Try some; it's good.
Wherein I ramble about books, movies,
music, TV shows, my life, and occasionally, hot emo boys.
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Current WiP
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Wednesday, November 07, 2007
This thread tickles me. You can go read it for yourself by clicking the title of this post, but I'll share the crucial bit.
I'm beyond astonished. Good grief, these books made him moan with disgust? *wide-eyed* But the funny bit is the addition of the word 'temporarily'. You think he finished the books as a mercy read?
The first thing that occurs to me, however, is that sci-fi has long been the province of adolescent males. Understandably so, the genre offers tales of adventure without the added weight of mature relationships, which carry with them the danger of sexual contact.
*whispers* Coitus.
I'm madly curious as to what's in these books that got them dubbed "pornographic". It's hard for me to imagine venerable authors like Silverberg and Clarke writing in a sweat-soaked frenzy to come up with something truly filthy, just for the sake of shocking this poor reader. Perhaps Silverberg and Clarke are dirty old men?
Heh. I must rebut!
In any event, it makes me wonder how 'classic' sf readers are going to respond to my work. The protagonist is a female -- and not a man in a woman's body, as some SF heroines seem to be. A real honest-to-God woman, complete with emotions and everything. Do you think people will complain that I'm smearing my girl cooties all over the purity of the genre?
We have our romance novels. Why must we write in other genres too?! SF should be a manly bastion without sex, emotion, or other squishy stuff, right? It should be solely devoted to killing aliens and flying ships and discovering new worlds. The male hero, if he ever had a relationship, should be alone now. Perhaps his wife died. Yeah, that works. That way, he's had the sex, but readers aren't confronted with the horrid reality of recreational coitus. (I said it again!)
Coitus.
So our lone wolf hero can sail away into the stars. Alone. Maybe he can have a robot as his sidekick. But not one who cusses, like Bender from Futurama. That would be dirty and perverted. And his adventures should always glorify violence, and show that the best way to solve a problem is with a ball-peen hammer. Or a laser pistol. Whatever. As long as something dies.
Why are emotional arcs and sexual content dubbed dirty / pornographic? American television is the same way. Insane levels of violence are permitted, but flash a little boob, and people freak out. It's definitely a yin / yang sort of thing, but yin is seen as more deviant than passive these days. So tell me. Why do we celebrate a cult of death and destruction?
I'm no prude, but I hate reading about sex in SF, especially when it's pornographic or dirty. Am I alone in this, or do others hate it, too? Here is a small list of books which have had me wince, moan with disgust and temporarily throw the book down:
Dawning Shadow - Somtow Sucharitkul
Throne of Madness - Somtow Sucharitkul
Alien Years - Robert Silverberg
The World Inside - Robert Silverberg (THE worst book I've ever read)
Camouflage - Joe Haldeman
Cradle - Arthur C. Clarke & Gentry Lee
Ringworld Engineers - Larry Niven
Of these authors, Gentry Lee and Silverberg are the most perverted. I read reviews that Rama II (written with Gentry Lee)was perverted so I haven't read that one. Anyone else has any more books to add and avoid?
I'm beyond astonished. Good grief, these books made him moan with disgust? *wide-eyed* But the funny bit is the addition of the word 'temporarily'. You think he finished the books as a mercy read?
The first thing that occurs to me, however, is that sci-fi has long been the province of adolescent males. Understandably so, the genre offers tales of adventure without the added weight of mature relationships, which carry with them the danger of sexual contact.
*whispers* Coitus.
I'm madly curious as to what's in these books that got them dubbed "pornographic". It's hard for me to imagine venerable authors like Silverberg and Clarke writing in a sweat-soaked frenzy to come up with something truly filthy, just for the sake of shocking this poor reader. Perhaps Silverberg and Clarke are dirty old men?
Heh. I must rebut!
In any event, it makes me wonder how 'classic' sf readers are going to respond to my work. The protagonist is a female -- and not a man in a woman's body, as some SF heroines seem to be. A real honest-to-God woman, complete with emotions and everything. Do you think people will complain that I'm smearing my girl cooties all over the purity of the genre?
We have our romance novels. Why must we write in other genres too?! SF should be a manly bastion without sex, emotion, or other squishy stuff, right? It should be solely devoted to killing aliens and flying ships and discovering new worlds. The male hero, if he ever had a relationship, should be alone now. Perhaps his wife died. Yeah, that works. That way, he's had the sex, but readers aren't confronted with the horrid reality of recreational coitus. (I said it again!)
Coitus.
So our lone wolf hero can sail away into the stars. Alone. Maybe he can have a robot as his sidekick. But not one who cusses, like Bender from Futurama. That would be dirty and perverted. And his adventures should always glorify violence, and show that the best way to solve a problem is with a ball-peen hammer. Or a laser pistol. Whatever. As long as something dies.
Why are emotional arcs and sexual content dubbed dirty / pornographic? American television is the same way. Insane levels of violence are permitted, but flash a little boob, and people freak out. It's definitely a yin / yang sort of thing, but yin is seen as more deviant than passive these days. So tell me. Why do we celebrate a cult of death and destruction?
Thursday, March 22, 2007
the changing nature of language
As usual, I'll have a review over at It's Not Chick Porn.
Check this out. These panels make me think about the changing nature of language. I wonder how JR Ward's books will stand up in twenty years? Will her slang hopelessly date her? School kids today find Shakespeare all but unintelligible. English has changed a lot.
Are you more concerned with telling the story / entertaining than producing timeless literature? Do you think genre fiction has the capacity to transcend genre and become a classic? Can you think of any examples where it has? Name authors and titles for me please, ya'll.
I never read comics as a kid, but I'm starting to wish I had. My favorite is the Joker's Boner. What's yours?
Link courtesy of my husband, bored at work
Check this out. These panels make me think about the changing nature of language. I wonder how JR Ward's books will stand up in twenty years? Will her slang hopelessly date her? School kids today find Shakespeare all but unintelligible. English has changed a lot.
Are you more concerned with telling the story / entertaining than producing timeless literature? Do you think genre fiction has the capacity to transcend genre and become a classic? Can you think of any examples where it has? Name authors and titles for me please, ya'll.
I never read comics as a kid, but I'm starting to wish I had. My favorite is the Joker's Boner. What's yours?
Link courtesy of my husband, bored at work
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