tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132675112999862572024-02-19T23:10:45.364-05:00sf@SFscience fiction, fantasy, anime, comics, and more @SUNY FredoniaThe Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.comBlogger294125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-68290759591484188502016-07-08T10:37:00.000-04:002016-07-08T11:29:18.389-04:00Guccifer 2.0 and SFFans of everything from Orson Scott Card's Ender series to Ken MacLeod's <i>The Execution Channel</i> to Cory Doctorow's SF should be following the Guccifer 2.0 story, but, as I pointed out last night at a <a href="http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/2016/07/this-is-about-guccifer-20-not-golf.html">few</a> <a href="http://ovsc.blogspot.com/2016/07/this-is-test-of-googles-capacity-to.html">of</a> <a href="http://citizense.blogspot.com/2016/07/this-is-guccifer-20-test-of-google.html">my</a> blogs, simple google searches on the subject are <a href="http://ovsc.blogspot.com/2016/07/google-failing-my-test-of-whether-it.html">yielding</a> <a href="http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/2016/07/guccifer-20-google-search-result.html">weird</a> <a href="http://citizense.blogspot.com/2016/07/is-it-just-me-or-is-google-weird-when.html">results</a>. How is it possible that posts of mine that haven't even received 35 page views in their first 12 hours of existence are showing up higher on standard google searches than any of the <a href="http://inevitahillary.blogspot.com/2016/06/crowdstrikeguccifer-20fbisabu.html">many</a>, <a href="http://inevitahillary.blogspot.com/2016/06/guccifer-20-and-corporate-medias.html">much</a> <a href="http://inevitahillary.blogspot.com/2016/06/is-guccifer-20-pseudohacktivist-puppet.html">more</a> <a href="http://inevitahillary.blogspot.com/2016/07/even-if-guccifer-20-is-part-of.html">interesting</a> <a href="http://inevitahillary.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-original-guccifer-marcel-lazar.html">posts</a> on the subject by <a href="http://inevitahillary.blogspot.com/">Studio Dongo</a>? Just how is it that my completely neglected, always lo-traffic blogs show up at all while his don't show up unless you're explicitly looking for them?<br />
<br />
This sounds like an SF scenario, right? I can understand corporate media being interested in selling only a few narratives about Guccifer 2.0, but I used to be able to count on google to help me find alternatives. But there's not even any interestingly crazy conspiracy theorizing showing up. In that vacuum, it's easy for my posts to stand out, I suppose. But, by that logic, wouldn't anybody else's, too? If so, why are they so hard to find?<br />
<br />
I don't have anything but questions at this point. Anyone have any answers?The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-56364317558494707722014-12-23T15:02:00.002-05:002014-12-23T15:02:21.865-05:00Fredonia's Got Talent!My students in Fantasy Fiction and Novels and Tales did some amazing work throughout the semester, and particularly at the end. Unfortunately, most of them chose not to do web authoring projects, so I can't share their work here. Fortunately, a good number did; here are links to their work:<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>Alexandra Atseff, <a href="http://harrypotterbooktofilmcomparison.weebly.com/">Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Book to Film</a> [blog]</li>
<li>Aubrey Cunningham, <a href="http://thoughtsaboutfantasyfiction.blogspot.com/">Fantasy Fiction</a> [blog]</li>
<li>Halie Degnan, <a href="http://fantasyfictionworlds.webs.com/">Alternate Worlds</a> [web site]</li>
<li>Paige Jones, <a href="http://fairytaleseamer.blogspot.com/">Fairy Tale Seamstress</a> [blog on making of fairy tale dress for character in her fairy tale revision of Beauty and the Beast]</li>
<li>Jessica Krajacic and Skylar Pratt, <a href="http://fantasyfictionfinal.blogspot.com/">Fantasy Fiction and the Harry Potter Generation</a> [blog]</li>
<li>Kyle Roof, <a href="http://youtu.be/iRQPToqJcVY">Harry Potter vs. LotR vs. GoT--Fantasy Fiction Club</a> [live-action on youtube]</li>
<li>Rhiannon Vercant, <a href="http://vimeo.com/113977236">A Neapolitan Cinderella in Oz</a> [animation on vimeo]</li>
<li>Ashley Weinheimer, <a href="http://allmagictimeline.blogspot.com/">History of Magic School</a> [blog]</li>
<li>Kristal Zarczynski, <a href="http://fantasyfictionsampleblog.blogspot.com/">Fantasy Blog</a> [blog]</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Please check 'em out while you're waiting for me to finish grading and get back to posting student essays that respond to the <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2014/09/questions-about-fantasy-fiction-fall.html">questions</a> my students generated at the start of the semester!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>[cross-posted at <a href="http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/">Mostly Harmless</a> and <a href="http://citizense.blogspot.com/">Citizen of Somewhere Else</a>]</i></div>
The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-82316905862799363682014-12-07T22:51:00.001-05:002014-12-23T15:02:45.326-05:00Do Readers Need a History Lesson?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do Readers Need A
History Lesson?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> When we think of fantasy fiction, we
usually think of exotically detailed worlds, filled with developed cultures and
unique customs. If you’re anything like me, the idea of writing a book in the
fantasy genre is overwhelming, not only because of the detail needed to create
a world like Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, but also in how to present that world to
the reader. In reading fantasy novels there are always the books that utilize
the first fifty to one hundred pages introducing the world (like Tolkien’s <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>), but is that
the norm? Is an in-depth introduction even necessary? If we look at Pullman’s <i>The Golden Compass</i>, it would seem that
there is more than one way of introducing a world, and not all of them give the
reader a flashback to their high school history class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Lyra and her daemon moved through the
darkening hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen”
is Pullman’s first sentence in <i>The Golden
Compass</i>, and drops readers right into Lyra’s Oxford, with no clue as to
what a daemon is or what this world is like (3). In fact, readers do not learn
anything more about daemons until later on in the book; and even then only
small bits of information. This seems strange, considering the turmoil in
Lyra’s Oxford seems to center upon daemons and children, yet it’s not entirely
clear what the daemons are. This could have been risky on Pullman’s part, yet
from the very beginning the novel progresses at a swift pace. The reader is
submerged in his world, even without it being fully explained. So, how does
this work for Pullman? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> First, our protagonist is a young
girl who has lived in this world her entire life. Our view of the world is also
Lyra’s view of the world. We are only exposed to the things in the world that
involve and interact with Lyra. We also understand what she understands, which
leads to a very basic knowledge of the religion, government, and customs of
this strange Oxford. A great example of this is in the first chapter, where we
are introduced to the mysterious Dust. Pullman writes, “ ‘It’s coming down,’
said Lord Asriel, ‘but it isn’t light. It’s Dust.’ Something in the way he said
it made Lyra imagine <i>dust</i> with a
capital letter, as if this wasn’t ordinary dust. The reaction of the Scholars
confirmed her feeling,” is the first exposure to the reason for the kidnapping
of poor children (19). There is no further explanation to this Dust until Lyra
overhears it, or someone tells her—and by association, us. This method of
introducing the world seems authentic, much like how we discovered our own
worlds as children. Our eyes and our ears are Lyra and the way she perceives
the world, so it fits that we only know what she knows, and only see the world
as she does. As Lyra learns we also learn, keeping us on the edge of our seats
exploring a fictional universe where parallel worlds exist, and armored polar
bears talk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> A second reason this seems to work
for Pullman is that when he drops us into his world it feels fully formed from
the beginning. “[Lyra] had lived most of her life in the College, but had never
seen the Retiring Room before: only Scholars and their guests were allowed in
here, and never females” describes Pullman, introducing us to Jordan College (4).
By giving us rules for the use of the Retiring Room, we are left with a sense
of history, and an idea that this institution has been around for a long time.
It also appears to give us an idea of the way people are viewed in Lyra’s
Oxford, with esteemed positions being only for men. Instead of giving readers
an entire history of this world, he inserts descriptions that let us know the
way this world works. Because of that description from Lyra’s eyes, we can see
that this world is patriarchal and bound by tradition (which makes sense, when
we realize that their world is ruled by the Magisterium- the church). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> After looking at only three quotes
from the text (which are all from the first nineteen pages), we have learned
two major aspects of Lyra’s world, daemons and that the world is patriarchal.
This seems fairly impressive, considering we did not have to read fifty-plus
pages setting up the world we have just stepped into. It seems as though it was
not necessary for Pullman to give readers an in-depth introduction into his
world, since he needed to also give Lyra the information, as well. It may be
that this is only crucial for a work like Pullman’s, where the protagonist
needs to learn about their own world in order to grow. If you have read <i>Eragon</i> by Christopher Paolini, the same
type of world building is seen in that series. Eragon, the protagonist, creates
the world for the reader through his journeys. Even though a map is provided in
the beginning of the book, the readers knowledge of the world only expands as Eragon’s
knowledge about his world expands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Literature of all types pose
questions that deal with craft; questions such as, what makes a text work, and
what are techniques used to make a world? Concerning the world of fantasy
fiction, the question here is if it is necessary to give an in-depth
introduction to the created world. Pullman seems to have created a world that
the reader does not need to be given a history lesson. And yet there might be a
certain type of wisdom that other fantasy writers have internalized: sometimes,
it really is necessary to learn to be able to understand a topic fully. Which
method of revealing the world to the reader works better? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> Happy Reading!! -Ashley Weinheimer</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Work
Cited<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; tab-stops: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pullman,
Philip. <i>The Golden Compass</i>. New York:
Random House Children’s Books, 1995. Print.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-29768779656710758972014-12-07T22:36:00.001-05:002014-12-07T22:39:36.768-05:00“Fantasy” Might Become True through Cultural Awareness<br />
Chikako Takano
<br />
ENGL 217
<br />
Bruce Simon
<br />
Response Essay
<br />
2014/10/19, revised 2014/11/06
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>“Fantasy” Might Become True through Cultural Awareness</b>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So far, I have read many kinds of books and stories. What the most fascinating genre was the books about fantasy. There are huge numbers of “fantasy fiction” stories all over the world. They have attracted many people that the books and stories make readers dream and enable anything to come true. When I look into the world of fantasy literatures, I face to one broad question: how do people categorize specific books into "fantasy fiction"? Where is the entrance of the fantasy world in those kinds of books or stories?
<br />
<br />
To answer my question, I searched the definition of the word “fantasy” in a dictionary at first. It said that “The faculty or activity of imagining impossible or improbable things.” In other words, the things that happen farther from our real world would be called “fantasy.” Until today, I have read some fantasy novels in the class, and all of them are fiction that no identification with actual persons, places, buildings and products is intended. However, I assume that we still have a small possibility to jump into the world full of “fantasy” in which we would experience uncommon things. In my case, studying and making my living abroad would be called “fantasy” by people in my country because I am doing completely different things from my ordinary life in Japan right now fortunately. Most Japanese might dream of living in foreign countries at least once, and hardly comes true. Here I stand in Fredonia, I cannot talk to people with my first language, and I have to write
my essay in foreign language. There are some cultural differences that my common sense raised in my country for a long time rarely makes any sense.
<br />
<br />
Those of my experiences have some similarities with protagonists in any fantasy fiction novels. Like Alice in <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>, she becomes smaller or bigger body easily and dramatically by eating or drinking. All non-humankinds like animals or flowers are speaking and singing English fluently, and it makes sense even they talking in crazy
ways in the wonderland. In the text of <i>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz</i>, readers will meet witches, wizards, and many characters that are able to speak though they are not humankinds as well as in the wonderland. Also, considering to the differences of our national characters, Japanese people think it is totally improbable to lose our houses by strong wind
although it might be happened when we get a huge earthquake or tsunami. <i>The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a
Ship of Her Own Making</i> is also full of weird things that September meets, creatures that we are not able to find in our society like a wyvern or a marid. If I were that girl and asked suddenly to save the fairyland with those
kinds of creatures, I would go into fits.
<br />
<br />
In the first place, every protagonist in the fantasy novel has their ordinary life, but they jump into extraordinary events or worlds all of a sudden. Bilbo in <i>The Hobbit</i> changes his peaceful life into the full of adventure by meeting the wizard and seeking the ring. Four children in the book of <i>Narnia</i> who evacuated from the world war to the countryside find the entrance of the magic world of Narnia. This might be effect reader that how many people did try to
find it by exploring their closets or wardrobes. Like them, my life has totally changed once I received the first letter from SUNY Fredonia. It was my key to enter the new world to see and hear unfamiliar things.
