“Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive.”

http://theliterarylink.com/leguinintro.html

The above quote comes from Ursula K. Le Guin’s introduction to her novel, The Left Hand of Darkness. In this introduction, she talks about what science fiction really is and two major misconceptions about science fiction: 1) that it is “escapist” and 2) that it is extrapolative and predicts the future. I think the quote that “Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive” is incredibly accurate, especially when we look at Le Guin’s SF. I read this introduction when I read LHOD before this class, before really thinking about what SF is. Now, I keep returning to this introduction and this quote specifically. I think that Le Guin’s commentary on SF rings truer and truer to me with each new SF story that I read.