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= Novum =
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Introduction
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Novum (Latin for 'new thing') is a term used by science fiction
scholar Darko Suvin and others to describe the scientifically
plausible innovations used by science fiction narratives.
Frequently used science fictional nova include aliens, time travel,
the technological singularity, artificial intelligence, and psychic
powers.
Origin
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Suvin learned the term from Ernst Bloch, whose work is cited
frequently in 'Metamorphoses of Science Fiction'.
Suvin argues that the genre of science fiction is distinguished from
fantasy by the story being driven by a novum validated by logic he
calls cognitive estrangement. This means that the hypothetical "new
thing" which the story is about can be imagined to exist by scientific
means rather than by magic, i.e., by the 'factual reporting of
fictions' and by relating them in a plausible way to reality.
General references
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*'Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction'
*'Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a
Literary Genre' by Darko Suvin. 1979.
License
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novum
