Český literární kyberpunk a otázka žánru
Czech literary cyberpunk and the question of genre

Summary/Abstract: This article attempts to outline the “genre field” of cyberpunk. It is argued that several aspects have to be taken into consideration when the field is being mapped out. In the specific case of Czech cyberpunk it is the way science fiction in general is conceived in society (both by fans and academic discourse), the level of knowledge as far as its Anglo-American counterparts are concerned, the position of computer technology within society, the publishing opportunities, and the pressure from other sub-genres of the fantastic. All this and more amounts to what the article labels as “subgenre” and concludes that, at least in the case of science fiction, a genre involves not only a reservoir of aesthetic and plot devices, but above all it is to be viewed as a culturally specific sedimentation of a historically specific cultural situation.

• Details
• Contents