Comments on: Write Ghettoized Fiction or Die Tryin’

By: Francis Dieterle

Francis Dieterle — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 20:56:26 +0000

I want to say, before you read my response, that I respect your love of science fiction, although I may not agree with it. I am a HUGE fan of literary work, though I started my reading with science fiction and a great heap of fantasy. I believe that the person who commented above was correct in saying that a lot of science fiction writers very often just spin out stories. I am a huge fan of Douglas Adams, Huxley’s Brave New World, Orwell’s 1984, Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and a good deal of epic poetry, which I believe is the roots of modern fantasy. However, I also think that, as time went on, science fiction lost the appeal and message that it once had. The Hitchhiker’s Guide is something we read, not for its literary qualities, but for its humour; the Guide had a genius behind the writing and the plot. While I have never read a work by Ishiguro, I feel that what he and Atwood (and, perhaps, other authors, I know nothing of modern literature) are trying to do is put the message and drive back into science fiction. I think that if something is good, one should read it, regardless of genre. I do find that a lot of the best writers (or my favorite, at least) devote themselves mostly to “literary” fiction. Though, judging from my generation’s dislike of reading, I feel that great literature is dying (which includes science fiction and all other genres, basically). Who know? Perhaps science fiction will gain more respsect in literary circles in the future. I think a great deal of science fiction is undervalued, while a great deal is overvalued. I apologize for taking up so much space. Have a nice day.

-Francis

By: Gwenda

Gwenda — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 21:28:03 +0000

Well said, Ed.

By: will

will — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 15:55:57 +0000

As one who reads, nowadays, mostly the literary fare, I thought I’d mention a few things. First off, I got my start in reading mysteries, fantasy, and sci-fi. My earliest favorites were such as Heinlein (Pretty much everything, though The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is the best), Asimov (Foundation!), Dick, Bear(particularly Darwin’s Radio), Butler (mainly the earthseed stuff), Herbert (all of Dune), Bill Ransom etc… And slowly, as I became interested in writing, I began to focus on the more literary works. Kafka, Joyce, Hemingway, Faulkner, Ishiguro, Murakami, etc… I would say that generally the “literary” stuff has more to offer, at least on a consistent basis, but there is a lot of great genre stuff out there. Many of the people I know that stick w/ the “literary” (and I know a lot, particularly poets) love “Ender’s Game,” and a lot of other genre work. They are just generally more selective. For example, many peole love Jordan’s Wheel of Time thing (I read a lot of it in middle school). It has a compelling plot etc… The problem is, the writing is terrible (not always, just mostly). This is the problem w/ a lot of genre fiction. Time and care are not put into the craft. Many authors of such works spin things out as quickly as possible, focusing almost solely on plot, and plot is only one, tiny part of the text.

By: Darby

Darby — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 09:57:43 +0000

Hey, that’s the trouble with tribbles, man.

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 22:46:11 +0000

Well said. I always get miffed when the “literary” crowd disparges sci fi and fantasy. They mock it and refuse to read anything shelved in the genre section, but they gush over Ishiguro or Susanna Clarke.