Science fiction has simply become more accepted as a literary and media genre. I remember reading an interview with Kurt Vonnegut, from the 1960. He was upset and adamant that Slaughterhouse Five was not science fiction.Part of his resoning was that science fiction was ‘pulp’ and not a serious genre. He even went so far as to create a recurring character in his novels, Kilgore Trout who was a failed science fiction writer. Of course, the novel in question was science fiction, it involved time travel, aliens, and a dystopian view of society after the atrocities of world war 2.
This fits into the science fiction genre, without the new ‘advancements’ in technology the destruction talked written about would not have occurred. “As in Frankenstien, the technology invented to benefit humanity has instead come to terrorize it. (Murphie and Potts, p.101)”
In my opinion, the financial success of the science fiction genre has changed this view of it as a inferior genre. Once more people are willing to take a risk on something (increase financial incentive) more interesting stories are likely to appear.
My 2 cents as a sci fi lover.
David
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