THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY IN ENGLISH LITERATURE: A HISTORICAL AND THEMATIC ANALYSIS
Abstract
Science fiction and fantasy have transformed from marginalized literary curiosities into dominant narrative modes shaping contemporary Anglophone literature and global popular culture. This study traces the historical and thematic evolution of both genres from their nineteenth-century foundations to twenty-first-century manifestations, employing qualitative historical-literary analysis and periodization frameworks. By examining canonical and contemporary works alongside established theoretical models (Suvin’s cognitive estrangement, Todorov’s fantastic, and Mendlesohn’s rhetorical typology), the research identifies four pivotal evolutionary phases: foundational codification (1818–1930), pulp institutionalization and formalist consolidation (1930s–1950s), New Wave experimentation and mythopoeic fantasy (1960s–1980s), and contemporary hybridization with literary, postcolonial, and transmedia forms (1990s–present). Results demonstrate that genre boundaries have grown increasingly porous, with technological anxiety, ecological crisis, identity politics, and publishing transformations driving narrative innovation. The discussion situates these shifts within broader socio-cultural contexts, academic legitimization, and theoretical debates on speculative fiction. This study contributes a structured evolutionary framework for understanding Anglophone science fiction and fantasy, offering implications for literary historiography, genre theory, and contemporary narrative studies.
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