The purpose of this blog is to assist in reading responses for an indendent study on women writers of speculative fiction in the 20th century. Maryellen Mori writes, “As a literary mode, fantasy is well-suited to exploring desires that are forbidden or frustrated by society. Much of contemporary women’s fantasy fiction across cultures portrays female characters who envision venturing beyond the limits set by their society’s definitions of the possible and permissible in order to fulfill their desires for power, pleasure and freedom of (or from) self-definition.” Speculative fiction is a somewhat problematic, somewhat argued term that has shifted from being focused on science fiction alone to being an umbrella term for fiction that takes the reader outside of reality as society general defines it. For the purpose of this study, the focus will be on 20th century women authors of utopian, fantasy, and science fiction who use the genre to subvert social issues such as gender, race, and class. My goal is to write my Master’s thesis on some topic within the speculative fiction genre and to come out of my education with study in these areas that will only be possible with the use of independent study. During my undergraduate degree, I completed an independent study on the development of the fantasy genre in particular within the 20th century. This study will round out the broader genre with a focus on dark fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, and a twist on a traditional fairy tale genre all within the framework of women authors and how they use these genre forms.