<br />
<br />
Our humankinds have longed to the creation of fairy-tales and Disney movies when we are young. There can be some
adults including me still dreaming of it so hard in this society. As well as the protagonists in the fantasy novels, many troubles and trials are waiting for people who are experiencing unordinary things in different environment like me. Nevertheless, they will obtain significant knowledge and dearest companies that they would not able to do it in their ordinary life. Everything depends on your way of thinking; our lives will totally change into fantasy by various occasions. How we reach the ending of our story would depend on how we seek for new things and enjoy our entire lives.The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-85148568879857187362014-12-01T13:59:00.000-05:002014-12-01T13:59:17.321-05:00The Hobbit: Movie & Book Changes<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Michael Limoncelli<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Professor Simon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">ENGL 217</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">10/20/14</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
Hobbit: Movie & Book Changes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In class there were multiple questions brought up when
discussing our novels, specifically <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Hobbit</i> and the changes between the movie and book. As someone who has read
the book, and seen both currently released movies, there are some extremely
significant changes from the book that severely alter the characters and
actions of the movie. While I’m not saying these changes are bad, because they
do add more action among other things to the movie, they simply make you
question why? Why were these changes made or what caused the filmmakers think
such a change was necessary? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Firstly, there are two major changes that stick out to me
very much and their names are Legolas and Tauriel. In the book there is
literally no character called Tauriel and similarly Legolas is not a character
from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hobbit</i> either, only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lord of the Rings</i>. The question as
to why these characters were created and used in this movie instead of
Tolkien’s original cast can be seen in a few ways. There’s the generic answer
that the writers thought it would be cool to include a fan favorite character
like Legolas in another movie, or the more factual answer of Peter Jackson
stating “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">He’s [elven king] Thranduil’s
son, and Thranduil is one of the characters in ‘The Hobbit,’ and because elves
are immortal, it makes sense Legolas would be part of the sequence in the
Woodland Realm” (Moore) and from a logical standpoint that makes absolute
sense. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While Peter Jackson stated his
reasoning, I still have my opinion that since there is a major lack of
empowered female characters in Tolkien’s writings, let alone <i>The Hobbit</i>,
they felt the need to add a strong female character into the mix. Just like
most Hollywood movies though, if there’s a female character, there must be a
love interest or conflict somewhere in the story. This can be seen with the
character Kili who’s the love interest of Tauriel as she hunts him down to save
and or see him again in the movie, which turns out saved Kili’s life from his
injury; Kili’s injury was also not in the book. Now with Legolas being a fan
favorite and the inclusion of Tauriel, there of course has to be a love
triangle created to add some mild drama and incite motivation for Legolas to go
out on an Orc killing rampage while he tracks or assists Tauriel, which is an
obvious fan service part of the movie. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now there was the statement that
changing Tolkien’s story is a disservice to him and was a ploy to make it more
action based and increase movie revenue. This is not wrong, the book itself, in
my opinion, seemed fairly slow paced and lacked major action sequences and if
converted entirely to the big screen as is, it would be lacking in the desired
content expected by fans. Hollywood is known for changing movie adaptions to a
point that it’s unrecognizable, movies such as <i>Ender’s Game</i> can be an
example of this. Given that these changes only amplified the intensity and
awesomeness of the entire adventure it can only be seen as an improvement
instead of disservice to Tolkien’s works. These changes made the story more
epic and modern in a sense. I say modern in the terms of what viewers, readers
and fans in general expect from either a movie or book in our contemporary
world. This can be seen with Michael Bay movies where things just explode and
there’s violence everywhere, viewers love it. Adding a relevant version of that
into <i>The Hobbit</i> to draw in more audiences and make it more exciting to
watch can only be seen as a positive. The only people that would have an issue
with these changes, since they mostly improved the story, are the purist fans
that will call it a bastardized version and want nothing but the original
content.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While there were many significant
changes to the novel and some minor ones that floated by, they were fairly
necessary and improved the overall story of Tolkien’s <i>The Hobbit</i>. The
characters of Tauriel and Legolas being added in were a necessary plot device
to bring more action into the movie, which in my opinion, was done smoothly and
flowed nicely into the rest of the story. Overall the changes that the movie
made were positive and did not drag the movie down in any sense other than
being an unexpected surprise. Peter Jackson did a wonderful job adding some of
his own vision into the movie adaption and I couldn’t see it being any other
way now.</span></div>
<div class="citationtext" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="citationtext" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="citationtext" style="text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="citationtext" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Works Cited<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="citationtext" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Moore, Ben. "First Look at
Legolas in ‘The Hobbit: There and Back Again’." <i>Screen Rant</i>. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
<http: screenrant.com="" the-hobbit-legolas-photo="">.<o:p></o:p></http:></div>
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<div class="citationtext" style="text-indent: .25in;">
Tolkien, J. R. R. <i>The Hobbit</i>.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966. Print.<o:p></o:p></div>
The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-17190910162733896082014-10-29T14:40:00.001-04:002014-10-29T14:42:28.422-04:00Response Essay - What is it about magic that is so appealing?<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Just
as there are many forms and uses of magic, there are many reasons why magic is so
appealing to readers of Fantasy Fiction. I believe the main reason that magic
is so appealing is because it’s so entertaining, so unlike anything we know as
readers. But on a deeper and arguably more important level, magic is so
appealing because it is such an exciting and extraordinary allegorical means of
tackling real world issues. After a while issues like morality, politics,
power, love, art, and other important issues can become dry. By dry I mean that
these issues seem to be the same over and over again, and there seems to be
only one way to perceive these matters. But through magic readers are able to
reconsider and reevaluate these issues through a completely new perspective.
And readers can become so caught up in the exciting and extraordinary nature of
magic that they might not even realize they’re looking at real world issues. Magic
is not just a distraction; it isn’t just a fun element of fiction. Magic helps
us as humans reconsider and reevaluate the people we are, the issues we care
about, and the world we live in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> An excellent example of magic’s
appeal can be found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. My examples will include
one of the best works included in this Fantasy Fiction course—<i>The Hobbit</i>—and will extend the appeal of
Tolkien’s magic to <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>
trilogy. The most important example of magic in Middle-Earth is the Ring, the
Ring that Bilbo Baggins acquires in <i>The
Hobbit</i>, the same Ring which the Fellowship sets out to destroy in <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>. Initially the
Ring seems to be solely a helpful magical artifact. It helps Bilbo escape
Gollum, helps him save the dwarves from the spiders in Mirkwood, free the
dwarves from the elves, burgle his way into the Lonely Mountain, give the
Arkenstone to Bard and the elves in order to minimize the inevitable fighting,
survive the Battle of the Five Armies, etc. There seems to be nothing
malevolent about the Ring in <i>The Hobbit</i>.
In this work, readers definitely perceive the Ring as good magic, its ability
to turn the wearer invisible an exciting and extraordinary prospect. There are
no hints of the Ring’s malevolence in <i>The
Hobbit</i>, except perhaps for Gollum’s twisted nature. However, in <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>, the Ring proves
to be an evil object that creates violence, betrayal, and corruption. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> So what does this shift in the
Ring’s magic say about larger real world issues? In <i>The Hobbit</i>, the Ring can be an allegory for furthering
self-confidence through appropriate use of power. Before acquiring the Ring,
Bilbo is really struggling in his journey with Thorin’s company. Thorin and the
dwarves make him feel bad about how he’s doing in the journey, and Bilbo also feels
bad about himself. He’s certainly lacking in self-confidence, and feeling very
out of place in the dangerous journey in the big world so far from the comfort
of his home in the Shire. But the Ring, this source of magic, proves to be a
turning point for Bilbo. Through the magic of the Ring, Bilbo is able to become
a skilled burglar, and a heroic and valuable member of Thorin’s company. He
comes to respect himself more, and so do the dwarves. The appeal of magic helps
us as readers ponder this shift. Does this shift in Bilbo’s character occur
simply because he acquires magic, or is it something more? I believe it’s not
just the magic he acquires, but how he uses the magic. Bilbo uses the Ring’s
magic appropriately. He only uses it to do what is best, to save himself and
the dwarves and help in their quest, or to try and achieve peace. Bilbo’s use
of the Ring can therefore be seen through the allegorical lens of furthering
self-confidence through appropriate use of power. Magic is almost always power
in Fantasy Fiction, and the Ring’s magic is certainly powerful. Bilbo thus
acquires power and through appropriate use the power is used for good, for
helping himself and helping others. This furthers his self- confidence because
he becomes a more valuable and skilled and benevolent individual. And we as
readers can learn a lesson about power, that one gains more self-confidence and
helps good things happen not by just acquiring power, but by using power wisely
once acquired. With the same object of magic we see how unwise and
inappropriate use of power can kill, injure, betray, and corrupt, all of which
the Ring causes in <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>.
Thus, magic entertains and helps us as readers reconsider important issues,
particularly the issue of power. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Another excellent example of how
magic’s appeal helps readers reconsider and reevaluate the real world is magic
in <i>The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe</i>
by C.S. Lewis. In this classic work the extraordinary nature of magic leads
readers to examine the issue of faith and law. When Aslan survives despite
being killed upon the Stone Table by the White Witch and her minions, he returns
and tells Susan and Lucy the secret of his survival: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Though
the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not
know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have
looked a little further back, into the stillness and darkness before Time dawned,
she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that
when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s
stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.
(Lewis 178-179)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Magic
that defies death is certainly intriguing. Aslan’s reasons for why this magic
defies death are even more intriguing. In short, the magic that saves Aslan is
about the power of sacrifice and faith, and adhering to such laws. The magic
Lewis presents makes readers consider the power of faith, the good that can
come out of a victim willingly sacrificing his or her self for a greater cause.
Furthermore, such faith during sacrifice can allow evil to be triumphed.
Through these exciting possibilities depicted in the magic of Narnia, readers
can look at faith and sacrifice through a new lens. Readers who scoff at their
religious faith may reconsider their feelings toward their faith. I’m not
saying reading this will make an atheist or agnostic suddenly believe in God
and start attending church or synagogue or any other place of religious
worship, but it does make readers reexamine the issue of faith. And it’s not
necessarily religious faith; it can help readers reevaluate the value of having
faith in anything, even faith in one’s self or other people or certain causes
and so forth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Not only does the magic of Aslan’s
resurrection speak to the issue of faith, but it also speaks to laws. Aslan
triumphs because he knows the ancient laws of magic and adheres to them. He
lives because he knows and manipulates the system. The White Witch thinks she
triumphs because she thinks she can cheat the system but it turns out she
doesn’t know the system as well as she thinks. Magic can thus be used an
allegory for law. To thrive and survive one needs to know the law, adhere to
the law, and use the law wisely. If you’re going to manipulate the law, you
better know it in and out, and know how to use and manipulate the law
effectively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Issues like power, self-confidence,
faith, sacrifice, and law can seem dry and simple. But the highly entertaining
and astonishing nature of magic helps us as readers willingly think of these
issues, and think of them in new ways. Power and self-confidence are more
intrinsically fascinating and appealing to analyze through the Ring. In the
same way faith, sacrifice, and law are more intrinsically fascinating and
appealing to analyze through the magic behind Aslan’s resurrection. These are
just a few of countless examples in which magic helps us better understand and
assess the real world. And by offering new perspectives and by triggering
critical thinking about such important issues, magic does not draw readers
further from the real world as many argue magic and Fantasy Fiction do. Magic
helps readers live in and better understand the real world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Works Cited<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Lewis,
C.S. <i>The Lion, the Witch, and the
Wardrobe</i>. New York: Harper Collins, 1950. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-19598195088673311192014-10-28T12:39:00.001-04:002014-10-28T12:47:08.315-04:00Fantasy Fiction: Are you willing to believe?<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> <i>Are you willing to believe?</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i> </i></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Many
of the questions posted to the class Fantasy Fiction blog talk about
differences between the “real” world and the fantasy worlds. Some of these
questions include:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: blue;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Do
the best works of fantasy need their own universes or can great works take
place in the world we know?” </span></i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This then brings us to
ask the questions of whether these fantasy worlds are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;">“just literary devices, or whether they are intended to be believed as
truth”.</span></b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b> </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Then we must ask if
these works of fantasy should even be <b><span style="color: blue;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“read
and analyzed for their symbolism and literary devices”.</i></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">If one decides to read
works of fantasy fiction and apply lenses, devices, symbolism and analogies to
them one must then as if these works should be read with the fantasy worlds as
a <span style="color: blue;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“commentary on the real world”</i></b></span>, and
if the time period and culture in which the author wrote these stories in needs
to be taken into account.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The answers to these
questions are going to rely on individual and very personal readings of each
text. Who are we as readers to decide what is real or what the author’s
intentions were? One of the greatest aspects of fantasy fiction to many readers
is the ability to escape from the “real” world and travel into the fantasy
world. What is important to notice however is that this escapism doesn’t make
the fantasy worlds any less "real" than the real world. What does matter is that
there is a base of a real world from which to escape<i> from</i>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
Catherynne Valente’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl Who
Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making </i>September leaves the
very real land of Omaha and enters Fairyland without even a glance back at
first. In the many <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harry Potter </i>books
by J.K. Rowling Harry must return to the “Muggle” (real) world every year. In
C.S. Lewis’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Chronicles of Narnia </i>the
very entrance to Narnia is through a wardrobe in a house that is in the real
world. Whether or not the worlds of Fairyland, Narnia or Hogwarts are real the
adventures within them and the stories they create would not exist without a
real world to escape from and come back to. One cannot always decide whether
or not these fantasy worlds are to be taken as truth, but it is certain that
the real world is what allows them to exist. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
for reading works of fantasy to draw parallels and make connections to the real
world that is very subjective, but no matter what one chooses to believe, the
fantasy world does not need to be taken as truth or even be taken as a work to
make commentary on the real world in order to have meaning. The witches in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a
Ship of Her Own Making </i>point out strong lessons in the world that are
neither symbolic nor allusive, but are merely just true, no matter what world
one applies them to. The witches inform September that <span style="font-size: small;"><i><b><span style="color: purple;">“The future is a messy,
motley business”</span></b></i></span> and that they <span style="color: purple;"><i><b>“have to dress well, or the future will not take
us seriously”</b></i></span> (Valente 31). This is true whether or not one chooses to believe in
fantasy worlds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
for the time period and direct correlations between the real worlds and the
fantasy worlds, that decision is left more to the reader. It does not matter if
the author intended any of these novels to draw parallels between the wars
during which they were written. What matters is whether or not the reader is
going to dive into the stories with a willing suspension of disbelief. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">For
readers who read to escape, the answer is simple. I’m going to cross through
the wardrobe into Narnia to hang out with my animal friends and do good for the
world, and I still believe that my mother intercepted my owl and burned my
acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Fantasy fiction reading isn’t so much about
whether these fantasy worlds actually exist or whether or not they are supposed
to represent the real world. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fantasy fiction depends on whether or not you are
willing to believe. </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Works Cited</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Lewis, C. S. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Chronicals of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i>. Hollywood, CA:
Walt Disney Studios and Walden Media, 2006. Print.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Rowling, J. K. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Harry Potter</i>. NY: Listening Library, 1999.
