Sex In Science Fiction

[Jaycinth]

I grew up with the tradition that sex has no place in Science Fiction writing, and it should not be in Fantasy especially "High Fantasy". I only agree with that some of the time.

What do you folks, purists and purile - ists alike think?

[fedorable1]

I don't really agree with that. I think sex is like violence. It's something that people do, no matter what time period it is. People have been doing it since the dawn of time, and there's no reason to think that they wouldn't in the future.

An exception might be in a future where reproduction is restricted/legalized/banned, or have some other limitation. Maybe in the future humans are naturally sterile, and depend on specific machines to reproduce us.

Like all things, it depends on the context. If aliens or dragons are invading and the world is searching for a weapon to defeat them, and them bam! Gratuitous sex scene. That doesn't bode well. If the main characters have been in love for some time and you have a decent, brief passage about love-making I'm sure it could pass if done well.

But in general, no matter what the genre, sex (or any subject) could fit if there's a reason.

[CaitlinK18]

I'm writing high fantasy right now and there's a ton of sex...of course, much of it is linked to cult activity and sex is one of the ways they show their, erm, devotion.

I think sex and erotica are different. The sex scenes in my WIP are not erotic or romantic--they're showing how evil some characters are. Later, when the (anti)hero and heroine get together, there will be a romantic love scene.

Sex is human, and I think if it's done well it can be put into any type of fiction.

[James D. Macdonald]

"No Sex in Science Fiction" hasn't been the rule since Bug Jack Barron (and the complete works of Philip Jose Farmer).

[sassandgroove]

COrdelia's Honor by Bujold handled it well. (It's the first that came to mind.) Like Caitlin said, it is something people do. There is a line though b/w mentioning it and erotica, though.

[veinglory]

I think there has always been a range including yellowbacks of SF erotica. Even the classics had some nubiles and implied sex and a few included sex scenes as I recall.

For me the main issue is not to surprise the reader. Books with explicit sex in them should be marketed to mature readers and clear signals give as to wehther it is a little sex as the plot requires or a full blown orgy-a-tron.

Otherwise the 'no sex please we're sf geeks' rule should go the way of other limitations--more diversity means more readers. (And less of me throwing books out the window because they are yet another steeenking pile of misogynist pseudoscience).

[pconsidine]

Sex should be treated the same regardless of genre - if it's relevant to the plot, put it in. If it's just for the hell of it, leave it out.

[katdad]

Originally Posted by Jaycinth

I grew up with the tradition that sex has no place in Science Fiction writing, and it should not be in Fantasy especially "High Fantasy". I only agree with that some of the time.

What do you folks, purists and purile - ists alike think?

I don't know what 'tradition' you're talking about. If you read Robert Silverberg, Phil Dick, Phil Farmer, and even ol' Heinlien, there's plenty of sex in SF.

Not being a fantasty reader, I can't say about that. If you mean that "high" fantasy is juvenile fantasy, then soft-tone sex, sure.

Don't confuse juvenile SF/fantasy with that written for adults.

Any adult novel may or may not have violence or sex, subdued or graphic, as befits the book itself. Adding gratuitous sex or violence is tawdry, but putting some good exciting "sax or violins" in its place is fine.

One of the very finest SF novels ever written, Silverberg's "Downward to the Earth" has some exciting sex scenes, and they fit the theme.