Twisting Fairy Tales: Science or Magic
Have you ever wondered why science fiction and fantasy are lumped together even though the genres, ideas, and plots are so different? Other than the obvious world building similarities, I like to think it’s because science is magic.
The Science of Magic
Throughout history, people have used plants, tonics, and more to aid the sick and injured. Often the wise men and women administering these medicines were thought of as witches – workers of magic. Today, science can explain the healing properties of these plants, how they chemically interact with our bodies and relieve headaches, inflammation, nausea, etc. So what was once magic is now science.
This was part of what I wanted to convey through “In Pursuit of the Bitter Berry” from my book When Magic Calls: A Collection of Modern Fairy Tales. I used scientific language to explain how the bitter berry protects the consumer from a deadly gas. While both the gas and the bitter berry can be partially explained by science, they are also magical in their creation.
Science Proves Magic
As a little girl, I always loved magic – fairies, spells, dragons, other worlds where magic was a part of the elements. At the same time, I had an affinity for science and wanted to be either a doctor or a veterinarian. Perhaps that’s where my realization that science is magic first came from.
Before we understand how something works, there’s a sense of wonder about it. Think of how much more amazing electricity would be if you didn’t know how it worked. You’d likely call it magic. As we learn how the world works, how energy flows, and what an electron is, we no longer call electricity magic. We call it science. Electricity is still wonderous, but the mystery is gone.
The point where something goes from magical to technological or science is when “In Pursuit of the Bitter Berry” takes place. How the bitter berry protects against the gas is known and understood, but where the gas comes from and how the plants know when to grow is not. The bitter berry and gas are at the intersection of science and magic.
Why Science Fiction and Fantasy
So really, the difference between magic and science is how much we understand how it works. Fantasy chooses the feeling of wonder and mystery of magic over the understanding of science. Science fiction is the opposite. Of course there are other differences like time periods, but the fantastical elements – magic and technology (or science) – are really just two different ways of looking at the same thing.
The funny thing is, I have always preferred the wonder of magic in my stories over the understanding of science. I choose elves and dragons over aliens and spaceships. What about you? Which do you prefer? Do you agree with my musings about science and magic?
Caitlin Berve is the author of When Magic Calls: A Collection of Modern Fairy Tales and currently working on a fantasy novel involving an arranged marriage, damsels who save themselves, and non-human shape-shifters. Through her company Ignited Ink Writing and MFA, she edits other people’s novels, creates video tutorials, teaches, and writes. Caitlin seeks to fill the world with the kind of writing that lingers with readers, pet all the fluffy and scaly animals she can, and find magic in modern times.