Print.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Valente, Catherynne M. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making</i>.
New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2011. Print.</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-8550148104257539262014-10-16T12:28:00.001-04:002014-10-16T12:28:54.527-04:00Questions about A Wizard of Earthsea, Fall 2014<a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2014/09/questions-about-fantasy-fiction-fall.html">More</a> <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2014/10/questions-about-hobbit-fall-2014.html">questions</a> from my ENGL 217 students, this time on Ursula K. Le Guin's <i>A Wizard of Earthsea</i>!<br />
<br />
<b>World-Based</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Why so much emphasis on all the names (of people and places) in the book? Do they have importance later on?</li>
<li>How powerful is the concept of a true name? What are its limits in shaping the lives of the characters?</li>
<li>What is a deciding factor in who is magical and who is not?</li>
<li>Why do wizards always learn in secret?</li>
<li>By adding a number of different wizard-like figures in the novel, does the magic of Earthsea become more structured--or more chaotic and complex?</li>
<li>Why is Earthsea made to be so complicated that we as readers cannot define most of the concepts/map out the world ourselves?</li>
<li>As an introduction to a long series does <i>A Wizard of Earthsea</i> do the world justice?</li>
</ul>
<b>Character-Based</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Gender and differing magic roles? Evil magic=female? Lack of female magicians and powerful females in general throughout multiple series?</li>
<li>Why do characters' names have to be changed, and why can't they tell anybody their real name? What is the significance?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Text-Based</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I felt that the writing style/plot of this novel was too obvious (at least so far). The "fork in the road" moments are almost cut and dry decisions. When Ged chooses to go to school, it was almost too easy to guess where he was going to end up. Is this supposed to be a commentary on how hindsight is 20/20 or is it just poorly written?</li>
<li>What would books be without a main conflict?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b>Author-Based</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Why did the author decide to have only men be wizards?</li>
<li>Is the sexism presented purposely done as a foreshadowing or is it just sexism?</li>
<li>Do you think getting feminist attention was part of Le Guin's intention?</li>
<li>Vetch is described as dark-skinned, gluttonous, and sort of a comic relief. This novel was written around the '60s; it was very common in this time for black characters in books and other sources of media to be seen in this light. Was it groundbreaking that Le Guin incorporated a powerful wizard who is black or just being stereotypical?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Reader-Based</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Is good versus evil what makes the story more interesting for the reader?</li>
<li>What is the significance of a person's identity?</li>
<li><i>A Wizard of Earthsea</i> is clearly the most Tolkien-esque book we've read, outside, of course, <i>The Hobbit.</i> The emphasis is on the world. I couldn't bring myself to care about what was going on because the story wasn't that unique and the author seems to care precious little about the actual writing side of the book. The narration is very passive and flat...I don't want to be mean, but I couldn't understand the appeal of this one...but I don't think I'm much of a fantasy fan in general...?</li>
<li>Did this book get a lot of feminist attention?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b>Genre-Based</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Was this book the first popular one of its kind to involve a wizard/magic academy?</li>
<li>Why is there a focus on names in fantasy fiction? What is the power of names/naming?</li>
<li>In T.H. White's <i>The Once and Future King</i>, ordinary Wart becomes legendary Arthur when he pulls Excalibur out of the Stone. Does this name/identity change have any influence on the change from Duny to Ged? What is the significance of name changes in fantasy?</li>
<li>Is good/evil a common theme in fantasy fiction writing? What about other genres? I'm beginning to question if this is a theme in all books.</li>
<li>It seems like the further along in time we get, the less pure the protagonist is, and the less black and white good and evil are. I like that he is a victim to things like ambition and pride because it makes him more believable and more likable. Compared to fantasy novels of the past, has there been a definite shift in the moral standing of the character the reader is meant to see as the hero in more recent books? Is what I noticed a real trend, or just a coincidence?</li>
<li>In most of the novels we've read. the main character has been orphaned in some way and in <i>A Wizard of Earthsea</i> it's no different. Why is this a recurring aspect of fantasy fiction? What effect does this give the story that the authors are trying to achieve?</li>
<li>I watched the movie version of Earthsea directed by Goro Miyazaki and I realized that Ged's personality is the movie was so much different than in the book. What made this so?</li>
<li>Women's magic seems to be scorned in Earthsea whereas a sorcerer would be respected. The same goes for <i>The Hobbit</i>: how many female sorcerers or magic users are there? And when there is a female magic user (Galadriel), is she respected or fared? Why the lack of female protagonists in fantasy fiction about magic users?</li>
<li>Most stories we've read make animals very important (eagles, Narnians, daemons); in this novel, Ged has a connection to birds and adopts a flying squirrel. Does this lead to a bigger connection in the end, or are animals used more or less as an example of his magical ability?</li>
</ul>
</div>
The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-40103456724319571122014-10-16T01:13:00.001-04:002014-10-16T01:13:04.154-04:00Questions about The Hobbit, Fall 2014Continuing my Fantasy Fiction course's strategy of focusing on my <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2014/09/questions-about-fantasy-fiction-fall.html">students' questions</a>, here are some they wrote about Tolkien's <i>The Hobbit</i> late last month (plus a few on Peter Jackson's movie trilogy).<br />
<br />
<div>
<b>World-Based</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>How long did the quest take? How much time had passed when Bilbo returns to The Shire? About a year or so?</li>
<li>Why is it in every fantasy story they have to cross the continent to the farthest geographical point possible?</li>
<li>Why is Middle Earth the staple for fantasy?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<b>Character-Based</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Why did Bilbo take the Arkenstone?</li>
<li>How long was Bilbo knocked out when he gets hit in the head by the rock (after the eagles)?</li>
<li>Why does Bilbo take so long to share with his friends about the ring? What did he think was going to happen if he told people when he first got it?</li>
<li>After Bilbo's encounter with Gollum in the cave, asking riddles in the dark, why did he not tell Gandalf about where he was after he reunited with the group? Is it because the ring compelled him not to?</li>
<li>Why is Bilbo unharmed by the ring's usage? Why does Sauron not send for him? And, furthermore, how is Bilbo not weakened and maddened by the ring as many other characters in Middle Earth are?</li>
<li>Why is the Ring portrayed so much more positively in <i>The Hobbit</i> than in <i>The Lord of the Rings</i>?</li>
<li>Bilbo Baggins never seems to be heroic on purpose; everything that happens to him seems to happen on accident, at least early in the novel: is this because fate is just playing out, meaning Bilbo really was destined to be on this journey, as Gandalf said, or because Bilbo is not a hero?</li>
<li>Why was Bilbo so content with going home and "not being in great danger ever again"? The adventure was the greatest experience he would ever be a part of, so why not go with Gandalf and adventure more? Seems so much better than staying at home.</li>
<li>What drives Bilbo's sense of adventure and his ability to face such danger he is so unaccustomed to?</li>
<li>How do Bilbo's internal emotions relate to the other characters within the story?</li>
<li>Do we see characters switching roles throughout the story, and how so?</li>
<li>What is the significance of the characters switching roles?</li>
<li>To what degree can a family heritage affect the quests of Tolkien's characters?</li>
<li>In the second half of <i>The Hobbit</i>, a good amount of action occurs, but the small amount of Smaug is honestly surprising to me. As one of the main anti-heroes of the story you would expect to see a lot more of him or at least of his story. So my question is, was Smaug the true villain of the story? I don't believe so. I believe "the darkness" is what is evil, whether it be the dark forests and spiders or the Necromancer.</li>
<li>Who is the Necromancer? Is he a Witch King? Is he the main antagonist? Or is that Smaug?</li>
<li>Why did wizard stuff take place off-stage?</li>
<li>Why are necromancers so underrated?</li>
<li>What idiot told the Goblins Smaug was dead?</li>
<li>Why did the Lake Men destroy the bridge when their foe was in the sky?</li>
<li>Why didn't they just take the eagles?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Narrator-Based</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I question the use of the upbeat, cheerful narrator that we talked about last time. Why choose to do this? Why not a darker narrator?</li>
<li>Why did the narrator change perspectives so many times?</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b>Author-Based</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Why didn't Tolkien give each dwarf their own identity and distinguish them from one another?</li>
<li>Why would the author choose to use 13 dwarves? It seems like they are not all necessary to the story.</li>
<li>In a world full of so many epic tales (the Kinslaying, the Fall of Beleriand, the wars against Morgoth, the fall of Numenor, etc.) why did J.R.R. Tolkien write <i>The Hobbit</i> as his first publication of Middle Earth?</li>
<li>In the novel, during the epic battle scene (Battle of the Five Armies), Tolkien leaves out many of the details and decides to retell them after the war. Why does he follow Bilbo's perspective instead of a general and large-scaled view? And why does he knock Bilbo out?</li>
<li>Was <i>The Hobbit</i> an extension of Tolkien's mythology for Britain?</li>
<li>How far had the story of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> been developed when Tolkien was writing <i>The Hobbit</i>?</li>
<li>In <i>The Hobbit</i> the one ring isn't really implied to be evil. It seems to just be a cool magic item to set Bilbo apart. It doesn't seem to corrupt Bilbo like it does in later stories. So how much of the world/plot of the <i>Lord of the Rings</i> trilogy do you think Tolkien had planned when he wrote <i>The Hobbit</i>? Do you think that he knew the significance of Bilbo's ring when he wrote <i>The Hobbit</i>, or was this something he added to the trilogy, to tie it into something from the original story?</li>
<li>One question I had was about the Necromancer plot point. Did it really get solved off-screen, with no help from Bilbo? Was Tolkien just trying to tie up loose ends or was it really that simple to introduce then complete a plot-point off-screen?</li>
<li>After seeing how quickly Thorin is accepted by the humans in River Town, it became clear to me that birthright and names go a long way in Middle Earth. This is reinforced by the power of the Took name affecting Bilbo. In Tolkien's timeline and history of Middle Earth, does he have an established family tree of sorts for these prestigious names?</li>
<li>People often suggest that <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> is an allegory for something (WW I or WW II, for example), even though Tolkien <i>hated</i> allegory. I wonder, then, what <i>The Hobbit</i>'s allegory could be?</li>
<li>Why does Tolkien neglect any diversity in gender in his characters?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b>Movie-Based</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Why do they change the movie so much from the book? I know that action movies make more money, but it seems like a disservice to Tolkien and the novel.</li>
<li>Why did the movie director create the movie? What point of view was he attracted to?</li>
</ul>
</div>
The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-40075716344322134262014-09-20T11:47:00.000-04:002014-10-16T12:29:47.302-04:00Questions about Fantasy Fiction, Fall 2014My students in my <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TkpFOPQ-LwA60ZYMIE7fXFuhFGyuTpjJGjDmd_4NhZc/edit?usp=sharing">Fantasy Fiction</a> course have generated questions about fantasy fiction that they are interested in trying to answer this semester. Feel free to compare them to the questions and answers my students from <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2011/01/questioning-fantasy-guide-to-my.html">Fall 2010</a> generated. I'll post this semester's answers here as I receive them, so be sure to check back over the next few months.<br />
<br />
<b><u>General Questions About Fantasy Fiction</u></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Formalist</i></b><br />
<ul>
<li>What is the most important element in a work of fantasy?</li>
<li>Does fantasy fiction take longer to set up because you have to explain the world, the characters, etc.?</li>
<li>How does the story move along?</li>
</ul>
<b><i>Structuralist/Intertextual/Intermedial</i></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is the phrase "No book is original" from <i>How to Read Literature Like a Professor</i> actually true or not?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What actually makes something fantasy fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are some of the structures and conventions of fantasy fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where do many of the concepts and ideas of fantasy fiction come from?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are the most important elements that define a work of fantasy fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can a story be considered fantasy if it does not include magic?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are heroes and villains necessary for a story to be considered fantasy?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do the main characters in fantasy novels relate to each other? What makes some of these characters heroes?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If all fantasy novels were compared using the hero formula (separation/initiation/return), would they all relate?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there a difference between male and female heroes?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What novels outside of the class could be considered fantasy fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can short stories be considered fantasy fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are there fantasy plays and poems, or are they all novels, tales, and prose?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does there have to be a form of "magic" to make it a fantasy?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do fantasy books tend to stay within the confines of "old earth but with magic and monsters"? Is that part of what fantasy is?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What "types" of fantasy fiction are there?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What types of fantasy worlds (portal/secondary/alternate history) have been invented?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do the best works of fantasy need their own universes (Wonderland, Middle Earth, Fairyland, Oz, Westeros and Essos, Narnia, etc.) or do/can great works of fantasy take place in the world we know? Does good fantasy require world-building?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is the range of fantasy fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are the limitations of fantasy fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is fantasy fiction limited to only specific conventions, tropes, and other stereotypical scenarios?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How widespread is fantasy fiction and what makes it so different from the rest of the world?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there a distinction between fantasy and broader unrealistic fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there any work or subgenre that could be argued as realistic fantasy fiction?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What makes fantasy fiction different from other forms of fiction? What dictates it to be fantasy?</span></span></li>
<li>Where is the line between fairy tales and fantasy fiction?</li>
<li>Where is the line drawn between fantasy fiction and science fiction?</li>
<li>How well can fantasy fiction and science fiction mesh together? Must they reject each other?</li>
<li>Could magical realism and fantasy ever be combined or connected?</li>
<li>Can't all genre fiction fit into the fantasy fiction genre?</li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is there such a thing as mainstream fantasy (e.g., Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter) and, if so, how is it different from non-mainstream fantasy?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does fantasy translate better from book to film than any other literary genre? If so, why? If not, why not?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How progressive can fantasy fiction be?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b><i>Reader-Response/Cultural Studies</i></b></div>
