Inner space in the context ofscience fiction refers to works ofpsychological science fiction that emphasize internal, mental, and emotional experiences over external adventure or technological speculation, which contrasts with traditional science fiction's fascination withouter space.

Works from this genre appeared as part of the emergence of theNew Wave in science fiction in the 1960s. They were popularized by English writerJ.G. Ballard and associated with the New Wave movement in science fiction. Subsequent contributions by critics and writers such asMichael Moorcock,Pat Cadigan, andGreg Bear helped establish inner space as a recurring theme in science fiction discourse.

English writerJ.G. Ballard, who is credited with popularizing the concept in the 1960s, offered this definition of the inner space genre: "an imaginary realm in which on the one hand the outer world of reality, and on the other the inner world of the mind meet and merge".^[1]: 240

Polishscience fiction scholarsAndrzej Niewiadowski [pl] andAntoni Smuszkiewicz [pl] defined inner space as "a category introduced to science fiction by representatives of theNew Wave to designate internal, mental experiences as imaginary worlds with no connection to the real world". They also note that "fantastic images painted by [New Wave artists] are... projections of mental states, symbols of unspecified longings and anxieties of modern people".^[2]: 308

German science fiction scholar Vera Graaf wrote that inner space "is a polemical statement against the science fiction concept of 'Outer space' – thecosmos".^[3] She notes that this genre arose when some writers became critical of poorly defined heroic characters and "romantic idealization of the cosmic 'borderland'". She further writes that "It is a space of imagination where the external real world and the internal world of the spirit meet and merge into one", and the authors who are associated with that genre are "fascinated by the observation and deciphering of the 'inner universe' and 'landscapes of the soul'. She also writes that this genre, "unlike traditional science fiction, which highlights mathematical and natural sciences, bringspsychology andpsychoanalysis to the fore". She associates the resulting works with "the world ofpsychedelic experiences, the world of 'pop' music and art".^{[4]: 164–166}

This concept is related to but not synonymous with the concept ofpsychological science fiction.^[5][6]: 41 The term inner space in science fiction is also used in contexts other than psychological ones, including in works aboutcyberspace or underwater regions.^{[7]: 489–490 [8]}

According toJohn Clute,David Langford andPeter Nicholls, writing inThe Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, in the context of science fiction the term was probably first used byRobert Bloch in a speech atWorldcon in 1948, although the term did not gain popularity at that time.^[8] Clute, Langford and Nicholls, as well asBrian M. Stableford, also observe that the term was subsequently popularized byJ. B. Priestley in the article "They Came from Inner Space" (New Statesman, 1954). In this article, Priestley criticized science fiction for describing space adventures rather than exploring the inner cosmos of human psychology, referring to themes such asspace travel andexploration as "childish". He called for works that are "exploring ourselves, the hidden life of the psyche".^{[7]: 489–490 [8]} Stableford also noted that the growing popularity of the term may have been a reaction to the popularity of works using the term "outer space", such as the filmIt Came from Outer Space (1953).^{[7]: 489–490}

Most often, however, it isJ. G. Ballard who is credited with popularizing this concept and giving it greater meaning.^{[7]: 415 [8][1]: 260}Don D'Ammassa even credited Ballard with creating the concept.^[9]: 23 Ballard was a leading figure associated with the New Wave in science fiction. In his article "Which Way to Inner Space?" (New Worlds, 1962), he followed in Priestley's footsteps by postulating, as Dominika Oramus later summarized it, that creators of "ambitious science fiction should abandon repetitive space stories and investigate the inner space of the human mind".^{[7]: 489–490 [8][10][11]}

The term became popular in the work of New Wave writers in the mid-1960s.^[2]: 308 Ballard andMichael Moorcock are often credited as major figures related to this development.^{[4]: 164–166} One of the first works to refer to this concept by name was a short story byHoward Koch, "Invasion from Inner Space" (1959), although critics disagree whether Koch's story about the psychology ofartificial intelligence, and subsequent works about cyberspace, reflect the dimension of human psychological problems described by Priestley and Ballard.^{[7]: 489–490 [8]}

Brian Ash noted that science fiction works dealing with psychological topics existed before the concept was coined and popular. The earliest example he points to isH. G. Wells' novelMr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island (1928), describing it as a "prototype inner-space [story]".^[12]: 238 Rob Mayo traces the genre origins toPeter Phillipps' short story "Dreams Are Sacred" (1948), a work which pioneered the science fictiontrope of "dream hacking" and has been described as an example of "technologically assisted journeys into the hypothetical Inner Space of the human mind".^{[1]: 241 [5][13]} Mayo posits that proto-inner space themes existed prior to Peter Phillip's work, including the medieval genre ofpsychomachia (named afterthe poem of the same name) which deals with the soul of an individual (acting analogous to the function of the mind in the genre). As well, the mechanics ofGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's 'mill argument' pointing towards the themeatics of entering inside a working mind as if it were physical space.^[1]

Rob Mayo wrote that the 1980s was the second "golden age" of inner space, associated with writers such asPat Cadigan andGreg Bear; he also notes the movieDreamscape (1984), which he calls "the first inner space film". He notes that the genre once again returned the 2000s, here noting the moviesThe Cell (2000) andInception (2010), as well as the video gamePsychonauts (2005). He notes thatInception marked "the transition of inner space fiction from a marginal genre (SF literature) to a viable mainstream (Hollywood cinema)".^{[1]: 240, 254, 260}

Writers whose works are often associated with the inner space genre include:

• Brian W. Aldiss^[12]: 237
• J.G. Ballard^{[12]: 237 [14]}
• Barrington J. Bayley^[14]
• Greg Bear^[1]: 240
• John Brunner^{[1]: 240 [12]: 237}
• Pat Cadigan^[1]: 240
• Philip K. Dick^{[12]: 238–239 [14]}
• Thomas M. Disch^[12]: 237
• Harlan Ellison^[12]: 237
• Philip José Farmer^[14]
• Ursula K. Le Guin^{[12]: 245–246 [14]}
• Doris Lessing^[14]
• Michael Moorcock^[12]: 237
• Christopher Priest^[12]: 246
• Robert Silverberg^[12]: 245
• John T. Sladek^[12]: 237
• Norman Spinrad^[12]: 237
• James Tiptree Jr.^[12]: 246
• Roger Zelazny^[1]: 240

• Innerspace, a 1987 Americanscience fiction comedy film

• Latham, Rob (2008)."J.G. Ballard and the Shift to Inner Space". In Seed, David (ed.).A Companion to Science Fiction. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 207–209.ISBN 978-0-470-79701-3.

• Psychological fiction
• Science fiction genres

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