50-417: Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction originating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Weird fiction either eschews or radically reinterprets traditional antagonists of supernatural horror fiction , such as ghosts , vampires , and werewolves . Writers on the subject of weird fiction, such as China Miéville , sometimes use "the tentacle " to represent this type of writing. The tentacle
100-536: A "no Martians " type of science fiction, "about things that really could happen." Speculative fiction is also used as a genre term that combines different ones into a single narrative or fictional world such as "science fiction, horror, fantasy...[and]...mystery". The Internet Speculative Fiction Database contains a broad list of different subtypes. According to publisher statistics, men outnumber women about two to one among English-language speculative fiction writers aiming for professional publication. However,
150-476: A category ranges from ancient works to paradigm-changing and neotraditional works of the 21st century. Characteristics of speculative fiction have been recognized in older works whose authors' intentions , or in the social contexts of the stories they portray, are now known. For example, the ancient Greek dramatist, Euripides , ( c. 480 – c. 406 BCE ) whose play Medea seems to have offended Athenian audiences when he speculated that
200-446: A completely imaginary way or been followed by major new events that are completely imaginary (the genre of alternative history ). Or, it depicts impossible technology or technology that defies current scientific understandings or capabilities (the genre of science fiction ). Contrarily, realistic fiction involves a story whose basic setting (time and location in the world) is, in fact, real and whose events could believably happen in
250-510: A genre term has often been attributed to Robert A. Heinlein , who first used the term in an editorial in The Saturday Evening Post , 8 February 1947. In the article, Heinlein used "Speculative Fiction" as a synonym for "science fiction"; in a later piece, he explicitly stated that his use of the term did not include fantasy. However, though Heinlein may have come up with the term on his own, there are earlier citations:
300-399: A mere extension of what we already possess and know. Blackwood wrote an autobiography of his early years, Episodes Before Thirty (1923), and there is a biography, Starlight Man, by Mike Ashley ( ISBN 0-7867-0928-6 ). Blackwood died after several strokes. Officially his death on 10 December 1951 was from cerebral thrombosis , with arteriosclerosis as a contributing factor. He
350-424: A much larger universe populated by often malign powers and forces that greatly exceed the human capacities to understand or control them." Jeff and Ann VanderMeer describe weird fiction not as a genre of fiction, but rather as a mode of literature (i.e. a style or mood) usually appearing within the horror fiction genre. Although the term "weird fiction" did not appear until the 20th century, Edgar Allan Poe
400-497: A number of plays, most of which were produced, but not published. He was an avid lover of nature and the outdoors, as many of his stories reflect. To satisfy his interest in the supernatural, he joined The Ghost Club . He never married; according to his friends he was a loner, but also cheerful company. Jack Sullivan stated that "Blackwood's life parallels his work more neatly than perhaps that of any other ghost story writer. Like his lonely but fundamentally optimistic protagonists, he
450-605: A piece in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1889 used the term in reference to Edward Bellamy 's Looking Backward : 2000–1887 and other works; and one in the May 1900 issue of The Bookman said that John Uri Lloyd 's Etidorhpa , The End of the Earth had "created a great deal of discussion among people interested in speculative fiction". A variation on this term is "speculative literature". The use of "speculative fiction" in
500-445: A rather breathless and generically slippery macabre fiction, a dark fantastic ('horror' plus 'fantasy') often featuring nontraditional alien monsters (thus plus 'science fiction')". Discussing the "Old Weird Fiction" published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock says, "Old Weird fiction utilises elements of horror, science fiction and fantasy to showcase the impotence and insignificance of human beings within
550-478: A sense of the numinous . Although "weird fiction" has been chiefly used as a historical description for works through the 1930s, it experienced a resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s, under the label of New Weird , which continues into the 21st century. John Clute defines weird fiction as a term "used loosely to describe fantasy , supernatural fiction and horror tales embodying transgressive material". China Miéville defines it as "usually, roughly, conceived of as
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#1732791788283600-500: A seriousness and portentousness becoming its subject, of that most terrible conception of the human brain—a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space. S. T. Joshi describes several subdivisions of the weird tale: supernatural horror (or fantastique ), the ghost story , quasi science fiction , fantasy , and ambiguous horror fiction and argues that "the weird tale"
650-405: Is natural ; under Law; but an extension of our so limited normal consciousness can reveal new, extra-ordinary powers etc., and the word "supernatural" seems the best word for treating these in fiction. I believe it possible for our consciousness to change and grow, and that with this change we may become aware of a new universe. A "change" in consciousness, in its type, I mean, is something more than