<ul>
<li>Why haven't I received my Hogwarts letter yet?</li>
<li>What is it about magic that is so appealing?</li>
<li>Will we learn a lot from the readings, both intellectually and emotionally?</li>
<li>It is said that any fantasy stories are good for children's education--what aspects of these stories affect them or appeal to them?</li>
<li>How does fantasy fiction keep the reader interested?</li>
<li>While reading should one take into account the time and culture during which the piece was written, even if one is supposed to be engulfed in "the fantasy"?</li>
<li>What do you expect of a fantasy novel to consider it "good"?</li>
<li>Do I truly enjoy fantasy fiction or are Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings just the best out there?</li>
<li>Should these works be taken on their own merit or must we analyze what symbolism and other devices are used to make commentary on the real world? Does this analysis ruin the magic?</li>
<li>How far detached from "real life" is it safe to become while reading these works?</li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How can we compare the worlds of fantasy with the worlds of religions? More specifically, how readers and followers truly believe that maybe someday they will get a Hogwarts letter, or that if they worship a certain god, they'll achieve a paradise after life?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why do some people prefer fantasy fiction over science fiction, and vice versa?</span></span></li>
<li>Why is fantasy socially acceptable?</li>
<li>The resurgence of fantasy (books, tv shows, movies) in popular culture is due to what, exactly (economic issues, social issues, etc.)?</li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is it fair to say that fantasy is the most popular literary genre today? If so, why?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does escapism have anything to do with the current wave of fantasy fiction fans?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Would fantasy fiction be as popular or socially acceptable if most of these books weren't adapted to successful motion pictures/television series?</span></span></li>
<li>How does censorship and pop culture come into how fantasy books are adapted into film?</li>
<li>Some fantasy novels or series have been adapted into films that are either less adult (<i>Eragon</i>) or more adult (<i>The Hobbit</i>) than the audiences for which they were originally written. Why?</li>
<li>How have fantasy fiction affected audiences all over the world?</li>
<li>Why are so many people involved in reading fantasy fiction?</li>
<li>Where do you believe fantasy fiction is headed?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<b><i>Mimesis/Representation/Reality/The World/Truth</i></b></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do the expectations of society impact the fantasy genre?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where do many of the concepts and ideas of fantasy fiction come from?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How can fantasy fiction apply to the real world?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do characters in fantasy relate to us in real life?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can fantasy fiction really be considered plausible?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Literature can be read as a whole bunch of allusions/symbols meaning something different that the literal text, so are fantasy "worlds" literary devices or meant to be believed as truth?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Can fantasy still have morals and points? Do all fantasy works have them?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does fantasy always examine morality?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does good fantasy always need to tackle moral issues?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does religion play a huge role in these novels, and why?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How progressive can fantasy fiction be?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why is there such a male dominance as role characters in fantasy fiction? (Even though there is a slight rise in female lead characters, it still seems the male protagonist is the dominating role.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why different worlds?</span></span></li>
<li>Dreams vs. reality vs. magic realms: what defines the difference between them? is it subjective?</li>
<li>What do dreams tell about a dreamer? Do they have meaning?</li>
<li>What is life? Is it real, or an invention of someone?</li>
<li>What is real?</li>
</ul>
<b><i>Authorial/Historical/Genetic</i></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Why do fantasy fiction authors use their initials in their names?</li>
<li>Would all the authors of the works we're going to be reading consider their writing fantasy fiction?</li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where do many of the concepts and ideas of fantasy fiction come from?</span></span></li>
<li>Is "escaping" a popular reason why fantasy fiction is continually being written?</li>
<li>How do authors refine a story from ideas of monsters and magic into fantasy fiction?</li>
<li>How do authors make up a world? Is it all imagination or influences from other stories, real life, etc.?</li>
<li>Do fantasy writers translate what is happening in their world into their novels?</li>
<li>In a lot of fantasy fiction there is this battle of good vs. evil that tends to repeat itself, so does the time period influence the writer into setting the storyline in a war-immersed setting? (For example, Tolkien influenced by WW I...)</li>
<li>Are there any great fantasy fictions influenced by the colonial era?</li>
<li>What is the history of fantasy fiction?</li>
<li>How old is fantasy fiction? How did it begin?</li>
<li>Is fantasy just a continuation of mythology?</li>
<li>Were the origins of fantasy based more in medieval times or that of fairy tales?</li>
<li>Why is fantasy fiction more often based in the medieval era instead of modern times?</li>
<li>Does fantasy fiction share elements of Enlightenment, Romantic, and/or Victorian fiction?</li>
<li>When did fantasy fiction become mainstream? Which books/series started the fad for fantasy films?</li>
<li>When was the transition when fantasy fiction became pop culture?</li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Do you think the large focus on fantasy has to do with the rise of gaming and video games in the last 30-40 years?</span></li>
<li>How does fantasy fiction evolve between writers?</li>
<li>What have various fantasy writers done to make their work stand out/expand upon the fantasy genre?</li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How progressive can fantasy fiction be?</span></span></li>
<li>What has Disney done to the original stories that now seem to be forgotten compared to their Disney movie versions?</li>
<li>J.R.R. Tolkien has been referred to as the "father of fantasy"--is this a fair statement, and if so, why?</li>
<li>How have other authors responded to C.S. Lewis's works?</li>
<li>What were some of the biggest influences on the most prominent of recent fantasy writers (J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, etc.)?</li>
<li>How visible is George R.R. Martin's science fiction background in Game of Thrones?</li>
<li>Can you combine science fiction and fantasy fiction?</li>
<li>How does one go about writing fantasy fiction?</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><u><i>Alice in Wonderland</i> and <i>Through the Looking-Glass</i> Questions</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>How is a raven like a writing desk?</li>
<li>The baby turned into a piglet? Why? How?</li>
<li>Is Wonderland a different view of our world or a new world?</li>
<li>Was all of Wonderland just a dream or actually real because Alice believed it to be?</li>
<li>How does Wonderland work? What are the rules of its universe? Can you even have a world when the laws of existence seem fluid at best and everyone is a raving lunatic? Can you ever have meaningful change without consistency? Is Wonderland just forever stagnant and repetitive? Are all the characters stuck in this mad loop forever? Are they all so mad as to stay on their one-track moebius strips?</li>
<li>Wonderland is obviously a legitimate fantasy world--why else would it have a name? (I guess I'm just intrigued by the logistics of a fantasy world that is fundamentally nonsensical.)</li>
<li>How does Wonderland relate to other fictional realms/worlds/universes? Particularly with respect to concepts of time...?</li>
<li>After Wonderland, it will be interesting to see how different novel "universes" respond to rules/chaos--more or less structured? How does it matter to each plot? Defining factors of each?</li>
<li>Do each of the characters control time through their own perception?</li>
<li>Does the food chain apply in Wonderland? Is there any kind of animal hierarchy?</li>
<li>Why do all the problems that occur in Wonderland seem to get solved almost instantaneously?</li>
<li>Is this really a dream? Whose dream? Is everything a dream?</li>
<li>What would great thinkers like Plato think about Alice?</li>
<li>How old is Alice supposed to be?</li>
<li>What is actually happening to Alice in <i>Through the Looking-Glass</i>? Is she wandering through her estate, talking to flowers?</li>
<li>Doesn't it seem strange how quickly Alice abandons her life in the real world?</li>
<li>Did Alice have some kind of disorder? Or is she just an imaginative child? If she does have a personality disorder, how can she recognize, as a child, differences between her and people in her life? Was this child a very imaginative and open-minded person, or does she suffer from any disorders such as multiple personality, schizophrenia, or depression that allows her to accept her fates?</li>
<li>Is Alice's main issue with identity or growing up?</li>
<li>What made Alice have this wild dream—the book her sister was reading, her imagination, or what?</li>
<li>How does Alice perceive reality if she keeps living and learning in dreams? What is Alice's reality?</li>
<li>How is Alice so smart and resourceful for a child? Is she an important person's daughter to be so educated and opinionated?</li>
<li>Was there any inconsistency with her cleverness and lack of it?</li>
<li>Would you classify Alice as a heroine or a ditzy child?</li>
<li>Do you think Alice is strange or does she act the way a typical child does?</li>
<li>Alice never really freaks out about the fact that she's in another dimension and hardly questions the talking animals or disappearing cats with grins. Does her acceptance make her more delightful or somehow frustrating?</li>
<li>Why is Alice an effective character, one who experiences such bizarre circumstances with mostly comfort and ease?</li>
<li>Why does Alice focus so much on being crazy? Is she questioning her own sanity? Or everyone else's?</li>
<li>Is Alice actually mad or does being in Wonderland make her mad?</li>
<li>How is Alice choosing who/what to believe in Wonderland?</li>
<li>Why does Alice start to forget things (rhymes, things she's learned in school, etc.)?</li>
<li>If I were Alice the story would not go smoothly because I have no courage to walk forward. What characteristics made Alice get through Wonderland?</li>
<li>I feel like Alice should have been scared, especially around the queen. But her fear was mild, and that was disconcerting. To her, in the space of time, everything that happened was real. Was she not afraid of being stuck there?</li>
<li>Why does Alice spend most of her time avoiding drama?</li>
<li>Were the characters simply there to get Alice thinking?</li>
<li>Was Alice supposed to have learned a lesson from all the events that happened in Wonderland?</li>
<li>Do things going on in the magical world have something to do with her real life?</li>
<li>Were Alice's sister's similar experiences of Wonderland while sleeping significant at all?</li>
<li>Does the story have any meaning? (It seems to have no direction.) How do you find any significance in a book like this? What is the point of the novel? (It all seems like nonsense to me.)</li>
<li>Why does the story go around in circles?</li>
<li>Is the narrator unreliable? Can you have an unreliable narrator?</li>
<li>Was <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> a political allegory or satire?</li>
<li>Who/what is Alice supposed to represent?</li>
<li>Does Alice's view of the world represent that of a young girl or does it refer to an ignorant, unchanging adult?</li>
<li>Is Alice's adventure of going down the rabbit-hole a metaphor for something else?</li>
<li>When Alice is "drowning in her own tears," could it be a metaphor for depression?</li>
<li>Do some of these characters directly correlate to an aspect of Alice's life/struggles? Do they function as metaphors or personifications? What do they represent or symbolize? Are the characters symbolic of pure nonsense?</li>
<li>Was there any sort of significance as to why Alice kept changing sizes?</li>
<li>What metaphors are there to real life/society in the novels, if any, and how can we identify them?</li>
<li>Is there any allegory for the focus on playing cards and chess?</li>
<li>Why do all the characters seem to have such an absurd attitude? What was the significance of all these odd characters? What did they symbolize?</li>
<li>Are there antagonists? (The Queen is likely the best example, but when it comes to those giving Alice a hard time, there is certainly no shortage.)</li>
<li>Are the animals used as a form of symbolism? Why are they all small animals?</li>
<li>Could the animals represent the adults in Alice's life?</li>
<li>What is the significance of it being a rabbit that Alice follows, the creature that leads Alice to Wonderland?</li>
<li>What can birds represent in the novel? Is Alice's experience with the birds supposed to be an analogy of sorts for multiculturalism and stepping into an unfamiliar culture?</li>
<li>Why does the caterpillar smoke if this is a children's book? Does this start controversy?</li>
<li>Because the novel ends with Alice discovering it was all a dream, do you believe it made her entire journey of shrinking and growing, arguing, and such irrelevant?</li>
<li>What happens after?!</li>
<li>Do the novels actually have nothing to do with the real world or logic? Is it simply meant to be a dream-like sequence? Can it be as much about daydreaming, making believe, and pretending as dreaming?</li>
<li>Is there a real-world connection?</li>
<li>What does this book reveal about its time and our time?</li>
<li>Is there a connection to morality or reason?</li>
<li>What defines nonsense? What is real if you are gifted with an imagination?</li>
<li>What is madness? Is it anything that strays from conventional logic? Is it an objective state, or dependent on the person?</li>
<li>What if this were how children actually feel and think of things in their everyday life? How can we say it's madness when children can't accurately convey how they feel and think?</li>
<li>Who controls language? Decides what is acceptable?</li>
<li>Does any part of the story have something to do with what was going on in Lewis Carroll's world at the time he wrote it?</li>
<li>Is this a statement of her individual self-realization or a statement on Victorian society?</li>
<li>Is the story tackling more than one issue, or is it more of an overview of the Victorian era? (cf. caucus race, potions and cakes, executions...)</li>
<li>Are these works an exception to the rule that rules/laws and consistent, logical, structured world-building are necessary to create really good fantasy fiction? Why do the Alice stories work with so few rules/laws, but <i>Game of Thrones</i> and <i>Harry Potter</i> need so many to flourish?</li>
<li>Was the book considered fast-paced for its time?</li>
<li>Who was the target audience of <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>? Is this supposed to be geared for children or adults? Or trying to entertain both at the same time?</li>
<li>What prompted Carroll to write these novels? What was his motivation? Why did he set out to write such a dream-like, non-sensical story? Was it intended to be an allegory at all?</li>
<li>Should Carroll's relationship with Alice define the books?</li>
<li>How did Carroll get inspiration for the scenes in the novels?</li>
<li>With the education scenes with the Gryphon and Mock Turtle, was Carroll making fun of a specific educational system?</li>
<li>Could Carroll have been using nonsense to attack some math ideas, challenging the validity of ideas by testing its premises and taking them to their logical extremes?</li>
<li>Why Wonderland? Why involve a little girl in a world of talking animals and nonsense? Is it to contrast with conventional education? To challenge traditional logic and deduction? Why does Alice become a voice of reason to many characters?</li>
<li>Is the use of nonsense a way to bring back the confusion of childhood, or a manner of questioning reality and the universe?</li>
<li>Does Carroll understand the use of a transition? How can he expect flow?</li>
<li>Besides the beginning and end I felt like the middle didn't have an inherent order and scenes changed sort of rapidly. Was this on purpose? Did the author have a reason for having events play out in the way they did?</li>
<li>Did Carroll think of Alice as a sympathetic character?</li>
<li>Why did the author constantly manipulate Alice's knowledge?</li>
<li>What drugs was Carroll on?</li>
<li>Why is this story still so popular?</li>
<li>How did Carroll leave readers with such a lasting impression of characters after introducing most only once or twice in a seemingly orderless universe? Is it their pure creative nature that is memorable, or perhaps the unique personality of each and how they antagonize Alice? </li>
<li>If you were in Wonderland, which character would you trust most and why?</li>
