Harry Potter is NOT science fiction

[Skimmel_98]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C5740
From: Skimmel_98
Subject: Harry Potter is NOT science fiction
Reply To: [Yahoo! #5729] Re: Basic Plotlines (was Rowling and DWJ
Date: 8/4/00 4:57 pm  (ET)

Perhaps the single most frequently discussed yet never resolved question
in the sf field is what is science fiction and where is the dividing
line between science fiction and fantasy. The basic characteristics are
pretty much agreed upon though. With a couple of noteworthy exceptions,
science fiction must be possible. (The exceptions are faster than light
travel and time travel which are generally acknowledged to be impossible
but are considered part of sf anyway.) If it is not possible based on
science, resorts to magic as the explanation or uses magical or fantasy
creatures, then it is fantasy. Thus anything involving witches, unicorns,
magic spells, etc, is always considered to be fantasy by the fantasy
and science fiction fan communities.

I would be hard pressed to come up with a series of books that is more
clearly fantasy and clearly not science fiction than Harry Potter.

That said, it should be noted that even though they argue about it a
lot, no one in the fantasy and sf community really cares and most sf
fans enjoy a lot of fantasy books. (The folks who do care are those
who insist that only Hard SF qualifies - stories that involve detailed
discussion of scientific principles preferably with formulas. The rest
of us have a technical term for those folks - idiots.)

Now a key characteristic of both good sf stories and good fantasy stories
and serves to distinguish them from all other fiction (westerns, romances,
mysteries, speechs by politicians) is the "Sense of Wonder." That
sense of getting a glimpse into a wonderfully different world and going
"wow." Harry Potter has that to full measure like the best of the genre.

I can hear someone out there typing away the Arthur C. Clarke line -
any sufficiently advanced technology will be indistinguishable from
magic. As one of the leading authors of the Hard SF variety who happens
to like Fantasy as well, I'm fairly confident that Mr. Clarke said it
in a discussion like this one.