Aren’t we a little tired of this?
Two more punches have recently been thrown in the general direction of SF and Fantasy from people who really should – one would like to think – know better. In the New York Times, a review for Lev Grossman’s THE MAGICIANS pondered the following:
“Perhaps a fantasy novel meant for adults can’t help being a strange mess of effects. It’s similar to inviting everyone to a rave for your 40th-birthday party. Sounds like fun, but aren’t we a little old for this?”
Basically, fantasy fiction written for anybody other than children is flawed, a bit embarrassing, and probably shouldn’t be attempted. Meanwhile, in the UK, the Telegraph’s review of Iain Banks’ new novel TRANSITION dramatically revealed for the first time:
“… the irritating paradox at the heart of all sci-fi: if anything can happen, nothing matters.”
Irritating indeed. Imagine, if it weren’t for this pesky paradox, that book by George Orwell set in the 1980s – I can’t remember what it was called - might actually have had some lasting significance.
Taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to explain in great detail why both of these comments might be a little silly, it seems to me that they also highlight a key challenge facing SF and Fantasy publishers. Anybody who knows SF and Fantasy knows that both genres incorporate an extraordinary variety of writers; a diversity that stretches the meaning of genre itself, if the term is to be applied. A significant number of people unfamiliar with SF and Fantasy, however, are inclined to make sweeping generalizations about them.
It’s not a coincidence, of course, that these generalizations invariably attempt to identify a problem with genre fiction.
Taking another deep breath and resisting the continuing urge to strike back (this is taking quite an effort), it also seems to me that it is important to understand why there exists this urge to identify the fatal flaw in an entire genre when there is no need to do so. It is clearly, to some extent, genocidal (“Why stamp on just one of these critters when I can wipe out the whole lot in one go?”), but it is also based on a genuine belief that generalizations of this kind are reasonable and appropriate.
To those who hope to bring SF and Fantasy writers to the attention of as many potential readers as possible, it’s a shame of epic proportions that this belief exists. At the same time, it’s worth considering why this belief exists, and, consequently, what the response should be.
It is, I believe, worth taking those deep breaths, and reflecting on those factors that have led to these assumptions about SF and Fantasy. And, perhaps, what it is about the SF and Fantasy genre brands that allows these beliefs to persist. The truth, I suspect, is that although it might be reasonable to express outrage when certain unattractive qualities are assigned to SF and Fantasy, doing so is unlikely to make a difference. The arguments might be valid, but arguing isn’t going to help.
Those who know the SF and Fantasy genres know that it is a mistake to dismiss them with one sweeping generalization. However, perhaps publishers and other interested parties hoping to grow the readership should not despair at the injustice of it all. The challenge, perhaps, is not to argue that these generalizations might be incorrect; perhaps the real challenge is to make sure that they don’t arise in the first place.
Posted in: Posts.
5 Comments
-
gav(nextread.co.uk) says: September 15, 2009 at 2:13 pmThe trouble is that sci-fi and fantasy and all the works that fall over that side of the literary divide can never be taken seriously as they are set in a childish fantasy world that has little bearing on reality. And hence have no bearing or the adult world and can not reflect upon reality or enhance humanity with it’s views on the human experience.
It’s hard to escape that as a view – it’s not mine but it’s logical enough argument that spending so much time reading about fantastical worlds that are so far removed from there here and now could be seen as a childish activity.
This of course totally misses the fact that some of the best SF&F put humans in extreme situations and explore how we adapt, grow, change and give a way of reflecting on the hear and now by taking us away from the mundane and everyday.
But there is a big literature and genre divide and it’s not to do with prejudice but a whole way that both sides tell their stories, where they linger and what they end up revealing.
And this is coming from someone that will happily read both sides of the divide and gets different things from both.
The trouble with the above is that both reviewers can no longer cope with flights of fancy and allow their inner child and their imaginations to just enjoy seeing the world differently. Something they probably haven’t done see they watched cartoons.
And the difference I guess between Sf&F fans and those that don’t enjoy it is that we allow are imaginations the scope to see the world and humanity through different lenses and those that feel that they are too grown up to do it?
-
Harry Markov says: September 15, 2009 at 2:13 pm
This is old. The relationship between Speculative Fiction and Fiction that is rooted in reality like Mainstream, Literary, Thriller and Historical is as old as the world. Addressing this would be fueling the circle, but then again if people keep making such generalizations then a proper response would be needed yet again.
My philosophy on life is that if something exists and is as present in life and in the world that surrounds us like soap for instance, then it exists for a reason. People are entitled to their opinions, but I’d rather accept these opinions, when they are accompanied with some empathy towards the other side in the matter.
-
Renai LeMay says: September 15, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Yes, yes we are definitely a little tired of this.
Perhaps the best way to address this problem though, is positively. Promote fantasy and science fiction with great vigour. Seek out and find the best writers. And perhaps most importantly, write the best books ourselves
We’ve seen what happens when books like Lord of the Rings transcend the genre boundaries and enter the mainstream consciousness. Let’s make it happen more often
Cheers,
Renai LeMay
Editor
Keeping the Door -
MD Lachlan says: September 15, 2009 at 2:28 pm
The thing is that this dismisses some of the most important work of the last century.
Clockwork Orange, Gormenghast, 1984, magic realism, Orlando, yes The Lord of the Rings, Stanislaw Lem, Salman Rushdie, Ben Okri, the list goes on.
The thing about SF and fantasy is that, like any fiction, they have to offer consistent worlds. Anything can’t happen, any more than it can in realist writing. -
Andy says: September 24, 2009 at 7:28 am
I think a huge part of the problem is that SF&F are seen as nerdy/geeky and like in the school playground those want to make themselves seem cool often think the easiest way to do this is to find someone a bit different and pick on them. Many reviewers and critics are more interested in being seen as influential, and see taking pop shots at easy targets as a way to establish their street cred.
Yes we can go on forever about their ignorance, we can even rub their faces in it by bringing up great works (and not so great) of fiction from these genres that are ‘main streamed’ such as 1984, Clockwork Orange, Harry Potter, Diskworld e.t.c. but really that doesn’t work because they are just seen as freakish exceptions rather than representative novels of the genre.
What we have to do is try and change the general public perception of our beloved genre from the geek/nerd that everyone likes to see humiliated into the uber cool nerd/geek such as computer/console gaming, the internet and facebook e.t.c.
I have been thinking a fair bit about this because of the recent Attawood and KSR incidents, and think that actually we should try embracing the ‘speculative fiction’ brand, not in the Attawood attempt to distance herself from the genre but as an acknowledgement that the sci fi and fantasy elements in a lot of genre books are just window dressing that allows the author to investigate the human condition in new and interesting ways, or are simply ploys to allow a new interpretation of the ‘original 7 stories’.
Leave a Reply