<li>What can/should we as readers do with the themes of dreaming and reality in Carroll's novels?</li>
<li>Is Wonderland supposed to make the reader mad?</li>
<li>How do we relate <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> to our lives?</li>
<li>Wonderland makes us think a child's favorite question: why?</li>
<li>Do the black-and-white drawings add anything to the book?</li>
<li>Why are the film adaptations so morbid for a book that, I felt, was entirely light-hearted and whimsical?</li>
<li>Why does Tim Burton's film adaptation include so much lead-up to Alice following the rabbit to Wonderland?</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2014/10/questions-about-hobbit-fall-2014.html"><i>The Hobbit</i> Questions</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2014/10/questions-about-wizard-of-earthsea-fall.html"><i>A Wizard of Earthsea</i> Questions</a></div>
The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-28816986299157778682014-08-26T15:32:00.000-04:002014-08-26T15:32:02.003-04:00Sharing My ENGL 217: Fantasy Fiction SyllabusI've radically reimagined my <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TkpFOPQ-LwA60ZYMIE7fXFuhFGyuTpjJGjDmd_4NhZc/edit?usp=sharing">Fantasy Fiction</a> course the 2nd time I'm teaching it here at Fredonia. In a nutshell, it's organized by trios of major novels from different periods that speak to each other in interesting ways. We start with Alice, Dorothy, and September, move on to Middle-Earth, Narnia, and Lyra's Oxford, then go to magic school, and close by seeing if Samuel R. Delany, George R.R. Martin, and N.K. Jemisin can help us figure out what we think about "critical fantasy." So happy that the September 1st issue of <i>Time</i> features <a href="http://time.com/lev-grossman-magicians-land-magic-pop-culture/">Lev Grossman</a>'s essay on the 21st C fantasy boom. My end-of-semester reward will be watching the 3rd movie in <i>The Hobbit</i> trilogy and finally reading the 3rd novel in his Magicians trilogy! No spoilers in comments, please.The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-60115564776387443002013-06-21T08:35:00.000-04:002014-08-26T15:24:39.437-04:00The Oasis at the End of the Desert: Neil Gaiman at Saratoga SpringsMy family and I left on a road trip to Saratoga Springs right after the girls' last day of school let out yesterday morning to meet up with my two students in a <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2013/04/neal-on-neil-and-neal.html">Neil Gaiman/Neal Stephenson</a> Major Authors independent study and attend the Neil Gaiman interview/book signing sponsored by <a href="http://www.northshire.com/event/shelf-authors-conversation-neil-gaiman-presenting-ocean-end-lane">Northshire Bookstore</a>. It was a 5-hour drive and we only made one unscheduled stop and one wrong turn, so with our head start (Hamburg is about 40 minutes closer than Fredonia via the Thruway to the other side of the state) we managed to beat Alyssa and Elizabeth to the site of the event. I'm writing this far too early the morning after--while my little ladies, 7 and now 9 and a half (as of yesterday), gifted with far great recuperative powers than me, go for an early morning swim in the hotel pool--so it's going to be rushed, but I thought I'd share some first impressions while they were still relatively fresh.<br />
<br />
Gaiman's sense of humor was literally our first impression of him when he finally came onto the stage, after three (yes, three!) sets of introductions and one standing ovation (for the actual guy). The extended metaphor he offered supplied the title for this post; for those listening on the radio in the vicinity of July 7th, they'll know he was making an in-joke, and they should be able to figure out what it was about from the context, but it was a nice way to acknowledge the 1500+ people in the auditorium and it was certainly much appreciated.<br />
<br />
Actually, Gaiman's sense of humor was probably the major tone throughout the interview and indeed the entire event. At some point early in the radio interview he referred to an off-color joke a 10- or 11-year-old told him when he was 8 that got him in trouble when he repeated it at school--and then, once the taping was over, told the actual joke (accent and all) after some urging from the interviewer and audience (he was worried at first about kids being in the audience, but I can attest that just as the joke went over his head at the time, it was miles over 9-year-old onechan's head, as well; she turned to me after it with an expression between quizzical and baffled and gave me a chance to refuse to explain it to her!). But his humor was always to a serious end. Just as the point of that joke was to illustrate how kids experience the world differently from adults (and set up nicely the three or four pages he read from <i>The Ocean at the End of the Lane</i>), he was able to make another point about how writing for comics was viewed in the '90s quickly and efficiently with a sally about calling a hooker a lady of the evening. And there was more, much more. But I'm going to take a page from Gaiman and his interviewer, who resolutely avoided spoilers of any kind, and not spoil your own experience of listening to the interview when it goes online at the <a href="http://www.northshire.com/">Northshire Bookstore</a> web site. Suffice to say it was a real pleasure and definitely worth the drive--even after I found out this morning he's going to be in Toronto in early August! (Maybe there I'll be able to pass along the invitation to do a reading at SUNY Fredonia that I was supposed to deliver for Writers Ring last night!)<br />
<br />
But I can give you more general and personal impressions. One thing that came to mind the second Gaiman started talking was how much more fun it must be to interview writers than golfers. When I interview an LPGA golfer, it's usually after they've finished a round and can't wait to practice, or shower, go out to eat, or do whatever they need to do to unwind and get ready for the next round. Pretty much any question you can think of they've heard a million times before, and many of the original ones you manage to come up with just throw them for a loop, because they don't have a preprogrammed answer to give you. Not only that, but a good number of athletes aren't all that self-aware or great at putting into words the physical, mental, and emotional challenges they're dealt with--and those that are are often the cagiest about giving too much away to their competitors or the most cautious about letting the media into their heads! So I end up always feeling like I'm imposing on the golfers I manage to track down and usually botch my questions as a result. Don't get me wrong--over the years, I've managed to hold it together with Tiffany Joh, Morgan Pressel, Hannah Yun, Mika Miyazato, Paula Creamer, and Ai Miyazato, among others, and put some decent interviews and stories up at <a href="http://mlyhlss.blogspot.com/">Mostly Harmless</a>--but Neil Gaiman not only gave the impression he loved being interviewed but backed it up with a vivid reflection on what he loves about readings and interviews.<br />
<br />
Speaking of readings, when Gaiman told us about telling stories to his kids and gave us a sneak preview of his next children's book <i>Fortunately, the Milk</i>, it made me wish I could afford to hire the guy as a designated dad at bedtime. True, my younger daughter imoto was zonked out from a late night the night before (pro tip: Japanese women living in America and married to American guys are capable of incredible feats of endurance and conversation among themselves when the wine is flowing) and pretty much was put to sleep by Gaiman's voice. But, hey, isn't that the point of bedtime stories? (And imoto did love the CD of <i>The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish</i> that we listened to twice as we approached Saratoga Springs that she forced me to buy the paperback on sale at the event to replace the hardback edition we had somehow lost). Onechan, on the other hand, who was treating the event as a special 9-and-a-half-year present just for her, was enthralled by the excerpt from <i>The Ocean at the End of the Lane</i> and seemed to enjoy the UFO/pirate/dinosaur whimsy of <i>Fortunately, the Milk</i> (just not as much as me). It's clear Gaiman loves writing for kids (of all ages), but even more gratifying to me--and this is another thing that has already made the trip worth it in my book (even before we go to NYC, see my brother and his family in Connecticut, and swing back to my parents' place in Clinton on the way back home this weekend)--has been the way onechan has (finally, after many failed attempts on my part) embraced his writing! I left <i>The Graveyard Book</i> in her room early during third grade, but this voracious reader (who's graduated from the likes of the <i>Rainbow Magic</i> and <i>Magic Tree House</i> series to <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i>, Harry Potter, and <i>A Series of Unfortunate Events</i>) kept passing it over. Once she found out we were going to the reading, though, she devoured <i>M Is for Magic</i> ("October in the Chair" is her favorite) and finally seemed open to reading <i>The Graveyard Book</i> and maybe even <i>Stardust</i>. Bottom line: Gaiman made a new fan this week.<br />
<br />
Speaking of fans, I was a little disappointed at how few of the 1500+ got decked out for the event. No cosplay to speak of and even very few T-shirts. Most people were dressed as boring as I was, which made the hours-long wait in the signing line a little less entertaining than I would have hoped. After hearing Gaiman's explanation for why this is his last U.S. signing tour and experiencing it myself (with onechan and my two students, after the Full Metal Archivist wisely took imoto back to the hotel room right after the interview was done), I can say for sure that he's making the right decision. Apparently the organizers had said kids can go first, but I missed the memo and wasn't told again until we were literally 5 minutes from Gaiman himself; more important, though, I wanted the SUNY Fredonia gang to stick together, as it was the most f2f time we were going to have during the entire independent study. When we dispersed at 10:30ish, the line was still going out the door, so Gaiman was going to be there into today. I just can't see why he should subject himself to that any more, when there's not even a chance to chat with his fans. Frankly, I was so exhausted by the time we got to him that I forgot to invite him to the SUNY Fredonia campus for Writers Ring, the student group one of my favorite students in Secretary of. (Ah, there's always Toronto!) As tough as it was for us, we could try to entertain each other, but all Gaiman could do was sign and sign and sign and maybe exchange a word here or there. Not just no fun, but a terrible use of his time. Don't get me wrong: everyone on that line obviously thought it was worth it and deeply appreciated the chance to meet him, however briefly and impersonally. But I'd bet most of us would have voted to give it up if the interview period could have been extended an extra hour instead.<br />
<br />
OK, the Full Metal Archivist has made it down to the pool, so it's time for me to get ready to move around this morning. I'm 20 pages in on <i>The Ocean at the End of the Lane</i> and sucked in already.... We'll see how far I can get into it tonight at the hotel in Fort Lee. More later!The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-75707650521026829622013-06-20T08:06:00.001-04:002013-06-20T08:06:31.692-04:00Questions for Neil Gaiman at Saratoga Springs<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From Alyssa:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<ol>
<li style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What would be your advice for a young aspiring writer today?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where do you get your ideas for your stories? Like The O<i>cean at the End of the Lane</i> for example? What inspired this novel?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your <i>Sandman</i> series is one of my favorites and what actually got me interested in graphic novels, how was it different to write a story that would later have images created to go along with your words as opposed to just writing a standard story in a novel?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How is it collaborating with other authors? I just read <i>Good Omens</i> and was thoroughly amused reading the excerpts in the back that say how you and Terry Pratchett would call each other and just yell a lot at the excitement of your collaborative work. Have you ever had any negative experiences with collaborative writing?</span></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From Elizabeth:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">
<div style="line-height: normal;">
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is your favorite part about writing?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who are some authors that inspire you?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Readers/critics tend to dump you in the fantasy genre. What "genre(s)" do you consider your writing to fall into?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is your favorite piece that you have written throughout your career?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Do you prefer collaborating on works or do you like flying solo?</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-53702884151806245252013-05-02T21:25:00.001-04:002013-05-02T21:25:06.756-04:00What’s Acceptable in Society
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After
we watched the clip in class about the community in Indonesia, I brought up the
point that the program, which was on the History Channel, an American channel,
used a female translators voice in the place of an individual who was
biologically female but identified as a male.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I brought up how I thought this was offensive that they
choose to use a female translating into English what the individual was saying,
how although this person was referred to as a he, they would use the female
voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Society is so stuck on the
gender binary and so scared to step out of their comfort zone and realize that
gender is changing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The media is
very cautious to step away from their viewer’s comfort zone in fear of bringing
the numbers down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Society as a
whole does have a long way to go in stepping out of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the norm but there should be more resources made available
as a whole to make this information known.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-73329977087289204672013-04-10T06:55:00.002-04:002013-04-10T06:55:27.926-04:00Neal on Neil and NealHey folks, sorry for the long absence. I'm going to be teaching a summer course on Neil Gaiman and Neal Stephenson this summer from May 28 through June 28 at SUNY Fredonia, so expect a lot more activity here soon!<br />
<br />
Here's how I've been pitching it on campus.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><u>Summer Session I</u></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Bring on the "Ne(a/i)ls":</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Bruce Neal Simon Will Be Teaching Neil Gaiman and Neal Stephenson</b></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">ENGL 427 Major Writers: Neil Gaiman and Neal Stephenson</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" />
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During Summer Session I, we will examine a sample of works from <i>the</i> major fantasy fiction writer and <i>the</i> major science fiction writer of their generation: Neil Gaiman and Neal Stephenson. We will start by pairing some shorter works that made the writers' early reputations (for instance, Gaiman's <i>Sandman: Season of Mists</i> and Stephenson's "Mother Earth, Mother Board" from <i>Some Remarks</i>). We will then pair Gaiman's (and Terry Pratchett's) <i>Good Omens</i> with Stephenson's <i>Snow Crash</i> as hugely popular and influential experiments in narrative, humor, and apocalypse. Finally, we will pair Gaiman's <i>American Gods</i> with Stephenson's <i>Anathem</i> as mature and major novels. If we have the time (and are completely insane), we will also try to pack in their most recent novels, Gaiman's <i>The Ocean at the End of the Lane</i> and Stephenson's <i>Reamde</i>--you know, for fun (these novels will be optional purchases)!</div>
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We will consider such questions as what makes a writer "major"? how do these very different writers speak to each other, to their own times, and to us? what connections and contrasts can we find between their characters and settings, characteristic themes and figures, central beliefs and values, writing styles and narrative strategies, and literary and political projects?</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This course fulfills the "major author course" requirement for undergraduates majoring in English or English Adolescence Education.</span>The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-41500435097533651522012-01-25T10:20:00.000-05:002012-01-25T10:22:35.742-05:00My Spring 2012 Near-Future Science Fiction Schedule of AssignmentsYou can find my ENGL 216 syllabus at <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf3/">http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf3/</a>, but just in case the Fredonia site ever goes down, here's the (insane) schedule of assignments for my Spring 2012 Near-Future Science Fiction course. OK, maybe it's not as insane as it looks, at least for writing assignments: in addition to ongoing participation on our discussion board, students have to write at least two critical essays (not all four listed!)<br />
<br />
<u>T 1/24</u> Introductions, Overview, Set-up.
