Going throught the RSS Feed: Dinosaur Metaphysics and Serial Storytelling
At least I'm not the only one struggling with these philosophical questions.
Seriously, I seem to not be able to decide whether I want to be a pragmatist or not. Foundationalism has always struck me as anti-feminist, but relativism can't support feminism either. Ideally pragmatism provides a way out of the dilemma, with feminism being more or less the equivalent of "weaponized kissing," but is it really any better than relativism at making normative claims? *is torn*
ETA: Maia at Capitalism Bad, Tree Pretty has posted about serial storytelling, lamenting that one can't find it much outside television any more and giving it the credit for the popularity of the Harry Potter series. She says a lot of intelligent things, and of course pretty much everything she says is twice as applicable to fanfiction. For example:at the end of the Prom on Buffy - where Jonathon gives her the umbrella, and Angel comes and dances with her. Those moments work because you know what she's been through the last three years - you know what this means, you know who Jonathon is (although not what he will be - but telvision shows turning to custard is not the current topic).
Or this:The other thing I love about serial storytelling is that it is a very social art-form from the viewing end. Part of the whole episodic nature means that you share it with other people - you talk about it with other people, because you're waiting for what is going to happen next.
Of course the serial nature of fanfiction is one of its characteristics that gets at least as much criticism as love: who hasn't heard someone ranting against WIPs, or wondering why someone would post an already-completed story in installments (as I did with, say, Divine Interventions).
ETA2: "Catholicism: Maybe Think About It?"
ETA3: I really love it when my favorite academic blog (languagelog) cites Television Without Pity.
ETA4: Speaking of languagelog, Arnold Zwicky has a post entitled "Goram Motherfrakking!" on fake and made-up curses in science fiction, with a focus on Battlestar Galactica and Firefly.
Seriously, I seem to not be able to decide whether I want to be a pragmatist or not. Foundationalism has always struck me as anti-feminist, but relativism can't support feminism either. Ideally pragmatism provides a way out of the dilemma, with feminism being more or less the equivalent of "weaponized kissing," but is it really any better than relativism at making normative claims? *is torn*
ETA: Maia at Capitalism Bad, Tree Pretty has posted about serial storytelling, lamenting that one can't find it much outside television any more and giving it the credit for the popularity of the Harry Potter series. She says a lot of intelligent things, and of course pretty much everything she says is twice as applicable to fanfiction. For example:at the end of the Prom on Buffy - where Jonathon gives her the umbrella, and Angel comes and dances with her. Those moments work because you know what she's been through the last three years - you know what this means, you know who Jonathon is (although not what he will be - but telvision shows turning to custard is not the current topic).
Or this:The other thing I love about serial storytelling is that it is a very social art-form from the viewing end. Part of the whole episodic nature means that you share it with other people - you talk about it with other people, because you're waiting for what is going to happen next.
Of course the serial nature of fanfiction is one of its characteristics that gets at least as much criticism as love: who hasn't heard someone ranting against WIPs, or wondering why someone would post an already-completed story in installments (as I did with, say, Divine Interventions).
ETA2: "Catholicism: Maybe Think About It?"
ETA3: I really love it when my favorite academic blog (languagelog) cites Television Without Pity.
ETA4: Speaking of languagelog, Arnold Zwicky has a post entitled "Goram Motherfrakking!" on fake and made-up curses in science fiction, with a focus on Battlestar Galactica and Firefly.