I just finished Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon! Check out the review over on SQT’s blog! Next up is The Steam Magnate by Dana Copithorne! (Thanks to Aio for sending me a copy to review) (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this)
I want you! That’s right, I’m going through with this idea, but I can’t do it alone. I need help from everyone out there. I don’t want this to be a project that I do by myself, because I certainly do not have any sort of authority to do such a thing. So, I’m asking for involvement from the community. That means writers, readers, bloggers, etc. If you like SF and F, then you’re welcome to include your opinion.Here’s more information: Get involved! Your opinion matters. Suggest books, discuss why you think those books should be in a canon, etc. Talk about this project. Spread the word! The more people that get involved the better! Tell me what you think! Do you think I should move this project to its own page? Should it stay here? What do you think needs to be considered in the criteria? Etc. Remember the criteria (I added some stuff): PopularityThis is not what it sounds like. No books should be chosen purely on the fact that everyone out there bought it, read it, and loved. At the same time, though, the book has to have had a mark on the public to even be recognized and have influence. A book that is read by five people has just about no influence on the genre. But popularity should be taken with a grain of salt. There are plenty of books that are popular, but are at the same rather lax in literary merit (perhaps the Da Vinci Code would be an example). LongevityThe novel or even novella, since we should not exclude works that today would not be considered novels, should have stood the test of time. It has to have had a lasting influence. Critical SuccessIt has to be recognized in some way for its importance. This could mean it has won awards or simply has been analyzed or referenced. There may be many novels, particularly older novels, that would not have won awards but still have influence. InfluencePretty obvious since I’ve mentioned it already. It has to influence other writing. That influence has to be genre defining, powerful. Not simply that it made people buy books in that genre, but that it actually changed the direction of SF & F literature in some way. AgeThe novel should be at least ten years old unless you can find a compelling reason to suggest a newer book. In reality we can’t assume that any books that are popular now will have a lasting effect on the genre. OriginalityThe book must present some sense of the original. If you recommend a work of fantasy, then it has to at least feel fresh, rather than purely derivative. Email me, comment, post, etc. Seriously, the more involved you get, the more we discuss, the better it is going to be. This project could take a long while. Developing a canon isn’t exactly a piece of cake and there may be a lot of criticism of books. But, this is the start of a good thing.!
To say that the idea of sacrificing quality for style applies only to speculative literature would be a severe misrepresentation of the truth. However, speculative literature has one problem that literary fiction seems to either be incapable of addressing or simply never plans to address in the first place: speculative literature must always entertain. This is a stigma particular present in fantasy where the concept of originality, in more ways than one, doesn’t exist. Tolkien created the mold for the genre and as such it becomes increasingly difficult for new writers to come up with considerably profound works of fantasy. World building is often compared to Tolkien, and in a lot of cases when that happens, those comparing typically say that non-Tolkien world building lacks depth–an absurd notion considering that even Tolkien was no divine creator of fantasy tropes; he simply pioneered them. Given this, fantasy must, as a rule, entertain to be considered of any value in our increasingly popularized culture. That’s the truth and that may very well lead to the notion that one does not need to attempt to be original, or at least fresh, and instead can simply write grandiose stories that hinder on the absurd. Speculative fiction as a whole, however, must entertain the masses. The reasons are numerous, but the primary and likely most important reason is that those who place critical acclaim on a novel as literature generally do not read speculative fiction and consider speculative fiction to be of ‘lesser quality’. This leaves speculative writers a very narrow viewpoint to work in, and while certainly that viewpoint encompasses a large portion of the market, there is perhaps some desire there to be recognized among those that have shunned the genre–a sense of acceptance. Taking into account that speculative fiction must always entertain we run into a persistent issue of quality vs. style. One might conclude that in literary fiction quality is in conjunction with style, and perhaps there is some validity to this in the literary theory camp. However, typically, style does not determine quality. One could write a novel that represents truly magnificent ideas and destroy the quality of those ideas by using a style that borders on the unintelligible. A novel, therefore, cannot be based solely on the style of the writing. It must, for its sake and the