ddern@bbncch (07/01/85)
From: Daniel Dern <ddern@bbncch.ARPA> Davis Tucker writes: > ... When was the last > time you read a real-life, honest-to-god science fiction tragedy? > Why is it that nobody has written a truly great *love story* in > science fiction? Where is the human failure, the small glories, > the defeats of growing old, the joy in childhood, the pain of > growing aware, the acceptance that we all must come to in time, > the heartache, the anguish, the ecstasy? Gee, what about: ENGINE SUMMER, John Crowley (1,2,4,6,7,8,9) RIDDLE OF STARS (trilogy), Patricia McKillip (1,2,7) SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, Ray Bradbury (4,6,7) THE DREAMING JEWELS (a.k.a. THE SYNTHETIC MAN), Theodore Sturgeon (1-9) DAVY, Edgar Pangborn (1-9) CITY, Clifford Simak (1,3,4,5,7,8) BABEL-17, Delaney (2,3,7) THE DEMOLISHED MAN; THE STARS MY DESTINATION, Alfred Bester (1-5,8,9) "Tin Soldier", Joan D. Vinge (1-5,9) TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE, Heinlein (2-9) DYING INSIDE; BOOK OF SKULLS, Robert Silverberg (1-9) RE-BIRTH, John Wyndham/Beynon(?)/Harris (1-9) INDEX KEY: 1 - tragedy 2 - love story 3 - human failure 4 - small glories 5 - defeats of growing old 6 - joy in childhood 7 - pain of growing aware 8 - acceptance that we all must come to in time 9 - heartache, anguish, ecstasy Like, gag me with a spoonerism. I understand the desire to provoke controversial discussion, but this is a bit much. We could just as easily take pot shots at all contemporary NON-science fiction, as being irrelevant to the underlying matters of our times (and more often than not, boring). But we won't, will we now. Equally, if one is to apply the above criteria to mainstream literature, not much remains, hmm? I'm still reeling from the more esoteric requests for good writers, like redefining the artistic ether, or whatever? How about writing books you can't put down, that make you laugh, cry, excited, angry and fulfilled? Isn't that good enough? And what was that about Delany's missing except with DHALGREN? How do you feel about some of the mainstreamers (who have done some crossover), like John D. MacDonald, Donald Westlake, Stephen Becker, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Thorne Smithe ... oh, bother! There's somebody at the door. YARG! A flaming ARGUMENT! YACK! Back, Sir! Back, I say! Down! <CRASH MUNCH MUNCH YUM SLITHER SLITHER silence> Asynchronously, Daniel Dern ddern@bbn.arpa