tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post8828418556084370164..comments2024-03-22T17:14:36.551-04:00Comments on Wasteland And Sky: Science Fiction Doesn't Exist [Part V: The Final Future]JD Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-16854500365176845082022-02-20T05:04:11.162-05:002022-02-20T05:04:11.162-05:00John C. Wright recently wrote an interesting blog ...John C. Wright recently wrote an interesting blog post on the topic of science fiction, fantasy, and whether there's a distinction.<br /><br />https://www.scifiwright.com/2022/02/an-endless-topic-science-fiction-versus-fantasy/<br /><br />Someone in the comments even mentioned your blog posts on the subject:<br /><br />https://www.scifiwright.com/2022/02/an-endless-topic-science-fiction-versus-fantasy/#comment-5749147308hbenthowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13797195539880473914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-11850195482183361352022-02-16T19:48:26.174-05:002022-02-16T19:48:26.174-05:00Fair enough. I just consider it adventure and roma...Fair enough. I just consider it adventure and romance.JD Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-29978946030334919472022-02-16T19:10:45.887-05:002022-02-16T19:10:45.887-05:00Isn't "science" a pretty broad and l...Isn't "science" a pretty broad and loose term, though? It encompasses geography, oceanography, engineering, biology, botany, genetics, psychology, chemistry, astronomy, ornithology, meteorology, hydrology, zoology, paleozoology, and even cryptozoology, among many others.<br /><br />For instance, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas" is largely about engineering (the science behind the creation of the Nautilus) and oceanography (exploring the deep). "Journey to the Center of the Earth" has a heavy focus on geography, with some paleozoology thrown in (the discovery of dinosaurs and the like living in the interior of the Earth).<br /><br />"Science", to me, generally implies the search for knowledge about the universe or the things in it. Its primary implications, to my mind, are curiosity, wonder, and the willpower to seek out the unknown and probe its secrets.hbenthowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13797195539880473914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-11454608427550266722022-02-16T11:47:56.627-05:002022-02-16T11:47:56.627-05:00It's a solid moniker but too limiting to be an...It's a solid moniker but too limiting to be an actual genre title, in my opinion. The word "science" is just far too loaded with implications for the contents.JD Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-57845993740557155542022-02-16T01:32:17.073-05:002022-02-16T01:32:17.073-05:00What are your thoughts on the term "Scientifi...What are your thoughts on the term "Scientific Romance" (coined in 1845 and more heavily popularized when Jules Verne came on the scene?hbenthowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13797195539880473914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-45556691897085254842021-07-11T08:44:20.464-04:002021-07-11T08:44:20.464-04:00Congratulations on getting through this slog and t...Congratulations on getting through this slog and thanks for taking the time to expose the things you learned.Ransomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01015208031266331741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-68392200615799170202021-07-09T02:12:43.223-04:002021-07-09T02:12:43.223-04:00Lundwall speaks well of Bertrand Russell, and call...Lundwall speaks well of Bertrand Russell, and calls him open-minded. Russell was a Fabian; all he was open-minded to was imposing '1984' on the human race. Here is ANOTHER Fabian, George Bernard Shaw, describing what these people actually want:<br />https://youtu.be/s9oqgQ16qc8?t=1098<br /><br />Listen to the whole video, as usual--monsters, all. Lundwall is just another varietal.DHChristiansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07995421247097296954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-17282608578536302842021-07-03T11:32:37.838-04:002021-07-03T11:32:37.838-04:00There's something about this particular area o...There's something about this particular area of entertainment that attracts people who need to be elevated above the common riff raff. It's a shame they were ever catered to to begin with.<br /><br />The worst mistake those like Gernsback ever did was give these types power and a platform.JD Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-43566592072765462202021-07-03T11:23:03.480-04:002021-07-03T11:23:03.480-04:00As an old school Trek fan, I was blissfully unawar...As an old school Trek fan, I was blissfully unaware of the original dislike Tru-fans had of the show. I guess that demonstrates just how insular fandom can be. We original Trekkers were so busy enjoying what we loved that we didn't even notice there was a world of organized fandom that didn't include what we loved.<br /><br />On the other hand, I did notice a bit of snobbery from Trek fans when Star Wars began to become the giant that it is. It was a "Trek is science fiction, Star Wars is just space fantasy" thing. Of course the distinction was silly, as both franchises exist on the same level of unreality. For a while there, Trek fans were indulging in the same illogic that this author was.Chris Lopeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15603182786879935663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-75212916502740294102021-07-02T17:11:11.726-04:002021-07-02T17:11:11.726-04:00It's always been a lazy argument made by consu...It's always been a lazy argument made by consumers who just want an excuse to mindlessly scarf anything dumped on their plates.