Slipstream (literature)

Slipstream is a term for a literary work which pushes the boundaries of the conventions of and thus neither sits comfortably within the confines of either science fiction or fantasy or in mainstream literary fiction. Christopher Priest wrote, "In literature you might include Angela Carter, Steve Erickson, Paul Auster, Haruki Murakami, J. G. Ballard, Jorge Luis Borges, some of John Fowles. In films, Memento, Being John Malkovich and Intacto are recent examples of pure slipstream."

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The term slipstream when used in reference to literature, was coined by cyberpunk author Bruce Sterling in an article originally published in SF Eye #5, July 1989. He says in part that "...this is a kind of writing which simply makes you feel very strange; the way that living in the twentieth century makes you feel, if you are a person of a certain sensibility." Slipstream fiction has consequently been referred to as "the fiction of strangeness," which is as clear of a definition as any others in wide use.

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Slipstream as indicated in the first paragraph above, falls in the gap left between SF (science fiction) and mainstream fiction. Fans of mainstream literature tend to avoid it because it is too strange, and fans of SF tend to avoid it because it is not strange enough. While some slipstream novels employ elements of fantasy or magic realism, not all do. The common unifying factor of these pieces of literature is the surreal feeling they leave with reader. Most readers who have never heard the term slipstream, will still recognize the names of authors, such as Christopher Priest, Margaret Atwood, Karen Joy Fowler, Steve Erickson, Douglas Coupland, and William S. Burroughs, who have written slipstream novels.

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Science fiction: Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology upon society and persons as individuals. In common with most fiction, science fiction is written mainly to entertain people. The borders of this genre are not well defined, and the...

Fantasy: Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. The genre is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by overall look, feel, and theme of the individual ...

Literary fiction: Literary fiction is a somewhat uneasy term that has come into common usage since around 1970, principally to distinguish 'serious' fiction from the many types of genre fiction and popular fiction. For example, a traditional first novel is supposed not to be science fiction, nor a detective story, bu...

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