Beyond Narcissism: What Science Fiction Can Offer Literature

Literature is moving toward a deeper form of narcissism; the grand narrative is disappearing and being replaced by ever more introspective and ever more internalized accounts. This development has naturally caused the relationship of humanity with nature to fade from view, but in some cases it has gone so far as to grow impatient even with inter-human interactions, leaving only the mumbled monologue of the intra-personal relationship. Writers must rely on the appraisal of their readers or, even worse, rely on the judgment of the market. Therefore it is unavoidable that the spark at the heart of science fiction will often be hidden behind the shroud of commercialization. Here, Liu stresses that one can only keep hoping for more general awareness of what science fiction has to offer to literature.