sake of the author, present itself in a manner that can be read. Readability could probably be broken up into the following categories: Popcorn Fiction ReadabilityThis is basically the simplest, most basic, most bare-bones you can possibly get in terms of writing. Most of the novels in this group are formulaic and so utterly simplistic that one really need not read too deep into what is going on. It’s pretty basic. Ironically, this is also the majority of what shows up on best seller kiosks in the grocery store and many other stores you frequent. General ReadabilityNot too simple and not too hard. The difference here from Profound is that the novels in this section actually do have a profound effect on literature and society without having to intentionally be profound in style. Profound ReadabilityLiterary fiction. That pretty much sums it up. If something is written in such a way that the structure itself leans on the complicated, it’s generally literary fiction. The style here is one that tends to ignore the typical conventions of writing–the ‘rules’ if you will–in order to make some grand statement. The problem? Most of us don’t read this stuff because it’s, mostly, b-o-r-i-n-g. For this reason, I never call ANY speculative literature ‘literary fiction’ because that would mean that 1984 by George Orwell is dull and boring. Now, almost all speculative fiction is intentionally readable. That sounds like a rather stupid statement, but when you think about the dying market of unreadable literary fiction, fiction that tries so desperately to be profound and interesting and is incapable of realizing that the average reader doesn’t read above an 8th grade level, it becomes obvious that speculative fiction is pretty much almost always readable. Here’s where style comes in, though. Now, when Isaac Asimov proposed that we are in an Age of Style in regards to Science Fiction, he wasn’t simply speaking about the actual style of writing–as far as grammar and structure are concerned. He was actually talking very much about the style of science and the style of the stories told. We are seeing a lot more in the genre dealing with quantum physics, string theory, and other advanced sciences that most people probably would have problems understanding even if it were common knowledge. The problem, then, is that science fiction is making efforts to use these sciences in the story, without making it clear what is going on. SF writers have to realize that we’re not all scientists. Certainly science is acceptable and obvious, but if the science seems to get in the way of the story, that is an example of sacrificing quality for style. It also is something we all should be avoiding. Regardless of how much science plays an important role in SF–and I can recognize this and actually enjoy the use of science to add validity to the literary form–when it is used stylistically or, as I like to say, ‘text-book style’, it detracts from the story, from the form, and from the quality of the book as a form of literature. To apply the same ideal to fantasy I’ll have to take something that has probably been done in SF too, but seems more prevalent in fantasy as the use of this particular thing is rather common in fantasy, or at least better presented or useful in that genre. Flashbacks and multiple POVs in the same paragraph section. Stylistically speaking, flashbacks actually can work wonderfully well, if utilized appropriately. But just like with science in SF, some authors use flashbacks poorly and draw the reader away from the story. Transitions are important. You can’t just go to a
To be honest, I’m a little sick of Harry Potter right now thanks to all this recent news. I have good reason to be. I have no problem with a character being homosexual, and that isn’t what this rant is about, but I do have a problem with begging for media acceptance and manipulating the public simply because you have the audience. The sad part of this is that J. K. Rowling has the power of a god among kids, so for her to say “being gay is cool” would be instantly accepted by millions not because they truly believe that homosexuality is okay, but because someone else told them so. Morality is not determined by those with knowledge, but those that don’t understand immorality. To simply tell people that something is right or wrong does nothing but implant an idea with nothing to support it.Another thing is that everyone is playing this off as a big victory for the gay community when if they really thought about it they’d realize that it is far from the truth. First, Rowling never made it even remotely clear that Dumbledore is gay in the books. All the little passages being analyzed and flouted as being ‘hints’ at his gayness are nothing short of ambiguous–well, sorta. If I told you that when I met my friend Kyle we took to each other fast, you could take that as either he and I becoming fast friends, or that it was a gay relationship, but the more likely solution is that we were good friends. There’s little in that phrase that implies homosexuality. I particularly like this quote: There are not enough gay characters in literature, the argument runs, especially in children’s books, which reinforces the view that being gay is unusual and not normal. I’m sorry, what? How does having a character that is gay hide the fact that he is gay doing anything short of reinforcing the idea