Research On Science Fiction Poetics Of Darko Suvin

Darko Suvin(1930-),is a famous contemporary theorist of science fiction,a Western Marxist,and the creator of cognition-estrangement theory of science fiction(SF).As a dedicated scholar,he has two famous works in SF studies,which are Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a Literary Genre,and Positions and Presuppositions in Science Fiction.He had presented cognitionestrangement theory for SF literature,in which he advocated a more scientific attitude toward SF studies in order to get rid of the vulgar title on this literary genre,and has gotten some good results.Suvin's theory has a main idea that the core of SF is the concepts of cognition,estrangement and novum,and all the explanations of SF could look for the sources from these three concepts,including SF's typology characteristics coming from them,and making SF different from other literary genres.In simple words,Suvin's SF is a kind of literary genre with scientific cognition,realistic estrangement,no god or monster existing but full of novum.It is important in Suvin's theory that SF should have its own scientificalness and structure,because in his eyes,SF has gone to the blind alley following the development and degeneration of capitalist society.SF needs recovering the precise scientific thoughts,time-ahead innovation,and practical function leading human society to the better future.Suvin has hope that the essence of SF poetics should be science leading SF,and helping SF back from the abyss of irresponsible fantasy story to the science-founded material basis,which was confirmed by scientific evidence of Maxism.SF should reflect the social reality in the form of reality estrangement,and raise the discussion of relations between human beings and the whole world through SF,then the power toward changing the society and future would occur.During this changing process,SF has become a spiritual space of freedom to human,and also a literary activity of human chasing the complete freedom of spirit and morality and Utopian ideal.Chapter One introduces the selection of the dissertation topic and the question it tries to resolve,the abroad and domestic studies of Suvin's theory,and the innovation of the dissertation.Suvin's theory has aroused many discussions in western SF theoreticalrealm,however,in China,not many intensive studies about his theory but many applications in the criticism has appeared recently,which has become an interesting phenomenon in China SF theory criticism in the new century.Chapter Two retrospects the theory sources of Suvin SF poetics.It is obvious in his theory that cognition and estrangement concepts are coming from formalism of Viktor Shklovsky,defamiliarization of Bertolt Brecht,and novum of Ernst Bloch,which constructs the basic framework and direct resources of Suvin's core ideas.Cognition comes from Maxism epistemology.Suvin emphasizes that SF's base is the scientific cognition,which is the absolute nature of SF,and all the structure and parts of SF come from this nature.The relations between SF and mythology,SF and science and technology,and SF and Utopia are all established on the basis of epistemology,practical theory and outlook of truth of Maxism,which become the direct resources of Suvin's theory.Chapter Three discusses the definitions of core concepts and the problems occurred in the expression of these definitions.Suvin believes that as the core concept,cognition bases on the scientific stand,and he denies that other genres,especially fantasy has cognition.Therefore,Suvin applies cognition to distinguish SF from other genres,and the distinguishing standard is science factor,which means the scientific cognition let reader getting new scientific knowledge and new thinking.Although Suvin has not mentioned any word about scientific cognition in his theory,his pursuit relying on modern social development and new science and technology is clear,and he puts his scientific crush extending to SF field.Estrangement inherits Brecht's theory,and adds Suvin's modern expression to it,and it is the content of estrangement from reality,not the defamiliarization of modern relation between human and society,because in Suvin'opinion,the defamiliar SF is finally human's SF,especially the modern human's SF.Novum puts characteristic aesthetics into SF and also the amazing feeling of transcendent imaginary.The three concepts constitute the core bases of Suvin SF poetics,and other relative theories have come from these three ones.Chapter Four analyzes the normal form and structure of Suvin's theory.Around the concept center,the structure establishes a whole frame as the evidence for Suvin discussing and criticizing the SF works.The frame of cognition is very detailed,including the beginning point of cognition,the transcendence from reality to SF,and the relation between known and unknown factors.Estrangement has a more abstract principle in its normal form,because of its undefined and unfamiliar extent and its general explanation,which has no clear dividing line between reality and imaginary.In the novum theory,it is Stanislaw Lem's Solaris,chosen by Suvin,as the best form of novum of western SF work frame among the world's three main SF forms,and Suvin pointed that best frame of SF should be open,dynamic,never finished,and describing a stage,as Solaris.The normal form of SF focuses scientific cognitive frame,unfamiliar abstract principle,and transcend novum space in Suvin's theory.Chapter Five focuses on the function of Suvin SF poetics.According to the practical function of Maxism,literature is human's mental practice,and also practice on human.Suvin thinks SF as the practice of the society,and also the literary practice functioning on the society,and hopes the idea and method studied in SF could display in the social change and development.Therefore,the discussion of SF function is under the theory of Maxism practice theory.In Suvin's opinion,the aesthetic function of SF is the external expression of science's function,and the aesthetics comes from the scientific foundation and related imaginary.The matter of SF function is basically the matter of SF essence.In fact,the essence of SF in Suvin's theory is the practical experiment of human mind,the expression of human chasing freedom and liberation,and the literary pattern of human realizing Utopian ideal.In conclusion,there are scientific and cognitive principles leading SF in Suvin's poetics,pursuing transcendent aesthetic imaginary in a probably unfamiliar but actually familiar attitude.Therefore it is believed that the nature of SF is Utopian,and the mental freedom founded on the enlightened ethics in Suvin's poetics.