<br /><br />I'm just glad we're seeing more pushback to it these days, especially with how obviously bad so much of this stuff is now. Everyone can see the game for what it is.JD Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-66730513058053216762021-07-02T17:09:01.795-04:002021-07-02T17:09:01.795-04:00Edmond Hamilton and E.E. Doc Smith are definitely ...Edmond Hamilton and E.E. Doc Smith are definitely the big names for space opera. Brian Niemeier and Jon Del Arroz are both modern writers putting out fun works in the genre.<br /><br />One of the best I've read is "The High Crusade" by Poul Anderson. Definitely worth reading today.JD Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-63628512630569678432021-07-02T17:07:21.457-04:002021-07-02T17:07:21.457-04:00What I find funny is how many people currently tel...What I find funny is how many people currently tell me it's nostalgia goggles making the original Star Wars movies seem so much better than modern fare when stuff like this exists to prove that 100% wrong, given that the nostalgia goggles argument was being used in the very stuff Star Wars was an homage to.Malchushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01439063335010180496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-55797523792188340722021-07-02T16:16:54.442-04:002021-07-02T16:16:54.442-04:00Hey, this book wasn't a complete waste. By loo...Hey, this book wasn't a complete waste. By looking up authors Lundwall hates, I've found new reading material! And it's actually good! Indie authors try so hard to carry on the cult tradition, I've had a hard time finding new pub scifi that wasn't also dreadfully woke. Space opera is all I want. Any recommendations? Maybe that ought to be a blog post. :-)Kessiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019626781634777336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-60250250688643887712021-07-01T23:03:16.874-04:002021-07-01T23:03:16.874-04:00Thanks for reading! I'm glad it helped.Thanks for reading! I'm glad it helped.JD Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-44118345871335691172021-07-01T22:53:49.673-04:002021-07-01T22:53:49.673-04:00His criticism of Buck Rogers in the passage near t...His criticism of Buck Rogers in the passage near the beginning of your article is incredible. He claims they have no literary merits, but evoke a great sense of wonder -- and then the only good thing he has to say about it is that it had some good sciency predictions! He exposes his ignorance so thoroughly there in that one passage: getting that true sense of wonder IS a literary skill. The stories he's denigrating were largely good, entertaining adventures. That was their goal. Their goal was not social engineering, so that's the real problem he has with them. He all but gives that away by admitting the "science" was the best part. So if pulp adventure fiction was fun and wondrous, and even had science acceptable to the great Mr. Lundwall, what exactly was the point of so-called "hard science fiction"? Oh right, friend/enemies again.<br /><br />Congrats for making it through. I've found this series extremely enlightening. It's confirmed suspicions I've had about this stuff for years. Thank you!Greg Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03301883906719005774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-11507811887416776842021-07-01T19:35:43.356-04:002021-07-01T19:35:43.356-04:00Thanks for reading!
I hope to be leaving the auth...Thanks for reading!<br /><br />I hope to be leaving the author in the rearview mirror for the foreseeable future. I really don't want to read anything that terrible again.JD Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-19323968840039132782021-07-01T19:15:06.826-04:002021-07-01T19:15:06.826-04:00One thing that I'm doing as of today is dumpin...One thing that I'm doing as of today is dumping "SFF" and associated terms and taking up "Futuristic Adventure Fiction" and "Mythic Adventure Fiction" as descriptors!<br /><br />Thanks again, JD! Another great analysis, and a great set of reference articles.<br /><br />(Maybe you should write a book ... . Nah. That'd be cruel to yourself.)Man of the Atomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15936961988929608221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-16884715188230308902021-07-01T18:08:37.558-04:002021-07-01T18:08:37.558-04:00I think Lundwall's point of view was that it w...I think Lundwall's point of view was that it wasn't subversive enough for him. Probably because it wasn't as blatant about the message of "beauty killing the beast" which is already a play on the traditional pulp style of the same happening.<br /><br />To be honest, he probably just wanted more nudity.JD Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03548340507655076198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520528486728008071.post-41525085371976071722021-07-01T18:04:45.489-04:002021-07-01T18:04:45.489-04:00The mention of King Kong is interesting, because I...The mention of <i>King Kong</i> is interesting, because I came to the conclusion a while back that, for all the greatness of the film itself, Denham's point of view on <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> is profoundly subversive--and is, indeed, of a piece with the Fandom worldview you've been identifying here. Instead of Beauty learning to love the Beast and look past appearances, thus redeeming them both from their burdens and bringing them to joy, Denham reads it as the Beast being seduced by Beauty's appearance and thus brought to destruction--in line with Fandom's "ugliness is beautiful, beauty is ugly, humanity is the <b>real</b> monster."<br /><br />(And in between the original and the Denham view falls Disney's animated film, but analyzing that's a whole other topic that merits a wiser pen than mine.)M. L. Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079559988227795442noreply@blogger.com