Science fiction means what we point to when we say it

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A common paraphrase from Damon Knight on the tricky matter of defining the science fiction genre.

The complete quotation from Science Fiction Adventures (1952):

That the term 'science fiction' is a misnomer, that trying to get two enthusiasts to agree on a definition of it leads only to bloody knuckles; that better labels have been devised (Heinlein's suggestion, 'speculative fiction', is the best, I think), but that we're stuck with this one; and that it will do us no particular harm if we remember that, like 'The Saturday Evening Post', it means what we point to when we say it.

See also: Classification of Fantasy.



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