Presentación

Abstract

Science fiction is often presented, from a critical perspective, as a protean and slippery genre, difficult to deal with. This may be due to the fact that this genre comprises a series of problems, issues and codes that are treated moderately or radically by the different sub-genres; and also because the definition and genre demilititation of science fiction has traditionally been rather controversial.

From the conflict that is caused by separating 20th century science fiction from the 19th century Anticipation or from neighbouring genres such as Fantasy and the Fantastic, to the dilemmas present in the majority of the theoretical studies on whether to include (or not) what some researchers have called "Proto Science Fiction", that is: the allusions to the origins, to the Greek, to Luciano or to Cyrano de Bergerac, in search, probably, of more noble origins. Or else, to circunscribe or regard how a continuation of the so-called "Primitive Science Fiction" of the late 19th century manifested in Julius Verne or H.G. Wells, and the dispute to consider these two authors as predecesors of the genre.