Speculative realism/historical fantasy are labels coined by Stanford University’s Ramon
Saldivar. Saldivar describes this genre as “a way of documenting things that have happened, or
could happen” (the realist component), but warping realism into science fiction and fantasy,
blending and bending the genres (Dickason). In his 2013 article “The Second Elevation of the
Novel: Race, Form and the Postrace Aesthetic in Contemporary Narrative,” Ramon Saldivar
brings an interesting perspective to how a new generation of authors have taken this genre and
exposed utopia as fraud. He argues that as many writers (often members of minorities) seek to
challenge the status quo and explore new territories with their prose, a new genre has been born
from the utopian and dystopian schools- the genre he coins “speculative realism.” Implicit in his
labelling of a new genre is the assumption that existing genres (created and nurtured by the
dominant groups in society) are inadequate vehicles for the sort of work these authors seek to do,
and in order to make their unique contributions, they have had to become pioneers in the field.
Specifically, these authors have focused on utopian and dystopian worlds and have exposed the
ruling class ideology hidden in the resolution. This new genre provides perfect material from
which to draw texts that encourage students to grapple with the difficult concepts of how society
should be organized, and what means might be required to achieve it.
This project was developed with high school pedagogical practice in the forefront,
therefore texts are chosen based on genre, grade level/interest, and thematic/ideological content.
Within each group, the texts are chosen to highlight the deliberate indoctrination present within
the current curriculum, and through comparison demonstrate how substituting speculative realist
and historical fantasy for dystopian and historical fiction novels both educates and empowers
students. In the dystopian genre, the commonly taught Lord of the Flies by William Golding is
compared and contrasted with Octavia Butler’s Earthseed series. To explore novels based on
history, The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is contrasted with the historical fantasy The
Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/12378422 |
| Date | 15 June 2020 |
| Creators | Guadalupe E Ramirez (8882441) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/ACTIVATING_IMAGINATION_FOR_SOCIETAL_CHANGE_SPECULATIVE_REALIST_LITERATURE_IN_THE_SECONDARY_CLASSROOM/12378422 |
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