Inner Space (science Fiction)

Inner space in the context of science fiction refers to works of psychological science fiction emphasizes internal, mental, and emotional experiences over external adventure or technological speculation, which contrasts it with traditional science fiction's fascination with outer space.

Works from this genre appeared as part of the emergence of the New Wave in science fiction in the 1960s. They were popularized English writer J.G. Ballard and associated with the New Wave movement in science fiction. Subsequent contributions by critics and writers such as Michael Moorcock, Pat Cadigan, and Greg Bear helped establish inner space as a recurring theme in science fiction discourse.

Characteristics

English writer J.G. Ballard, who is credited with popularizing the concept in the 1960s, offered this definition of the inner space genre: "an imaginary realm in which on the one hand the outer world of reality, and on the other the inner world of the mind meet and merge".

Polish science fiction scholars and defined inner space as "a category introduced to science fiction by representatives of the New Wave to designate internal, mental experiences as imaginary worlds with no connection to the real world". They also note that "fantastic images painted by ew Wave artistsare... projections of mental states, symbols of unspecified longings and anxieties of modern people".

German science fiction scholar Vera Graaf wrote that inner space "is a polemical statement against the science fiction concept of 'Outer space' – the cosmos". She notes that this genre arose when some writers became critical of poorly defined heroic characters and "romantic idealization of the cosmic 'borderland'". She further writes that "It is a space of imagination where the external real world and the internal world of the spirit meet and merge into one", and the authors who are associated with that genre are "fascinated by the observation and deciphering of the 'inner universe' and 'landscapes of the soul'. She also writes that this genre, "unlike traditional science fiction, which highlights mathematical and natural sciences, brings psychology and psychoanalysis to the fore". She associates the resulting works with "the world of psychedelic experiences, the world of 'pop' music and art".

This concept is related but not synonymous with the concept of psychological science fiction. The term inner space in science fiction is also used in contexts other than psychological ones, including in works about cyberspace or underwater regions.

History

According to John Clute, David Langford and Peter Nicholls, writing in ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', in the context of science fiction the term was probably first used by Robert Bloch in a speech at Worldcon in 1948, although the term did not gain popularity at that time. Clute, Langford and Nicholls, as well as Brian M. Stableford, also observe that the term was subsequently popularized by J. B. Priestley in the article "They Came from Inner Space" (''New Statesman'', 1954). In this article, Priestley criticized science fiction for describing space adventures rather than exploring the inner cosmos of human psychology, referring to themes such as space travel and exploration, as "childish" and called for works that are "exploring ourselves, the hidden life of the psyche". Stableford also noted that the growing popularity of the term may have been a reaction to the popularity of works using the term "outer space", such as the film ''It Came from Outer Space'' (1953).

Most often, however, it is J. G. Ballard who is credited with popularizing this concept and giving it greater meaning. Don D'Ammassa

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