Mimese, novum e materialismo na ficção científica

Abstract

The present dissertation aims to characterize the aesthetics of Science Fiction as a literary genre. To this end, we primarily draw on Darko Suvin9s definition of Science Fiction as the genre of cognitive estrangement, that is, a genre that defamiliarizes reality through an innovation (novum) guided by a <cognitive logic.= We analyze and challenge the arguments and concepts proposed by Suvin, contrasting them with definitions of Science Fiction put forward by other literary critics, as well as concepts and theories from philosophy. Weorganize the discussion around three key concepts: mimesis, the novum, and materialism. First, we investigate the representational strategies and objects represented in Science Fiction. We use the classical concept of mimesis as a starting point, defining it as recognition through resemblance. To deepen our understanding of mimesis and how it can be mediated by form, we draw on Theodor Adorno9s reflections, which allow us to connect this concept to estrangement, as conceived in Russian formalism, and alienation, as theorized by Bertolt Brecht. Next, we delve into the characteristic inventions of the genre, the novum, and the construction of fictional universes, considering their fundamental features: their historicity, the way they are necessarily understood in relation to a specific era, and their totalizing nature, which determines the narrative logic and the elements of the fictional universe. Finally, we analyze and problematize Suvin9s concept of cognition, engaging with other literary critics and philosophers. We identify that the central aspect of cognition in Science Fiction is historical materialism, as the genre seeks to explore the transformations of material reality driven by its principal catalyst: technical-scientific advancement. This is due to the fact that reality is largely the result of human production, and the production process has increasingly been shaped by this advancement.