mindfiction

Mindfiction is a term used in literary criticism and popular discourse to describe a strand of speculative fiction in which consciousness, perception, memory, and other aspects of the mind are central to the plot and world-building. The term suggests a focus on interior mental life as a primary driver of narrative, often blending elements of psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy with speculative storytelling.

Although not established as a formal genre with a single canonical definition, mindfiction is typically understood as a subset of cognitive science fiction and mind-bending fiction. The term appears in essays and online discussions from the late 20th century onward, as commentators sought to categorize works that emphasize interior mental life rather than external action.

Common themes include the nature of reality and subjectivity, unreliable memory, dream or hallucinatory logic, brain-computer interfaces, AI consciousness, and the ethics of cognitive manipulation. Narrative techniques often include stream of consciousness, non-linear timelines, and devices that blur the line between memory and perception.

Mindfiction spans media such as novels, short stories, film, television, and interactive media. It overlaps with psychological thrillers and speculative fiction that focus on cognition. Critics often cite Philip K. Dick's work and certain films like Inception and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as influential examples, alongside modern television such as Black Mirror, in discussions of mind-centered storytelling.

Reception is mixed; some scholars welcome mindfiction as a productive lens on consciousness, while others view it as overlapping with existing categories (cognitive science fiction, psycho-thriller) and argue for clearer definitions. The term remains informal and contested.