<br />
<u>Th 1/26</u> Near-Future? Science Fiction?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b>The Bad Old Century</b></div>
<br />
<u>T 1/31</u> Orwell, <i>Nineteen Eighty-Four</i>, Part One-Two (1-230)
<br />
<u>Th 2/2</u> Orwell, <i>Nineteen Eighty-Four</i>, Part Three-Appendix (231-323)
<br />
<br />
<u>T 2/7</u> Atwood, <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>, Part I-XI (1-253)
<br />
<u>Th 2/9</u> Atwood, <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>, Part XII-Historical Notes (254-395)
<br />
<br />
<u>T 2/14</u> Ishiguro, <i>Never Let Me Go</i>, Part One-Two (1-203)
<br />
<u>Th 2/16</u> Ishiguro, <i>Never Let Me Go</i>, Part Three (204-288)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b>The Bad New Century</b></div>
<br />
<u>T 2/21</u> Bradbury, <i>Fahrenheit 451</i>, Part One-Two (1-110)
<br />
<u>Th 2/23</u> Bradbury, <i>Fahrenheit 451</i>, Part Three-Coda (111-190)
<br />
<u>F 2/24</u> <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf3/ce.htm">CRITICAL ESSAY I</a> due by 11:30 pm in CE Drop Box on course ANGEL site (attach as .rtf, .doc, .docx, or .pdf document, please).
<br />
<br />
<u>T 2/28</u> Butler, <i>Parable of the Sower</i>, 2024-2026 (1-133)
<br />
<u>Th 3/1</u> Butler, <i>Parable of the Sower</i>, 2027 (134-295)
<br />
<br />
<u>T 3/6</u> MacLeod, <i>The Execution Channel</i>, Part One-Three (1-184)
<br />
<u>Th 3/8</u> MacLeod, <i>The Execution Channel</i>, Part Four-Five (185-285)
<br />
<br />
<u>M 3/12-F 3/16</u> SPRING BREAK: NO CLASSES.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b>The Corporate Century?</b></div>
<br />
<u>T 3/20</u> Brin, <i>Earth</i>, Part I-IV (1-218)
<br />
<u>Th 3/22</u> Brin, <i>Earth</i>, Part V-VIII (219-481)
<br />
<u>F 3/23</u> <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf3/ce.htm">CRITICAL ESSAY II</a> due by 11:30 pm in CE Drop Box on course ANGEL site (attach as .rtf, .doc, .docx, or .pdf document, please).
<br />
<br />
<u>T 3/27</u> Brin, <i>Earth</i>, Part IX-Afterword (482-667)
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<u>Th 3/29</u> Stephenson, <i>Snow Crash</i>, Ch. 1-16 (1-138)
<br />
<br />
<u>T 4/3</u> Stephenson, <i>Snow Crash</i>, Ch. 17-43 (138-325)
<br />
<u>Th 4/5</u> Stephenson, <i>Snow Crash</i>, Ch. 44-71 (326-468)
<br />
<br />
<u>T 4/10</u> Morgan, <i>Market Forces</i>, Prologue-File #3 (1-289)
<br />
<u>Th 4/12</u> Morgan, <i>Market Forces</i>, File #4-#5 (290-441)
<br />
<u>F 4/13</u> <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf3/fp.htm">FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL</a> due by 11:30 pm on discussion forum on course ANGEL site (attach as .rtf, .doc, .docx, or .pdf document, please).<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER">
<b>The Asian Century?</b></div>
<br />
<u>T 4/17</u> Gibson, <i>Neuromancer</i>, Part One-Three (1-156)
<br />
<u>Th 4/19</u> Gibson, <i>Neuromancer</i>, Part Four-Coda (157-271)
<br />
<u>F 4/20</u> <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf3/ce.htm">CRITICAL ESSAY III</a> due by 11:30 pm in CE Drop Box on course ANGEL site (attach as .rtf, .doc, .docx, or .pdf document, please).
<br />
<br />
<u>T 4/24</u> McHugh, <i>China Mountain Zhang</i>, China Mountain-Homework (1-208)
<br />
<u>Th 4/26</u> McHugh, <i>China Mountain Zhang</i>, Daoist Engineering-Three Fragrances (209-310)
<br />
<br />
<u>T 5/1</u> Bacigalupi, <i>The Windup Girl</i>, Ch. 1-18 (1-182)
<br />
<u>Th 5/3</u> Bacigalupi, <i>The Windup Girl</i>, Ch. 19-Epilogue (183-359); course evaluations
<br />
<u>F 5/4</u> <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf3/ce.htm">CRITICAL ESSAY IV</a> due by 11:30 pm in CE Drop Box on course ANGEL site (attach as .rtf, .doc, .docx, or .pdf document, please).
<br />
<br />
<u>TBA</u> Final Project presentations
<br />
<u>F 5/11</u> <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf3/fp.htm">FINAL PROJECT</a> due by 11:30 pm in FP Drop Box on course ANGEL site (attach as .rtf, .doc, .docx, or .pdf document, please).The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-80326276327085885612011-12-19T10:56:00.000-05:002011-12-19T11:05:04.604-05:00My Spring 2012 Near-Future Science Fiction CourseHere's the reading list for my Near-Future Science Fiction course, organized roughly by when the novels that I'll be teaching next semester are set:<br />
<br />
<br />
George Orwell, <i>Nineteen Eighty-Four</i> <br />
Margaret Atwood, <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i> <br />
Kazuo
Ishiguro, <i>Never Let Me Go</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Ken MacLeod, <i>The Execution Channel</i> <br />
Ray Bradbury, <i>Fahrenheit 451</i><br />
Octavia Butler, <i>Parable
of the Sower</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Richard Morgan, <i>Market Forces</i><br />
Neal Stephenson, <i>Snow Crash</i> <br />
David Brin, <i>Earth</i><br />
<br />
<br />
William Gibson, <i>Neuromancer</i> <br />
Maureen McHugh, <i>China Mountain Zhang</i> <br />
Paolo
Bacigalupi, <i>The Windup Girl</i><br />
<br />
<br />
I'm so psyched that less than a year after <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2011/02/will-this-course-idea-seem-so-cool-in.html">waking up with the germ</a> of this course in my head, I'll actually be teaching it.<br />
<br />
<br />
In addition, the American Studies Film Series next semester will feature near-future SF films. More on both when the film series schedule is complete and my syllabus for ENGL 216 is online.The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-72533269598137235852011-05-16T14:25:00.000-04:002011-05-16T14:25:23.865-04:00Imagine: A Science Fiction Puppet Fairy Tale<I>South Park</I> dudes, look out! 'Cause a couple of my students have produced an epic science fiction puppet fairy tale called <I>Imagine</I> on a shoestring budget. Check it out:<br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hUmAXaF7JSI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-21131481727132656112011-05-10T10:06:00.000-04:002011-05-10T10:06:36.028-04:00Fantasy as Chick Lit?No, that's not what <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/05/why-women-love-fantasy-literature/238576/">Alyssa Rosenberg</a> is arguing over at <I>The Atlantic</I>. Just read it for yourself!The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-8251200384217181522011-02-23T13:38:00.001-05:002011-02-23T13:39:23.047-05:00Mark Twain's influence on Fantasy Fiction<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Fantasy Fiction as a genre has come into its own over the last several decades.<span style=""> </span>Authors like Tolkien and Lewis helped to form the genre, and authors like Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, and Robin Hobb have helped keep it alive; however, there has been a lot of debate on when and with whom the genre originated.<span style=""> </span>While pivotal authors like Tolkien and Lewis are often given credit, other critics and scholars would argue for an origin found in fairy tales, or even earlier.<span style=""> </span>Instead of focusing on one particular author or body of work as the origin of Fantasy Fiction, I would argue that Fantasy Fiction, like all genres, is more dependent on literature as a whole than some would believe.<span style=""> </span>Authors outside of the genre contribute and impact Fantasy Fiction, because the authors of the genre are constantly influenced by work outside of it.<span style=""> </span>Literary icons, like Mark Twain, contribute to Fantasy Fiction by impacting authors and the general public.<span style=""> </span>Authors do not write from an isolated, independent perspective.<span style=""> </span>Authors write from the perspective of a member of society, influenced by literature as a whole, whether that literature is contemporary or ancient.<span style=""> </span>Anything an author has read influences the work of that author, affecting them on conscious and unconscious levels.<span style=""> </span>Readers who closely analyze Fantasy Fiction can see the influence of Mark Twain.<span style=""> </span>Twain’s influence can be seen in a realist writing technique, as well as topics covered in his books and essays.<span style=""> </span>In Fantasy Fiction, readers can see, immersed among the magic and mysticism, discussions on slavery, opposing cultures and societies, realistic descriptions and understanding of fantasy based worlds, and characters based on a real world understanding of people.<span style=""> </span>Twain’s influence can be seen in genres not his own, because as a literary icon, Mark Twain has impacted our society as a whole, affecting people on a level that defines his literature as iconic, something beyond words on a page.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span>Mark Twain subscribed to a realistic approach in his literature.<span style=""> </span>Readers can view Twain’s disdain for unrealistic literature in his critique of Fennimore Cooper’s writings, particularly Cooper’s <i style="">The Pathfinder</i> and <i style="">The Deerslayer</i>.<span style=""> </span>Throughout the critique, Twain berates Cooper’s lack of realistic situations and failure to understand or observe real world examples.<span style=""> </span>He mentions examples spanning from an incorrect understanding of artillery to the misunderstanding of how a streambed works.<span style=""> </span>Twain goes on to discuss Cooper’s unrealistic, ridiculous characters and the impossible actions of those characters.<span style=""> </span>Cooper’s characters accomplish feats impossible for any real person, such as shooting the head of a nail at one-hundred yards.<span style=""> </span>In Fantasy Fiction, we can see the impact of Twain’s realistic approach.<span style=""> </span>Authors like Robert Jordan and George R. R. Martin are products of realistic writing.<span style=""> </span>Fantasy fiction is a genre based on the impossible, on magic and mysticism, on our imaginations; however, the worlds that authors create are based on our own.<span style=""> </span>How can these worlds not be?<span style=""> </span>Authors of Fantasy Fiction take what they know and stretch it with their imaginations.<span style=""> </span>What authors know is a culmination of their own experiences.<span style=""> </span>In Robert Jordan’s <i style="">The Wheel of Time</i> series, Jordan creates a world both fantastical and realistic.<span style=""> </span>His magic system follows a set of rules explained in the first book.<span style=""> </span>The rules he uses are understandable by readers; they are realistic, because we can understand and apply them.<span style=""> </span>Even though the magic seen in Jordan’s work is impossible, it is still realistic.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span>The realism found in Fantasy Fiction does not apply only to the impossible, fantastic components of the literature.<span style=""> </span>The realism in Fantasy Fiction also applies to the characters.<span style=""> </span>Twain was a firm believer in realistic accents and modes of thinking.<span style=""> </span>In Twain’s the <i style="">Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i>, Huck does not talk like an educated thirty-year-old man, because he is not an educated thirty-year-old man.<span style=""> </span>Huck is an uneducated, backwoods, young teenager.<span style=""> </span>As such, he talks like one.<span style=""> </span>Jordan and Martin utilize a realistic approach in their books.<span style=""> </span>Although the characters of their stories live in a fantastical world, those characters are based on real people, so those characters act like real people.<span style=""> </span>Jordan’s attention to realistic characters can be seen constantly throughout his books.<span style=""> </span>In the first book of Jordan’s <i style="">The Wheel of Time</i> series, Jordan creates a scene in which he is able to better define the human qualities of two main characters, forcing actions upon those characters that are believable.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“Be at ease, Lan,” Moiraine said. “Be at ease. Wisdom, you think I can help Master Fitch and the people at the inn? Well, you are right.” Nynaeve started to say something, but Moiraine waved it away and went on. “I can go back by myself and give some help. Not too much, of course. That would draw attention to those I helped, attention they would not thank me for, especially with the Children of the Light in the town. And that would leave only Lan to protect the rest of you. He is very good, but it will take more than him if a Myrddraal and a fist of Trollocs find you. Of course, we could all return, though I doubt I can get all of us back into Baerlon unnoticed. And that would expose all of you to whomever set that fire, not to mention the Whitecloaks. Which alternative would you choose, Wisdom, if you were I?”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span>-Robert Jordan, <i style="">The Eye of the World</i>, 257</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span>In this paragraph, readers see Jordan explaining and setting limits on the abilities of his characters.<span style=""> </span>Realistic limits.<span style=""> </span>Despite her ability to utilize the magic of Jordan’s world, the character Moiraine admits she cannot produce an ideal situation that helps Master Fitch with his burning inn and also allows the party of adventurers to escape.<span style=""> </span>Through Moiraine, Jordan also limits the abilities of the warrior Lan, setting a vague limit on the amount of Trollocs and Myrddraal he can kill, even though he is a warrior of phenomenal skill.<span style=""> </span>The reactions of the characters and the decisions each character makes are believable and follow the reader’s understanding of each character.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span>In the <i style="">Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i>, Mark Twain, whether he realized it or not, helped to define the impact and role of African American culture on American society.<span style=""> </span>Toni Morrison discusses the role of African Americans as a contrast to white society in her article <i style="">Jim’s Africanist Presence in </i>Huckleberry Finn.<span style=""> </span>Mark Twain’s book seems a story based in constrasts:<span style=""> </span>freedom contrasted by slavery, and white culture contrasted by black culture.<span style=""> </span>Morrison discusses these contrasts in her analysis of Jim’s freedom: “Thus the fatal ending becomes the elaborate deferment of a necessary and necessarily unfree Africanist character’s escape, because freedom has no meaning to Huck or to the text without the specter of enslavement, the anodyne to individualism; the yardstick of absolute power over the life of another; the signed marked, informing, and mutating presence of a black slave” (Morrison, 309).<span style=""> </span>Twain’s utilization of contrasts, especially in racial and social roles, can be seen in several fantasy books.<span style=""> </span>Robin Hobb’s <i style="">The Soldier Son</i> trilogy utilizes contrasts throughout all three novels.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>At the onset of the book, the main character, Nevare Burvelle, is exposed to a post-war world where Nevare’s society has recently conquered and subjugated a society known as the “plainspeople”.<span style=""> </span>The plainspeople are treated as second-class citizens, being extorted and controlled by the society that conquered them.<span style=""> </span>Nevare is entrusted to a member of this society, the enemy of his father, so he might learn to survive and rise above the plainspeople his father helped to conquer.<span style=""> </span>The focus of the trilogy is Nevare’s experiences with the plainspeople, followed later by a forest people known as “specks”.<span style=""> </span>Nevare is forced, through magic, to find a balance between these differing societies, eventually losing the distinction that separated him from the plainspeople and specks.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style=""> </span>Fantasy Fiction cannot be understood through a specific origin or starting point.<span style=""> </span>Instead readers must understand Fantasy Fiction as a genre that has come into its own, changing and shaping itself based on literature as a whole.<span style=""> </span>Contemporary Fantasy Fiction authors cannot target Tolkien or Lewis as sole influences, because authors are influenced by everything they see, hear, read, and experience, reflecting those experiences in the literature they write.<span style=""> </span>Mark Twain influenced Fantasy Fiction, because Mark Twain was a literary icon.<span style=""> </span>Authors who read Twain are impacted by him, by Twain’s writing style and influences.<span style=""> </span>Twain’s demand for realistic situations and characters can be seen in the work of successful Fantasy Fiction authors, such as Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, and Robin Hobb. Readers can see Twain’s influence in the characters that seem believable and lifelike, in the systems of magic that can be understood, and in the topics Twain himself covered that have been revisited through a fantasy lens.<span style=""> </span>Although Fantasy Fiction deals in the impossible and the imagined, authors base their worlds on our own, requiring rationalized characters, topics, and situations.<span style=""> </span>As such, literary icons, like Twain, will continue to influence writers and readers, despite the genre.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Bibliography and additional reading:</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Hobb, Robin. <i>Shaman's Crossing</i>. New York: EOS, 2005. Print.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Jordan, Robert. <i>Eye of the World.</i> New York: TOR, 1990. Print.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Martin, George R. R. <i>A Game of Thrones</i>. New York: Bantam, 2002. Print.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Morrison, Toni. "Jim's Africanist Presence in Huckleberry Finn." <i>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: a Case Study in Critical Controversy</i>. By Mark Twain, Gerald Graff, and James Phelan. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 1995. 305-10. Print.</span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Twain, Mark. "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses." <i>University of Virginia Library</i>. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/projects/rissetto/offense.html>.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-85444526009248058622011-02-09T14:43:00.000-05:002011-02-09T14:43:14.750-05:00Sad News, Happy NewsSad news first: we've lost <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/arts/09jacques.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general">Brian Jacques</a>.<br />
