Science Fiction: World Creation and Diegetic Space Organization
Abstract
If every fictional text, as Eco wrote in Lector in Fabula, creates a fictional world, creating worlds is structurally intrinsic to Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. My contribution will focus on Science Fiction worldbuilding from a semiotic point of view, with particular reference to studies on possible narrative worlds (Eco, Ryan, Dolezel). Firstly, I will briefly summarize some key aspects of the theory of possible worlds with regard to the Science Fiction genre; on this basis, I will outline a definition of Science Fiction worlds before investigating their nature more throughly. Finally, an analysis of Arthur C. Clarke’s classic sci-fi novel The City and the Stars will reveal the importance of spatial organization in the construction of science-fiction worlds, considered as bearer of the deep meaning that structures fantastic worlds.
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