It is a more difficult question than it seems. We all know
what science fiction is, right? Ray guns and space ships and aliens? So we just
go back in time, look for the earliest instances of these elements, and presto!
We have the first literary work of science fiction.
But what about a totalitarian regime using technology that
was but a stone’s throw away at the time it was written? Or a sexist dystopia
with identical technology to the present day? What if the people with the ray
guns, space ships and aliens can move things with their brains? Is this still
science fiction, or are we going someplace else entirely?