<br />
Happy news next: a friend of mine from Japan, Fusami Ogi, is helping to organize a conference in Singapore on <a href="http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/jps/womens_manga_beyond_japan.htm">Women's Manga Beyond Japan</a> this February 21st through 23rd.The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-61240826789556775142011-02-04T04:30:00.000-05:002011-02-04T04:30:25.887-05:00Will This Course Idea Seem So Cool in the Light of Day?All of a sudden, I've got the urge to teach another version of my Science Fiction course. But this time, <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/sf2/">instead of</a> trying <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/engl216s05/">to sample</a> a small number of novels on a small number of topoi, I've got this idea for teaching near-future sci fi that both gets us thinking globally and reveals something about the preoccupations of the time periods in which they were first written and read. So far, I've come up with works like William Gibson's <I>Neuromancer</I>, Masamune Shirow/Mamoru Oshii's <I>Ghost in the Shell</I>, Neal Stephenson's <I>Snow Crash</I>, Maureen McHugh's <I>China Mountain Zhang</I>, Cory Doctorow's <I>For the Win</I>, Paolo Bacigalupi's <I>The Windup Girl</I>. What am I not thinking of that would fit that kind of reading list? Particularly from pre-cyberpunk sci fi?The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-82278750736169223892011-01-04T23:11:00.002-05:002011-01-04T23:27:17.257-05:00Questioning Fantasy: A Guide to My Students' Response Essays from ENGL 299Here are the questions my <a href="http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/ff1/">Fantasy Fiction</a> class generated at the start of the Fall 2010 semester, along with links to their response essays that addressed specific questions:<br />
<br />
<b>BOUNDARIES OF FANTASY</b><br />
<br />
<b>Defining Fantasy</b><br />
<ul><li>What is fantasy? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/defining-fantasy-and-science-fiction.html">Samantha Brethel</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantasy-is-ambiguous.html">Alexe Brode</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/creating-borders-in-fantasy.html">Steve Grzybowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/writing-styles-do-not-define-fantasy.html">Derek Herzog</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy.html">Christy Hewitt</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/fantasy-what-is-it.html">Luke Hider</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/everything-in-our-world-is-subjective.html">Steph Ward</a><br />
</li>
<li>How ought fantasy to be defined? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/creating-borders-in-fantasy.html">Steve Grzybowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/fantasy-what-is-it.html">Luke Hider</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a><br />
</li>
<li>What characteristics/features must a work have--what conventions must it adhere to or expectations meet--to be considered fantasy? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/defining-fantasy-and-science-fiction.html">Samantha Brethel</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/writing-styles-do-not-define-fantasy.html">Derek Herzog</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy.html">Christy Hewitt</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/fantasy-what-is-it.html">Luke Hider</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a><br />
</li>
<li>What's the "recipe" for fantasy? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a><br />
</li>
<li>Do the plots make up the genre or is it more on the style of writing chosen that makes a work belong in the fantasy genre? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/writing-styles-do-not-define-fantasy.html">Derek Herzog</a><br />
</li>
<li>Does there have to be some sort of supernatural element for it to be considered fantasy? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/defining-fantasy-and-science-fiction.html">Samantha Brethel</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/creating-borders-in-fantasy.html">Steve Grzybowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/fantasy-what-is-it.html">Luke Hider</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a><br />
</li>
<li>How do we define the difference between the ordinary and fantastical? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy.html">Christy Hewitt</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/everything-in-our-world-is-subjective.html">Steph Ward</a><br />
</li>
<li>When is something not considered to be fantasy? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a><br />
</li>
<li>How inclusive/exclusive should our definition be and how rigid/flexible should we be in applying it? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/creating-borders-in-fantasy.html">Steve Grzybowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/fantasy-what-is-it.html">Luke Hider</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/everything-in-our-world-is-subjective.html">Steph Ward</a><br />
</li>
<li>Is the genre of fantasy subjective? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantasy-is-ambiguous.html">Alexe Brode</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/everything-in-our-world-is-subjective.html">Steph Ward</a><br />
</li>
</ul><br />
<b>Fantasy's Varieties, Relatives, and Neighbors</b> <br />
<ul><li>What kinds of fantasy are there (sub-genres)?<br />
</li>
<li>How does fantasy relate to science fiction, horror, myth, epic, romance, magical realism, and so on? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/defining-fantasy-and-science-fiction.html">Samantha Brethel</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantasy-is-ambiguous.html">Alexe Brode</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/creating-borders-in-fantasy.html">Steve Grzybowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy.html">Christy Hewitt</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-existence-of-fantasy.html">Lizzie Reid</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-fantasy-stack-up-to-other-genres.html">Zain Syed</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/everything-in-our-world-is-subjective.html">Steph Ward</a><br />
</li>
<li>What is the line between fantasy fiction and genres like horror and sci-fi? Can this line be blurred? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/defining-fantasy-and-science-fiction.html">Samantha Brethel</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantasy-is-ambiguous.html">Alexe Brode</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/creating-borders-in-fantasy.html">Steve Grzybowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy.html">Christy Hewitt</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantastic-elements-of-fantasy-fiction.html">Victoria Rader</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/everything-in-our-world-is-subjective.html">Steph Ward</a><br />
</li>
<li>Why do so many border disputes arise and what's at stake in specific ones? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/everything-in-our-world-is-subjective.html">Steph Ward</a><br />
</li>
</ul><br />
<b>Origins and Development of Fantasy</b> <br />
<ul><li>When did fantasy start?<br />
</li>
<li>What author embodies the start of the genre fantasy fiction?<br />
</li>
<li>What distinguishes fantasy per se from its predecessors, influences, and so on?<br />
</li>
<li>How did fantasy develop?<br />
</li>
<li>What are the key turning points or transformations in the history of fantasy?<br />
</li>
<li>Will fantasy, as a genre, ever die out or become dated?<br />
</li>
<li>Do genres have life cycles?<br />
</li>
</ul><br />
<b>VALUE(S) OF FANTASY</b><br />
<br />
<b>Quality of/in Fantasy</b> <br />
<ul><li>How is quality measured in fantasy books? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/world-and-character-development-within.html">Gabrielle Fletcher</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy-good-for.html">Kayleigh Witkowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-from-hobbits-perspective.html">Erica Yunghans</a><br />
</li>
<li>Who are the best fantasy writers and why?<br />
</li>
<li>How do they stack up to the best writers in other genres?<br />
</li>
<li>What exactly distinguishes "good fantasy" from "bad fantasy"? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/world-and-character-development-within.html">Gabrielle Fletcher</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/so-you-want-to-be-world-builder.html">Adam Glasier</a><br />
</li>
<li>What attributes make up a great fantasy fiction story?<br />
</li>
<li>What medium is fantasy best suited for (if any), and why?<br />
</li>
<li>Why is fantasy on the lower/lowest rung of the literature ladder? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a><br />
</li>
<li>Who decided that plays written in the Renaissance are much better and for the intellectually elite than a novel about witches and dragons? Is it because the prose used is generally more simple? Is it because the plots are "different"?<br />
</li>
<li>How does fantasy stack up against other genres? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantasy-versus-other-genres.html">Brittany</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-fantasy-stack-up-to-other-genres.html">Zain Syed</a> </li>
<li>What are the stereotypes/preconceived notions pertaining to fantasy fiction? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantasy-versus-other-genres.html">Brittany</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/writing-styles-do-not-define-fantasy.html">Derek Herzog</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-fantasy-stack-up-to-other-genres.html">Zain Syed</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a></li>
<li>Is fantasy necessarily regressive, nostalgic, conservative, reactionary, irrational, escapist...? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-fantasy-fiction-able-to-teach.html">Christine Botham</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/writing-styles-do-not-define-fantasy.html">Derek Herzog</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy.html">Christy Hewitt</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a><br />
</li>
<li>How do readers of fantasy get around the stigma that comes with the genre? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/fantasy-versus-other-genres.html">Brittany</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/writing-styles-do-not-define-fantasy.html">Derek Herzog</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a> </li>
</ul><br />
<b>Fantasy's Functions, Purposes, Uses</b> <br />
<ul><li>Why does fantasy fiction exist? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-existence-of-fantasy.html">Lizzie Reid</a><br />
</li>
<li>What is fantasy good for (if anything)? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/omens-that-are-good.html">Mike Bayba</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-fantasy-fiction-able-to-teach.html">Christine Botham</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-have-tolkien-and-lewis-affected.html">C. Dunn</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy.html">Christy Hewitt</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/serious-discussions-of-identity-in.html">Josh Jerome</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-existence-of-fantasy.html">Lizzie Reid</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-fantasy-stack-up-to-other-genres.html">Zain Syed</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy-good-for.html">Kayleigh Witkowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/identity-in-fantasy-why-its-common-and.html">Tiffany Wood</a><br />
</li>
<li>What is the purpose or role of fantasy in our culture? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-fantasy-fiction-able-to-teach.html">Christine Botham</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-existence-of-fantasy.html">Lizzie Reid</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/identity-in-fantasy-why-its-common-and.html">Tiffany Wood</a><br />
</li>
<li>What functions, uses, stakes might fantasy have for authors, readers, critics, institutions, society at large? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/omens-that-are-good.html">Mike Bayba</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-fantasy-fiction-able-to-teach.html">Christine Botham</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-have-tolkien-and-lewis-affected.html">C. Dunn</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy.html">Christy Hewitt</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/serious-discussions-of-identity-in.html">Josh Jerome</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/influences-on-cs-lewiss-perspective.html">Hannah Morris</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-existence-of-fantasy.html">Lizzie Reid</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-fantasy-stack-up-to-other-genres.html">Zain Syed</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy-good-for.html">Kayleigh Witkowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/identity-in-fantasy-why-its-common-and.html">Tiffany Wood</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-from-hobbits-perspective.html">Erica Yunghans</a><br />
</li>
<li>How have early fantasy writers affected today's society? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-have-tolkien-and-lewis-affected.html">C. Dunn</a><br />
</li>
<li>What do responses to and debates over fantasy reveal (about society, present or past, at large or in particular groups or institutions)? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-from-hobbits-perspective.html">Erica Yunghans</a><br />
</li>
<li>Why do writers choose the genre of fantasy fiction? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/so-you-want-to-be-world-builder.html">Adam Glasier</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-existence-of-fantasy.html">Lizzie Reid</a><br />
</li>
<li>Is fantasy fiction meant merely as a means of entertainment or is it meant to be something deeper? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/omens-that-are-good.html">Mike Bayba</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-fantasy-fiction-able-to-teach.html">Christine Botham</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/serious-discussions-of-identity-in.html">Josh Jerome</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/influences-on-cs-lewiss-perspective.html">Hannah Morris</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-existence-of-fantasy.html">Lizzie Reid</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/can-fantasy-stack-up-to-other-genres.html">Zain Syed</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy-good-for.html">Kayleigh Witkowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/identity-in-fantasy-why-its-common-and.html">Tiffany Wood</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-from-hobbits-perspective.html">Erica Yunghans</a><br />
