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<blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 9782928" data-attributes="member: 22779">How so?&nbsp; In what way is that wrong?Fantasy as a genre is an outgrowth of folktales, among other things.&nbsp; Folktales are morality stories dealing with questions of good and evil, but, also primarily, as a means of reinforcing social behaviour.&nbsp; Things in the past are good and traditions need to be upheld is the fundamental basis of fantasy as a genre.&nbsp; SF has a different genesis.&nbsp; It's born out of satire.&nbsp; Thus SF questions the norms.&nbsp; This is why we get SF genres like Steampunk which turn Victorian norms and morality on their head as a criticism of modern norms.&nbsp; Just as an example.&nbsp; When you say that something can be both satire and fantasy, it's a bit of a stretch.&nbsp; Pratchett's stories use fantasy tropes to tell satirical stories about the modern world and modern sensibilities.&nbsp; It's satire, with fantasy tropes.&nbsp; But that doesn't make the stories fantasy any more than having robots and laser swords makes Star Wars SF.&nbsp; Now, all that being said, genre is porous.&nbsp; And very wibbley wobbly, particularly at the edges.&nbsp; And there's tons of stuff that straddle the divide.&nbsp; Genre is not defined by its edges, but by its centers.&nbsp; So, of course you can find exceptions.&nbsp; That's just part and parcel of genre.&nbsp; But, at the end of the day, when we're discussion Spec Fic and the triumvirate of SF, Fantasy and Horror, tropes are probably the least useful means of differentiating between them.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hussar, post: 9782928, member: 22779"] How so? In what way is that wrong? Fantasy as a genre is an outgrowth of folktales, among other things. Folktales are morality stories dealing with questions of good and evil, but, also primarily, as a means of reinforcing social behaviour. Things in the past are good and traditions need to be upheld is the fundamental basis of fantasy as a genre. SF has a different genesis. It's born out of satire. Thus SF questions the norms. This is why we get SF genres like Steampunk which turn Victorian norms and morality on their head as a criticism of modern norms. Just as an example. When you say that something can be both satire and fantasy, it's a bit of a stretch. Pratchett's stories use fantasy tropes to tell satirical stories about the modern world and modern sensibilities. It's satire, with fantasy tropes. But that doesn't make the stories fantasy any more than having robots and laser swords makes Star Wars SF. Now, all that being said, genre is porous. And very wibbley wobbly, particularly at the edges. And there's tons of stuff that straddle the divide. Genre is not defined by its edges, but by its centers. So, of course you can find exceptions. That's just part and parcel of genre. But, at the end of the day, when we're discussion Spec Fic and the triumvirate of SF, Fantasy and Horror, tropes are probably the least useful means of differentiating between them. [/QUOTE]

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