to children that being gay is strange/abnormal/different? Or alternately, how does not making it clear as the writer that the character is gay do anything but reinforce the idea to children that homosexuality is strange? That sentence makes absolutely no sense. To add, the text doesn’t do anything but prove that people in power who happen to be homosexual should make sure to keep that part of them hidden. What kind of victory is that? It’s not. It’s a step in the wrong direction for the gay community, but is anyone thinking about it? In fact, if Rowling had not said anything, most of us would have just thought him a nice old man and only a small, minute group of us would have fantasized–these being the same people that romanticize relationships between Ron and Harry, Malfoy and Harry, among others. I see this as a media ploy by Rowling, which sickens me. Maybe she thought of this all along, but to me, it doesn’t feel that way. Why didn’t she reveal it sooner? Why hide something like that? Would your poor sales have hurt because the Christians who read your book might suddenly avoid it? It’s as if this was all a forethought that Rowling thought she’d use to milk a little more out of her fans. The fact that she called it ‘fan-fic worthy’ despite her dislike of the dirtier side of fan-fic is a clear indicator of this. If she had truly thought of Dumbledore as gay, then why not put that in the book? Why? What is the purpose of keeping it hidden if it is such an important part of the character? The truth is, there isn’t a reason for it, and the likely reality of the situation is that Rowling just threw it out there because she, like the rest of us, realize that she’s done. There are no more HP books, and nothing more to add to the universe that won’t hurt its integrity.Shame on your Rowling. Shame on you.
This very subject has already been discussed here and here. Given that, I have to say that I have always thought about covers, not necessarily because I care how a book is packaged so much as I care about what is inside that particular book, but because I am one of those types that pays attention to a cover when I walk through a book store looking for something new to read. Maybe this makes me a terrible reader, but I can’t help it. The way a book is packaged influences whether or not I pick something up, especially if it is a new author or an author I am not familiar with.But I also realize that a cover does not bear any significance in relation to what is found within the pages. We should all realize that. A book could have a cover that could win an art award and still have a terrible story, or be poorly written. But, there is no doubt that more books are judged by their cover than by anything else.Current trends find that science fiction and even fantasy are frequently being packaged in a more mainstream sense. There are good and bad things with this. The good part is that the book is suddenly open to a new range of readers–the mainstream. And if they like it, they might be inclined to ignore their preconceived notions of what science fiction is–which more often than not is that stereotypical idea that SF is Star Wars and Star Trek remakes, only worse–and perhaps buy other books in the genre. There’s nothing wrong with that. Drawing in new readers is a good thing. The downside is that people unfamiliar with the authors being packaged as more mainstream might not ever look at the book. If they are anything like me, they go straight to the SF & F section to start looking, or alternately they go to the new releases section, which is right there in the front of the store at Borders, and look at the books.To give you an idea of my usual book experience, here is a typical book-buying day. First, I go to the store. Duh! I can’t buy books if I don’t go to the store. I usually only go to Borders. There is a good reason for this: Santa Cruz, California, despite being the home of Heinlein for many years, has absolutely no respect for speculative fiction whatsoever. The local stores carry little SF & F, and of the stuff they do carry, it’s generally unorganized and rarely books of significance, or at least books that would interest fellow genre readers. So, I go to Borders because it is the only place within thirty miles that has a decent enough section of SF & F. Second, I peruse the new releases section, the bestsellers section, and the on sale section (4 for 3 deals, 40% off, and the like). This all is usually right down the middle of the store and starts in the front. If I find nothing here, I go to SF & F. Third, I look at covers and titles and authors. If a cover doesn’t catch my attention, then I look at a title, and if that doesn’t work I look at the author. I am a speculative fiction reader at heart. When I peruse these books I look for the ones that look as if they are genre. That usually inspires me to pick up the book, read the back cover, or the inside cover if it is a hardback, and go from there. More often than not I put a book down and think about it for later. The sad thing is, I rarely pick up books that look as though they are mainstream. Why? Because I just am not attracted to those sorts of covers. I like spaceships, dragons, and other nifty stuff that is clearly genre. I can’t help it. More often than not the cover of a book will get me to dig into a book to figure out what it is about. Seeker by Jack McDevitt and