week 10

What distinctions are there between alternate history, postmodern alternate history and uchronie genres?

The genre of science fiction has always asked the question, “what if”, and in other genres, it would be difficult to approach topics like, “What if the nazis won WW2”, without talking about hypothetical scenarios, but in the Science fiction genre we are able to fully delve into worlds like, “The Man in The High Castle”, where fascism is now the norm, and how German and Japanese culture has penetrated America and their beloved “Values”.  This question of “what if?”, can be explored using many forms, three of which are; Alternate history, Postmodern Alternate history and uchronie genres.

Alternate history is a considerable sub-genre of science fiction. It explores the history of our world but through this idea of, “what if”, where some key points in history are changed, and because of this the world is completely different due to these differences. Alternate history looks at how events would unfold in real life, effectively giving the audience a look into a different timeline. Alternate history shows how changes in our timeline could lead to us living in either better or worse conditions, The Man in The High Castle, takes this very approach and shows us how the axis countries would rule the world, dividing America in half and reaping the reward, turning everyone into Nazis. However, with every fascist rule, there will be people who oppose it, leading to the creation of the resistance, and even in this world, there is a portal to our world, showing its inhabitants what would have happened if the Allies won, making the story seem more believable.

Postmodern Alternate history is very similar to alternate history but focuses on a single point in time, a “synchronic” event, where a doomsday type event must be stopped in order to save the world. Postmodern Alternative history uses the imminent threat of annihilation in order to further the plot, unlike Alternate history, where this event has already happened, and the story is about how life is like after this drastic change.

 Uchronia is a french word which is a genre that describes and encompasses both Postmodern Alternative history and alternative history. It is the idea of alternative universes, worlds, and timelines, “pure uchronia,” consisting of one alternative world; “plural uchronia,” in which this and an alternate world exist in parallel; and “infinite uchronia,” in which there are many, even infinite parallel worlds” (Mountfort, 2017). The genre shows how key changes in major decisions could sculpt an entirely different world, for better or for worse, and the idea of multiple realities existing beside our own can feel comforting to readers as it shows events could be different and can get better if we enact change today. It shows that the fighting and protesting currently happening like BLM, can and will lead to real-world change that can be felt throughout history. We must enact these changes, and keep on trying to make our world and our reality the “best timeline”.

References 

Mountfort, P. (2016). The I Ching and Philip K. Dicks The Man in the High Castle. Science Fiction Studies, 43(2). doi:10.5621/sciefictstud.43.2.0287