700-407: Is a critical essay on Blackwood's work in S. T. Joshi 's The Weird Tale (1990). Edward Wagenknecht analyses Blackwood's work in his book Seven Masters of Supernatural Fiction . Eugene Thacker , in his "Horror of Philosophy" series of books, discusses Blackwood's stories "The Willows" and "The Man Whom The Trees Loved" as examples of how supernatural horror poses philosophical questions regarding
750-447: Is a limb-type absent from most of the monsters of European gothic fiction , but often attached to the monstrous creatures created by weird fiction writers, such as William Hope Hodgson , M. R. James , Clark Ashton Smith , and H. P. Lovecraft . Weird fiction often attempts to inspire awe as well as fear in response to its fictional creations, causing commentators like Miéville to paraphrase Goethe in saying that weird fiction evokes
800-474: Is characterized by a lesser degree of adherence to realistic or plausible individuals, events, or places, while the umbrella genres of realistic fiction or literary realism are characterized by a greater degree of adherence. For instance, speculative fiction may depict an entirely imaginary universe or one in which the laws of nature do not strictly apply (often, the sub-genre of fantasy ). Or, it depicts true historical moments, except that they have concluded in
850-399: Is often regarded as the pioneering author of weird fiction. Poe was identified by Lovecraft as the first author of a distinct type of supernatural fiction different from traditional Gothic literature, and later commentators on the term have also suggested Poe was the first "weird fiction" writer. Sheridan Le Fanu is also seen as an early writer working in the sub-genre. Literary critics in
900-547: Is primarily the result of the philosophical and aesthetic predispositions of the authors associated with this type of fiction. Although Lovecraft was one of the few early 20th-century writers to describe his work as "weird fiction", the term has enjoyed a contemporary revival in New Weird fiction. Many horror writers have also situated themselves within the weird tradition, including Clive Barker , who describes his fiction as fantastique , and Ramsey Campbell , whose early work
950-399: Is sometimes abbreviated "spec-fic", "spec fic", "specfic", "S-F", "SF", or "sf". The last three abbreviations, however, are ambiguous as they have long been used to refer to science fiction (which lies within this general range of literature). It is sometimes also known as "the fantastic" or as fantastika , the latter term attributed to John Clute who coined it in 2007 after the term for
1000-498: Is visiting, tell him of the "crack between Yesterday and To-morrow", and that "if we're very quick, we can find the crack and slip through... And, once inside there, there's no time, of course... Anything may happen, and everything come true." Ordway comments that this would have attracted Tolkien because of his interest in travelling back in time . Frank Belknap Long 's 1928 story "The Space-Eaters" alludes to Blackwood's fiction. Clark Ashton Smith 's story "Genius Loci" (1933)
1050-452: The context of the real world. One realistic fiction sub-genre is historical fiction , centered around true major events and time periods in the past. The attempt to make stories feel faithful to reality or to more objectively describe details, and the 19th-century artistic movement that began to vigorously promote this approach, is called "literary realism", which incorporates some works of both fiction and non-fiction. "Speculative fiction"
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#17327917882831100-765: The creative design and generation of lore and mythology for works of fiction. The term's definition comes from its use by J. R. R. Tolkien , whose novel, The Lord of the Rings , demonstrates a clear application of this process. Themes common in mythopoeia, such as the supernatural , alternate history and sexuality , continue to be explored in works produced within the modern speculative fiction genre. The creation of speculative fiction in its general sense of hypothetical history, explanation, or ahistorical storytelling , has also been attributed to authors in ostensibly non-fiction modes since as early as Herodotus of Halicarnassus (fl. 5th century BCE), for his Histories , and
1150-528: The final chapter of The Supernatural in Fiction (1952) to an analysis of Blackwood's work and dedicates the book "with deep admiration and gratitude, to Algernon Blackwood, the greatest of them all". A critical analysis of Blackwood's work appears in Jack Sullivan , Elegant Nightmares: The English Ghost Story From Le Fanu to Blackwood , 1978. David Punter has written two essays on Blackwood. There
1200-417: The first draft of his guidance notes to translators of his work , " Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings ", J. R. R. Tolkien stated that he derived the phrase "crack of doom" from an unnamed story by Blackwood. In her book, Tolkien's Modern Reading , Holly Ordway states that this unnamed Blackwood work is his 1909 novel The Education of Uncle Paul . She explains that the children of Paul's sister, who he
1250-480: The founding members of Toronto Theosophical Society in February 1891. Throughout his adult life, he was an occasional essayist for periodicals. In his late thirties, he moved back to England and started to write stories of the supernatural. He was successful, writing at least ten original collections of short stories and later telling them on radio and television. He also wrote 14 novels, several children's books and