Old Man’s War by John Scalzi were both buys that were the result of my looking more into the book after seeing the cover. The title of the book becomes meaningless to me because the cover has already captured my attention and hopefully the synopsis did too.But if the cover hasn’t caught my attention, perhaps the title or author will. The sad thing is, I don’t generally buy books by the title or the author. In fact, unless a book comes off to me as genre, I probably won’t even look at it. That’s just the way it is and the way it is for a lot of people. For me, the trend of making books look more mainstream isn’t working. I’ve never read a Neil Gaimen book because of the way they are packaged, and as I’m learning, that is a very horrible thing. I saw the Stardust movie and it was one of the best films of the year–yes, it was that good despite what the stupid box office reported for sales. I should have read the book, and his other novels too, but I never have because the covers never strike me as fantasy. If Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card had not had this cover:I would have ignored it entirely. Hopefully at the end of my perusal I have looked at enough books to satisfy me and I can move to step four. Fourth, I buy whatever it is that I was really interested in. I hate leaving a bookstore empty handed. I love books. You all should see my collection. I have almost 1,000 books and I’m only 24. I certainly have not read them all, and almost all of them are SF & F–a good chunk are Golden Age SF–but I love books so much. Books are fresh, new, and fascinating. A movie can never fully
I wish. Despite there being plenty of recommended reading lists from organizations, authors, and fans, there has yet to be an actual SF & F Canon. This is of course from my understanding. Perhaps someone has written their own canon, but from what I can tell and from what I know there is no official canon of SF & F works.Well, I wonder if this is because people don’t care or because nobody has taken the time to make their ideas reality. I cannot no more say that I am qualified to create a legitimate canon, but I certainly know that I can be objective enough to be involved in deciding what novels make it into such a list. There are plenty of novels I have read that were fantastic, but I know do not deserve to be in a literary canon because they are not, generally speaking, a work of literary merit, or at least not necessarily a work that will greatly influence the genre. There’s nothing wrong with such books at all. You can read a book that you really enjoy and it is still literature, but you can see immediately that such a book just isn’t a book you would put on a list with some of the greatest works in the field. The same thing happens with regular and literary fiction too of course.So, I was thinking hard on this subject while trying to find some sort of personal canon that someone had put up. Alas, I could find none. There were a few discussions on the subject, but it seems as if no real list has been made, or at least no list that could be considered to represent a significant portion of speculative literature. Why has an organization like SFWA not set out to make an official list? Certainly they have the authority, or at least seem to have the authority to do such a thing, and with an enormous list of members–all published authors–they should easily be able to get input. But from what I can tell they haven’t worked on creating a canon. Maybe they don’t see a point in it. Well, I do! We need a legit canon–desperately. I propose creating one, but there have to be specific guidelines to how books are selected. Perhaps this will all flop, but there is a desperate need for a collaborative effort to create a literary canon of science fiction and fantasy. The guidelines might be as follows: PopularityThis is not what it sounds like. No books should be chosen purely on the fact that everyone out there bought it, read it, and loved. At the same time, though, the book has to have had a mark on the public to even be recognized and have influence. A book that is read by five people has just about no influence on the genre. But popularity should be taken with a grain of salt. There are plenty of books that are popular, but are at the same rather lax in literary merit (perhaps the Da Vinci Code would be an example). LongevityThe novel or even novella, since we should not exclude works that today would not be considered novels, should have stood the test of time. It has to have had a lasting influence. Critical SuccessIt has to be recognized in some way for its importance. This could mean it has won awards or simply has been analyzed or referenced. There may be many novels, particularly older novels, that would not have won awards but still have influence. InfluencePretty obvious since I’ve mentioned it already. It has to influence other writing. That influence has to be genre defining, powerful. Not simply that it made people buy books in that genre, but that it actually changed the direction of SF & F literature in some way. Perhaps there is need for more criteria, but perhaps those four are good enough. In any case, i think it’s time to begin paving a way towards a literary canon for science fiction and fantasy. So, who’s with me? Leave a comment! Add new criteria, edit my criteria and explain why, and let’s get this thing started!
