科学小说谈

On Science Novel

中国科学小说的研究已走过半个世纪的历程。一些有识之士的探索,得到了许多著名科学家、文学家和科普作家的认可与支持。科学小说的研究在全国方兴未艾,在海内外产生了一定影响。研究者认为,科学小说和科幻小说不同。科学小说不包括也不等于"科学幻想小说",科学小说用小说的体裁来表现科学内容,但它写的是现实的科学,而不是幻想的科学。科学与文学是科学小说的双翼。一部成功的科学小说,其"科学"和"小说"两方面应该是浑然一体、不可分割的。也有学者主张科学小说的外延应比科幻小说大,科学小说包括了科幻小说。这些不同意见值得进一步探讨。许多以科学为题材的小说,都被冠以科幻小说的名目。科学小说几乎被科幻小说的光环所淹没。实际上,只要认真考证和发掘,我们会发现很多科学小说的遗珠和经典之作,诸如清初李渔的短篇小说《夏宜楼》、爱伦·坡的《一千零二夜的故事》、凡尔纳的《气球上的五星期》和《神秘岛》、伽莫夫的《物理世界奇遇记》等。

Thanks to the exploratory researches and endeavors in the area of Chinese science novel during its past 50 years of growing development,it has obtained immense supports and acclaims from a great number of renowned scientists,literature writers,and science writers. Whilst science novel research across China is still on a burgeoning path currently,with great impacts domestically and internationally. The writer finds that there remain some differences in science novel and science fiction:science novel is not entirely tantamount to"science fantasy fiction",science novel gives an expression to science content in the form of novel which writes about"science in reality"rather than"science in fantasy". Science and literature are the 2 wings of science novel,"science"and"novel"are wholly combined and inter-dependent for a successful science novel. Some scholars argue that the extensional connation of science novel is far more extensive than that of science fiction where science fiction shall be classified into science novel. Those arguments are worthy of further discussions. Statistics show that a number of novels in the form of science are taken as the well-known science fictions. Science novel is almost eclipsed by science fiction. As a matter of fact,as long as we seek exploring investigations and endeavors,we will encounter a huge number of classic science novels,such as Xiayi Lou by Li Yu,Cinq Semaines En Ballon by Jules Verne,as well as The New World of Mr Tompkins by George Gamow,etc.