Some articles may not be relevant to this project.
Rules | Match log | Results page (for watching) | Last updated: 2022-05-31 22:24 (UTC)
Note : The list display can now be customized by each user. See List display personalization for details.
Chimera (Stargate SG-1) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Mehehehea (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-29, score: 85
Chapter One: The Hellfire Club ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Robertsky (talk · contribs · new pages (34) ) started on 2022-05-29, score: 80
Star Wars Eclipse ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Bagabondo (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2022-05-29, score: 20
Aaron B. Koontz ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by FarrellRose (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-29, score: 40
Naagin Season 6 ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Insaanhuok (talk · contribs · new pages (11) ) started on 2022-05-29, score: 20
Black Ops (film) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Zandperl (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-29, score: 60
Jess Bush ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Alvaldi (talk · contribs · new pages (16) ) started on 2022-05-28, score: 20
Melissa Navia ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Alvaldi (talk · contribs · new pages (16) ) started on 2022-05-28, score: 20
Suraapanam ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Pranayraj1985 (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-28, score: 20
The Midwich Cuckoos (2022 TV series) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by SavageEdit (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-28, score: 60
Galactic Civilizations IV ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Leonramb (talk · contribs · new pages (3) ) started on 2022-05-28, score: 30
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Kbabej (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-27, score: 120
Vila Cruzeiro shootout ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Erick Soares3 (talk · contribs · new pages (5) ) started on 2022-05-26, score: 20
Tales of the Jedi (TV series) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 2pou (talk · contribs · new pages (16) ) started on 2022-05-20, score: 40
The Umbrella Academy (season 2) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Babydoves (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2022-05-25, score: 35
The Umbrella Academy (season 1) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Babydoves (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2022-05-25, score: 35
Steve Thompson (writer) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Unreal7 (talk · contribs · new pages (5) ) started on 2022-05-25, score: 20
The Uranus Experiment ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by The Anome (talk · contribs · new pages (42) ) started on 2022-05-25, score: 40
Chris Baker (disambiguation) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Moonraker (talk · contribs · new pages (10) ) started on 2022-05-25, score: 40
Julie Dray ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Starklinson (talk · contribs · new pages (4) ) started on 2022-05-25, score: 40
The Story of Lalpila (Indian folktale) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by KHR FolkMyth (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2022-05-25, score: 20
DreamHaven Books ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Sicklemoon (talk · contribs · new pages (4) ) started on 2022-05-25, score: 100
Baby-Doll (character) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by PetSematary182 (talk · contribs · new pages (5) ) started on 2022-05-24, score: 20
Second Show (film) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Gihan Jayaweera (talk · contribs · new pages (7) ) started on 2022-05-24, score: 60
List of Snapchat original programming ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Wikipedical (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-24, score: 20
Columbiad (disambiguation) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 65.92.247.17 (talk · contribs · new pages (14) ) started on 2022-05-24, score: 20
Karem la posesión ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Cerebellum (talk · contribs · new pages (46) ) started on 2022-05-24, score: 80
The 7 Lives of Lea ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Revirvlkodlaku (talk · contribs · new pages (3) ) started on 2022-05-24, score: 20
Laser-blast ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 65.92.247.17 (talk · contribs · new pages (14) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 80
I'll Be Watching ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by The Film Creator (talk · contribs · new pages (21) ) started on 2022-05-20, score: 80
Skeletons in the Closet (film) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by The Film Creator (talk · contribs · new pages (21) ) started on 2022-05-20, score: 100
Witold Dzielski ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Niegodzisie (talk · contribs · new pages (3) ) started on 2022-05-20, score: 40
The Time Traveler's Wife (disambiguation) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by יוניון ג'ק (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-20, score: 30
The Final Strife ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Reading Beans (talk · contribs · new pages (34) ) started on 2022-05-20, score: 20
Primeval (series 5) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Borgor2233 (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 55
Primeval (series 4) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Borgor2233 (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 55
Primeval (series 3) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Borgor2233 (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 40
Primeval (series 2) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Borgor2233 (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 40
Primeval (series 1) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Borgor2233 (talk · contribs · new pages (6) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 60
The Black Colt (Iranian folktale) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by KHR FolkMyth (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 20
The Golden Eggplant ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by KHR FolkMyth (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 20
Yasmin and the Serpent Prince (Iranian folktale) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by KHR FolkMyth (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 20
Zarlik and Munglik ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by KHR FolkMyth (talk · contribs · new pages (13) ) started on 2022-05-19, score: 20
Una Chin-Riley ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Qäsee (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2022-05-18, score: 45
Deaths in August 1993 ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Mill 1 (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2022-05-18, score: 20
List of accolades received by Tenet ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by 182.77.96.59 (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2022-05-18, score: 80
Barroz ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by The Doom Patrol (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-18, score: 20
Elmar Peter Schwenke ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Pitronius (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-18, score: 20
Yokai Rental Shop ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Xexerss (talk · contribs · new pages (2) ) started on 2022-05-18, score: 20
Anti-Banality Union ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Hinnk (talk · contribs · new pages (7) ) started on 2022-05-18, score: 40
Fungus and Iron ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Link20XX (talk · contribs · new pages (5) ) started on 2022-05-18, score: 60
The Quest (2022 TV series) ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by Dancter (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-17, score: 40
The Fowl Twins Get What They Deserve ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by FoodiLove (talk · contribs · new pages (1) ) started on 2022-05-17, score: 20
A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell ( | talk | history | links | watch | logs | tools ) by SL93 (talk · contribs · new pages (9) ) started on 2022-05-17, score: 80
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