Hi all,

Visionary fiction means something a lot different to me.

While there probably would be a spiritual element underscoring what I think of as a visionary story, it would be overshadowed by the futuristic nature in which the story would take place.

I see a visionary story being based on a vision, somewhere we'd like to head toward as a society.  Such a vision will probably employ some science fiction, but far more importantly there will be whole new social mechanisms that will profoundly affect the lives of those living in such new societies.

This kind of visionary fiction would explore a proposed future in a fictional demonstration.  Perhaps to demonstrate, consider Harry Potter: in the same way that the writer J.K.Rowling immerses us in the world of witchcraft and wizardry as we are lead through an adventure with Harry Potter, the same would take place in this type of visionary fiction, only now the setting would be in the future.

Unlike such science fiction as Brave New World, 1984, Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green and Silent Running, the trick would be to consider themes that clearly better human existence, then, instead of boring explanations, a fictional demonstration would be used.

Anyway, that's my take on Visionary Fiction.

Joe