</li>
<li>Can fantasy fiction be used as a platform for political, social, or cultural statements? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/influences-on-cs-lewiss-perspective.html">Hannah Morris</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-from-hobbits-perspective.html">Erica Yunghans</a><br />
</li>
<li>What messages are authors of fantasy fiction trying to convey? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/omens-that-are-good.html">Mike Bayba</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/influences-on-cs-lewiss-perspective.html">Hannah Morris</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-from-hobbits-perspective.html">Erica Yunghans</a><br />
</li>
<li>What messages/attributes are typically included in fantasy books? For example, do they often include philosophical elements? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/omens-that-are-good.html">Mike Bayba</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/serious-discussions-of-identity-in.html">Josh Jerome</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a> </li>
<li>What is fantasy fiction able to teach us? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/omens-that-are-good.html">Mike Bayba</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-fantasy-fiction-able-to-teach.html">Christine Botham</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/influences-on-cs-lewiss-perspective.html">Hannah Morris</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy-good-for.html">Kayleigh Witkowski</a><br />
</li>
<li>Why are some of the key conventions of fantasy (world-building, good vs. evil, quest, coming of age, rise and fall of civilizations) so enduringly popular? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/identity-in-fantasy-why-its-common-and.html">Tiffany Wood</a><br />
</li>
<li>Why do we retell previous stories through fantasy? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-existence-of-fantasy.html">Lizzie Reid</a><br />
</li>
</ul><br />
<b>Studying Fantasy</b> <br />
<ul><li>What is the state of the art in fantasy criticism?<br />
</li>
<li>What value can scholarly study of fantasy bring to the university, to the industry, to fan communities, to regular readers? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a></li>
<li>How is the study of fantasy fiction viewed?<br />
</li>
<li>What can scholars learn about fantasy from those outside academia?<br />
</li>
<li>Are we really learning anything relevant by studying fantasy fiction? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/omens-that-are-good.html">Mike Bayba</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-fantasy-fiction-able-to-teach.html">Christine Botham</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/different-perspective.html">Eli</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/writing-about-reality-is-boring.html">Eric Ellison</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/world-and-character-development-within.html">Gabrielle Fletcher</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/serious-discussions-of-identity-in.html">Josh Jerome</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escaping-into-fantasy-fiction.html">Audrey Putney</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-fantasy-good-for.html">Kayleigh Witkowski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/identity-in-fantasy-why-its-common-and.html">Tiffany Wood</a><br />
</li>
</ul><br />
<b>HOW FANTASY WORKS</b> <br />
<br />
<ul><li>Is magic in fantasy analogous to science/technology in science fiction?<br />
</li>
<li>What role does religion play in the writing of fantasy fiction? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/omens-that-are-good.html">Mike Bayba</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/serious-discussions-of-identity-in.html">Josh Jerome</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/influences-on-cs-lewiss-perspective.html">Hannah Morris</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/narnia-pern-and-religion.html">Casey Takacs</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/everything-in-our-world-is-subjective.html">Steph Ward</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-from-hobbits-perspective.html">Erica Yunghans</a><br />
</li>
<li>Are modern authors as heavily influenced by religion as Tolkien and Lewis were? If not, is that a product of our times? If yes, could it be argued that since so many were influenced by Tolkien and Lewis as forerunners of the genre, who were themselves heavily influenced by religion, modern authors are just as heavily influenced by religion, whether they realize it or not?<br />
</li>
<li>Why is identity (especially the quest for one's identity) one of the most common themes in fantasy fiction? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/can-anything-come-from-studying-fantasy.html">anonymous</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/who-am-i-one-loaded-sticky-question.html">Kayla Carucci</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/serious-discussions-of-identity-in.html">Josh Jerome</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/identity-in-fantasy-why-its-common-and.html">Tiffany Wood</a><br />
</li>
<li>How do fantasy fiction stories relate to their time period and culture? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/escape-entertainment-education.html">Kristian Everett</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-is-fantasy.html">George M.</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/influences-on-cs-lewiss-perspective.html">Hannah Morris</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-value-of-fantasy.html">Matt Pisarski</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/history-from-hobbits-perspective.html">Erica Yunghans</a><br />
</li>
<li>How many new ideas and stories can a fantasy author come up with, without repeating a story?<br />
</li>
<li>There are only so many mythological creatures, and it seems like the good v. evil story is getting redundant. How do fantasy writers stay original? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/12/world-and-character-development-within.html">Gabrielle Fletcher</a><br />
</li>
<li>What is the process of writing a fantasy fiction novel? How much time and commitment goes into fabricating a new world? <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/11/so-you-want-to-be-world-builder.html">Adam Glasier</a>, <a href="http://sfatsf.blogspot.com/2010/10/identity-in-fantasy-why-its-common-and.html">Tiffany Wood</a><br />
</li>
</ul>The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-27610051728680781342010-12-23T01:23:00.000-05:002010-12-23T01:23:10.309-05:00Everything in Our World Is Subjective (Middle-Earth Is Another Story)Steph Ward explains:<br />
<br />
Everyone believes in different things. Some people may say that they believe that eating meat is wrong because it is cruel to animals, and some people may say that they believe ghosts exist because they saw one. Who is the average individual to question the beliefs of others? The concept of fantasy is very fluid and difficult to pin down when one takes into account how truly subjective it is. Depending on the beliefs of an individual a work of fantasy can easily be considered to be a work of speculative fiction. A majority of fantasy is completely subjective, based upon the personal beliefs of the individual, there are some exceptions to this subjectivity, depending on the way that the novel is set up. A novel that takes place in our world is much more difficult to classify as fantasy than a novel that is set in another world.<br />
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A belief can come from anywhere. Some sources of beliefs that may affect what we see as fantasy may come from places like our own experiences, our culture or our religion. Since so many fantasy novelists pull ideas from religions (whether it is Paganism, Christianity or otherwise) it only seems natural that beliefs in religion may alter our perception of what fantasy is. Take the novel <I>Good Omens</I> by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: this novel gives you an eschatological tale in which the AntiChrist has been born and will bring about the end of the world. The concepts of the Apocalypse, angels, demons and the AntiChrist are things that are very real to many groups of people because of their beliefs. So the classification of this novel becomes subjective. One’s religious beliefs may dictate that this is not fantasy at all, merely a speculation, a possible course of events about something that will inevitably occur. On the other side of the coin, if you are an atheist and do not believe in anything religious then this book becomes a work of complete fantasy, as you have no beliefs to ground it. Therefore, whether you consider this book to be fantasy or not is a completely subjective thing. There is no way to do it without disagreement from some groups. <br />
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<I>Good Omens</I> is particularly subjective because it deals directly with religion, something that people already have extreme beliefs about. The debate of “Is this fantasy?” does not always have to be this heated. It is hard to find an individual who does not believe that <I>The Hobbit</I> by J.R.R. Tolkien is a fantasy novel. This is not to say that it is not a subjective belief. Certainly, some may claim that Middle-Earth does exist but these beliefs seem much less rational to us than the claim that angels exist. Why is this? This occurs because <I>The Hobbit</I> does not take place in our world. This novel takes place in another world entirely, one that the author admittedly made up. It is much easier, and much more rational, to have subjective beliefs in our world than it is to have subjective beliefs about another world. In Middle-Earth, we have only what we are told by Tolkien to form our beliefs on. In <I>Good Omens</I>, which takes place on our Earth, we have all of our personal experience and beliefs about our world to take into account before we can make a decision. <br />
<br />
Much of <I>Good Omens</I> is supported by other tangible things, things that we already know exist. The novel makes mention of the Bible, of the Satanist and Christian faiths, of Nostradamus and other prophecy makers, things that we know actually exist or existed. On top of that it adds things that could exist, things that many people do believe exist such as angels and demons. The novel also takes place in our world. We have enough information, from our own life experiences and from those things the novel makes reference to that we know exist to be able to make a subjective judgment on the things that could exist. When Gaiman and Pratchett say, “Many phenomena--wars, plagues, sudden audits--have been advanced as evidence for the hidden hand of Satan in the affairs of man...” (15), it is easy for me to make a subjective call on whether this statement is fantasy or not. That is because it is based in my world and I have experience with all of those evil things listed. I may have been told by the Bible, or by my parents or a hundred other outside sources that Satan causes evil in the world. Since I already know this it is very easy for me to subjectively say that this is not fantasy at all, this novel is actually taking a set of beliefs from outside sources and building a story out of them. However, if I had been raised to believe that neither God nor Satan exist and that the Apocalypse is a bunch of bologna I would say that this is a fantastical concept that is imaginary only. But, if we look at <I>The Hobbit</I>, which takes place in another world, the classification of the novel is much simpler because we have no influence from outside sources. When Tolkien explains that hobbits are “a little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded Dwarves. Hobbits have no beards. There is little or no magic about them, except the ordinary everyday sort...” (2), I do not have to decide whether a hobbit is a fantastical creature or not because this novel does not take place in the world that I live in. I cannot have a rational, subjective belief about a world that I have no experience of. <I>Good Omens</I> references things that I know, and a world that I am familiar with, so I can make a subjective judgment based on my beliefs about the world as to whether I think this novel is fantastic or speculative. <I>The Hobbit</I> does not allow me to do such things. I have been told that Tolkien created Middle-Earth. This is not my world, so this is fantasy.<br />
<br />
Whether something is fantasy or not depends on our beliefs. Our beliefs depend on our experiences and influences from our world. A novel that takes place in our world is open to much debate as to whether or not it is fantasy. That is because people have such varying beliefs on our world. Any novels that take place in our world can never definitively be called fantasy, or anything else. There will always be debate because the human experience and beliefs vary so greatly. However, if a novel does not take place in our world it is much easier to simply slap a fantasy label on it and be done with the whole ordeal.The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-513267511299986257.post-29291852942322394942010-12-22T21:49:00.000-05:002010-12-22T21:49:28.902-05:00Fantasy Is AmbiguousAlexe Brode explains why:<br />
<br />
The question of "what is fantasy" is really hard to define. First, it is relatively ambiguous, meaning it has many meanings. Secondly, there are so many genres in the world, how does fantasy not fall under something else? These are just many questions that need to be answered to better understand what fantasy is in all actuality. <br />
<br />
The word fantasy can mean anything from a mental image, imagination, a visionary idea, to even an illusion or hallucination. Fantasy is so ambiguous it is hard to come to one definition. If one was to sit down and conquer this definition it would take years. This is one genre that could fit really any type of book one reads. For example, take the definition of a mental image; reading anything can give a person a mental image if the use of figures of speech is used properly. I could read something a five-year-old wrote and probably get some sort of mental image from it. <br />
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Fiction, science fiction, horror, children's literature, each and every one of these can fall under fantasy because most if not all can lead you into a separate world where everything written in the book comes true. Would these be considered sub-genres? Or is there really a major difference between fantasy and these? Fantasy seems to deal more with dragons and magic, as the above do not. Is this the difference? Then one looks at "Snow White" or "Cinderella"--are they considered fantasy or is that children’s literature still?<br />
<br />
In all actuality, coming up with an answer about what is fantasy is relatively hard. I guess it depends on the reader or mainly on what others think. The reader could just make up their own classification for what is fantasy, or just stick to what the editor says the genre is. Fantasy is such a broad and ambiguous term that the answer will be just as broad and ambiguous. <br />
<br />
My idea of fantasy is one that just transports you completely into a separate world where you can't really distinguish between reality and fiction. The <I>Jhereg</I> book did this to me. I want more after reading the first, even more after the second, and I'm dying after the third. Now I just wish the world was like the book so I could be an assassin and not deal with school and such and just get paid to kill people. It's like an escape into a better life it seems, somewhere that someone feels safe because they know they can’t get hurt but they enjoy all of the action.<br />
<br />
Fantasy is ambiguous. It can't be defined into a set definition. It can be one genre or many as far as we know. It is hard to tell fantasy apart from other genres because it all contains the same content and there isn't a special ingredient that separates them. So the question of "what is fantasy?" seems to still be left unanswered, because in all reality anything can be fantasy if you set your mind to it.The Constructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07242149985581771922noreply@blogger.com0