Linkspam has bills to pay
Just so you know, Vito is brilliant. Go Vito! (Note: this won't make much sense unless you've been following the ongoing story of SF author Elizabeth Moon, her bigoted post about Muslims, and the question of whether Wiscon is going to rescind her invitation to be Guest of Honor next year.)
Oh, baby sloths! So cute!
TNC hosts an interesting conversation today about spoilers, and their relative value to the viewing/reading experience.
It's been twenty-five years since Disney released The Black Cauldron, an animated adaptation of the Lloyd Alexander novel that tanked, and nearly took Disney animation with it. Slate has a look back.
Niall Harrison has a comprehensive writeup of three sessions at the Cheltenham literary festival. I found the first section particularly illuminating for the discussion of how difficult it is to compare science fiction and "literary fiction" (which I am leaning towards calling "mimetic" fiction these days, since I see no reason why SF and fantasy cannot also be literary), if one is in fact unfamiliar with SF.
In particular, I found myself nodding at this sentence: It would have been good to ask: what is the template story of a science fiction novel? Because in these unending arguments about definitions and genre boundaries, I keep coming back to that question. SF is a marketing category, and it's, as (I think) LMB said, it's fiction written in conversation with other SF, and it's also what we point to when we talk about SF. But as a genre, with standard templates and expectations? It's damned hard to define.
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Politics
She seemed genuinely surprised that the principle of separation of church and state derives from the First Amendment. ::facepalm:: I think we have a new poster-child for the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
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Fic recs
I really liked the story posted to the Narnia fic exchange this morning: A Kingdom for Second Sons, which is a great title for a small but dense story about Archenland and its relationship with Narnia. It makes me want more. (Narnia, gen)
Lizbee does a great job with an outsider POV on Aang and his companions, set during season 2. (ATLA, gen)
And that's it for today.
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments; comment here or there.
Oh, baby sloths! So cute!
TNC hosts an interesting conversation today about spoilers, and their relative value to the viewing/reading experience.
It's been twenty-five years since Disney released The Black Cauldron, an animated adaptation of the Lloyd Alexander novel that tanked, and nearly took Disney animation with it. Slate has a look back.
Niall Harrison has a comprehensive writeup of three sessions at the Cheltenham literary festival. I found the first section particularly illuminating for the discussion of how difficult it is to compare science fiction and "literary fiction" (which I am leaning towards calling "mimetic" fiction these days, since I see no reason why SF and fantasy cannot also be literary), if one is in fact unfamiliar with SF.
In particular, I found myself nodding at this sentence: It would have been good to ask: what is the template story of a science fiction novel? Because in these unending arguments about definitions and genre boundaries, I keep coming back to that question. SF is a marketing category, and it's, as (I think) LMB said, it's fiction written in conversation with other SF, and it's also what we point to when we talk about SF. But as a genre, with standard templates and expectations? It's damned hard to define.
*
Politics
She seemed genuinely surprised that the principle of separation of church and state derives from the First Amendment. ::facepalm:: I think we have a new poster-child for the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
*
Fic recs
I really liked the story posted to the Narnia fic exchange this morning: A Kingdom for Second Sons, which is a great title for a small but dense story about Archenland and its relationship with Narnia. It makes me want more. (Narnia, gen)
Lizbee does a great job with an outsider POV on Aang and his companions, set during season 2. (ATLA, gen)
And that's it for today.
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments; comment here or there.