1300-451: The genre in some Slavic languages . The term has been used by some critics and writers dissatisfied with what they consider to be a limitation of science fiction: the need for the story to hold to scientific principles. They argue that "speculative fiction" better defines an expanded, open, imaginative type of fiction than does "genre fiction", and the categories of "fantasy", "mystery", "horror" and "science fiction". Harlan Ellison used
1350-513: The nineteenth century would sometimes use the term "weird" to describe supernatural fiction. For instance, the Scottish Review in an 1859 article praised Poe, E. T. A. Hoffmann and Walter Scott by saying the three writers had the "power of weird imagination". The Irish magazine The Freeman's Journal , in an 1898 review of Dracula by Bram Stoker , described the novel as "wild and weird" and not Gothic. Weinstock has suggested there
1400-451: The percentages vary considerably by genre, with women outnumbering men in the fields of urban fantasy , paranormal romance and young adult fiction . Academic journals which publish essays on speculative fiction include Extrapolation and Foundation . Speculative fiction may include elements from one or more of the following genres: Algernon Blackwood Algernon Henry Blackwood , CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951)
1450-817: The phenomenon, appear in the anthology The New Weird . Speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from realism , or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural , futuristic , or other imaginative realms. This catch-all genre includes, but is not limited to, science fiction , fantasy , horror , slipstream , magical realism , superhero fiction , alternate history , utopia and dystopia , fairy tales , steampunk , cyberpunk , weird fiction , and some apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction . The term has been used for works of literature , film , television , drama , video games , radio , and their hybrids. The umbrella genre of speculative fiction
1500-491: The possibility of a new, mystical evolution of human consciousness. In correspondence with Peter Penzoldt , Blackwood wrote, My fundamental interest, I suppose, is signs and proofs of other powers that lie hidden in us all; the extension, in other words, of human faculty. So many of my stories, therefore, deal with extension of consciousness; speculative and imaginative treatment of possibilities outside our normal range of consciousness.... Also, all that happens in our universe
1550-525: The relation between human beings and the "cosmic indifference" of the world. Christopher Matthew Scott analyzes Blackwood's use of Christian symbolism and story setting as connected to the author's biography; describing a spiritual progression up from hellish city, through garden, forest, and mountain. Brian R. Hauser discusses Blackwood's John Silence in the context of figures made popular by 1990s cinematic narratives, grouping him with Ichabod Crane and Fox Mulder , and classifying him as an early example of
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1600-458: The result that he was unsure exactly how many short stories he had written and there is no sure total. Though Blackwood wrote a number of horror stories , his most typical work seeks less to frighten than to induce a sense of awe. Good examples are the novels The Centaur , which reaches a climax with a traveller's sight of a herd of the mythical creatures; and Julius LeVallon and its sequel The Bright Messenger , which deal with reincarnation and
1650-619: The section of that name in " Supernatural Horror in Literature ". In The Books in My Life , Henry Miller chose Blackwood's The Bright Messenger as "the most extraordinary novel on psychoanalysis , one that dwarfs the subject." Authors who have been influenced by Blackwood's work include William Hope Hodgson , George Allan England , H. Russell Wakefield , "L. Adams Beck" ( Elizabeth Louisa Moresby ), Margery Lawrence , Evangeline Walton , Ramsey Campbell and Graham Joyce . In
1700-608: The sense of expressing dissatisfaction with traditional or establishment science fiction was popularized in the 1960s and early 1970s by Judith Merril , as well as other writers and editors in connection with the New Wave movement. However, this use of the term fell into disuse around the mid-1970s. In the 2000s, the term came into wider use as a convenient collective term for a set of genres. However, some writers, such as Margaret Atwood , who wrote The Handmaid's Tale , continue to distinguish "speculative fiction" specifically as
1750-400: The term "weird fiction" in his essays. In " Supernatural Horror in Literature ", Lovecraft gives his definition of weird fiction: The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint, expressed with
1800-476: The term "weird fiction" to describe the type of material that the magazine published. The writers who wrote for the magazine Weird Tales are thus closely identified with the weird fiction subgenre, especially H. P. Lovecraft , Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber and Robert Bloch . Other pulp magazines that published weird fiction included Strange Tales (edited by Harry Bates ), and Unknown Worlds (edited by John W. Campbell ). H. P. Lovecraft popularised
1850-500: The term to avoid being pigeonholed as a science fiction writer. Ellison, a fervent proponent of writers embracing more literary and modernist directions, broke out of genre conventions to push the boundaries of speculative fiction. The term suppositional fiction is sometimes used as a sub-category designating fiction in which characters and stories are constrained by an internally consistent world, but not necessarily one defined by any particular genre. Speculative fiction as
