and it's time for a few small repairs, she said

[intertribal]

The first commentary on the whole Bankrupt Nihilism brouhaha that I really agree with (and surprisingly, it comes from Black Gate): The Decline and Fall of Bankrupt Nihilism.  One points Matthew Surridge brings up that I consider pretty important concerns the supposedly "heroic and inspiring" morality of old-fashioned fantasy, and particularly,

Comments

[asakiyume]

I love it when I recognize song lyrics quoted in subject lines or status updates.

I'll go look at the article (why were you surprised that it was at Black Gate? Is it because Black Gate publishes epic-oriented stuff?), but I agree that a lot of what people are actually talking about is stylistic approach rather than content. (Or at least, I should say that it sounds as if it is, since in fact I've read none of the works in question.)

Also, golden age-ism of any sort, whether it's about a wonderful past when people were (so the yearner claims) better in some way than they are now, or whether it's an era when art/music/literature was less "degenerate" in some way, usually is deliberately and obstinately blind to the very flaws and wrongs of the period or era that's being extolled--and often it's those very flaws that the later society (or art/theater/literature/music) are exposing.

Not always, but often.

[intertribal]

"Sunny Came Home" is one of my all-time favorite songs

[asakiyume]

I definitely think "heroic and inspiring" are so subjective as to be almost meaningless, out of context.

Glad you liked the story. It kind of horrified me to write? I guess I get easily horrified...

[intertribal]

Yep.

Well, it's definitely on the darker side, for you, so I can see that it would. What inspired it?

[asakiyume]

Hey, and congrats on "Absolute Zero," which I just saw an announcement about over on pgtremblay's blog.

[intertribal]

Thanks! I'm pretty excited about it.

[fengi]

First, I must say I love the name Leo Grim - it makes me think of Dickens and Hal Hartley. With handle like that, he's almost obligated to write myopic articles complaining about the decline of something.

Second, I really hope Mr. Grim doesn't read those plays by that upstart Euripides, who displays a hopelessly modern disrespect for heroic tropes and is often a downer.

[intertribal]

Sadly, it's Leo Grin. Which, I don't know, sounds like a cartoon-villain name.

I'm not sure Mr. Grin has read much in the way of myths at all. I mean, he seems to think Conan is myth, for Chrissake. I think by "myth" he means "stuff I grew up on."

[yamamanama]

At least it isn't as dumb as Vox Day.

[intertribal]

True.