1900-591: The titular shamaness Medea killed her own children, as opposed to their being killed by other Corinthians after her departure. Additionally, Euripides' play, Hippolytus , narratively introduced by Aphrodite , Goddess of Love in person, is suspected to have displeased his contemporary audiences, as his portrayal of Phaedra was seen as too lusty . In historiography , what is now called "speculative fiction" has previously been termed "historical invention", "historical fiction", and other similar names. These terms have been extensively noted in literary criticism of
1950-623: The work of a Hindu sage left behind at his parents' house, he developed an interest in Buddhism and other eastern philosophies. Blackwood had a varied career, working as a dairy farmer in Canada, where he also operated a hotel for six months, as a newspaper reporter in New York City, bartender, model, journalist for The New York Times , private secretary, businessman, and violin teacher. During his time in Canada, he also became one of
2000-486: The works of William Shakespeare , such as when he co-locates Athenian Duke Theseus , Amazonian Queen Hippolyta , English fairy Puck , and Roman god Cupid across time and space in the Fairyland of the fictional Merovingian Germanic sovereign Oberon , in A Midsummer Night's Dream . In mythography the concept of speculative fiction has been termed "mythopoesis", or mythopoeia . This practice involves
2050-409: The world, and responds to it by creating imaginative , inventive , and artistic expressions. Such expressions can contribute to practical societal progress through interpersonal influences, social and cultural movements , scientific research and advances, and the philosophy of science . In its English-language usage in arts and literature since the mid 20th century, "speculative fiction" as
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2100-649: Was a combination of mystic and outdoorsman; when he wasn't steeping himself in occultism , including Rosicrucianism , or Buddhism he was likely to be skiing or mountain climbing." Blackwood was a member of one of the factions of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn , as was his contemporary Arthur Machen . Cabalistic themes influence his novel The Human Chord . His two best-known stories are probably " The Willows " and " The Wendigo ". He would also often write stories for newspapers at short notice, with
2150-485: Was a period of "Old Weird Fiction" that lasted from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. S. T. Joshi and Miéville have both argued that there was a period of "Haute Weird" between 1880 and 1940, when authors important to Weird Fiction, such as Arthur Machen and Clark Ashton Smith were publishing their work. In the late nineteenth century, a number of British writers associated with the Decadent movement wrote what
2200-445: Was already both practiced and edited out by early encyclopedic writers like Sima Qian ( c. 145 or 135 BCE–86 BCE), author of Shiji . These examples highlight the caveat that many works, now regarded as intentional or unintentional speculative fiction, long predated the coining of the genre term; its concept, in its broadest sense, captures both a conscious and unconscious aspect of human psychology in making sense of
2250-442: Was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary critic S. T. Joshi stated, "His work is more consistently meritorious than any weird writer's except Dunsany 's" and that his short story collection Incredible Adventures (1914) "may be the premier weird collection of this or any other century". Blackwood
2300-566: Was born in Shooter's Hill (now part of southeast London, then part of northwest Kent ). Between 1871 and 1880, he lived at Crayford Manor House, Crayford and he was educated at Wellington College . His father, Sir Stevenson Arthur Blackwood , was a Post Office administrator; his mother, Harriet Dobbs, was the widow of the 6th Duke of Manchester . According to Peter Penzoldt , his father, "though not devoid of genuine good-heartedness, had appallingly narrow religious ideas". After Algernon read
2350-461: Was cremated at Golders Green crematorium . A few weeks later his nephew took his ashes to Saanenmöser Pass in the Swiss Alps, and scattered them in the mountains that he had loved for more than forty years. By date of first publication: Children's novels: By date of first performance: By date of first publication: H. P. Lovecraft included Blackwood as one of the "Modern Masters" in
2400-450: Was influenced by Lovecraft. The following notable authors have been described as writers of weird fiction. They are listed alphabetically by last name, and organised by the time period when they began to publish weird fiction. Ann and Jeff VanderMeer and China Miéville have suggested that weird fiction has seen a recent resurgence, a phenomenon they term the New Weird . Tales which fit this category, as well as extensive discussion of
2450-616: Was inspired by Blackwood's story "The Transfer". The plot of Caitlin R. Kiernan 's novel Threshold (2001) is influenced by Blackwood's work. Kiernan has cited Blackwood as an important influence on her writing. Blackwood appears as a character in the novel The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey . An early essay on Blackwood's work was "Algernon Blackwood: An Appreciation," by Grace Isabel Colbron (1869–1943), which appeared in The Bookman in February 1915. Peter Penzoldt devotes
2500-532: Was later described as weird fiction. These writers included Machen, M. P. Shiel , Count Eric Stenbock , and R. Murray Gilchrist . Other pioneering British weird fiction writers included Algernon Blackwood , William Hope Hodgson , Lord Dunsany , Arthur Machen, and M. R. James . The American pulp magazine Weird Tales published many such stories in the United States from March 1923 to September 1954. The magazine's editor Farnsworth Wright often used
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