Revised Post: Diverse Position Science Fiction

 Required Book:




In Diverse Position Science Fiction, the characters are pushed to the limit in a world that is no longer hospitable. Octavia E. Butler has done a marvelous job of creating a world in which humans struggle to survive as well as keep their humanity. 

The main character, Lilith Iyapo, wakes up in a cell. She has no contact with the outside world, except for an inanimate voice that attempts to ask her questions. It is discovered that the Earth has been made unlivable through human warfare and that extraterrestrials have intervened. They have come to trade in genetic makeup. The alien race, Onkali, survives by taking what they see to be superior genes from other species. However, they also force their trading partners to receive some of their alien genes in return, thereby changing both species completely. This becomes the main conflict of the book, the struggle to keep human beings human. 

Butler's Dawn is atypical of science fiction in that it does not center around a mechanically advanced society, galactic war, or human greatness. On the contrary, the Onkali are essentially biological. Their space ship is "alive." They avoid the use of mechanics. There is no mention of huge galactic empires fighting each other across galaxies. In fact, the Onkali talk about their "trading" process as if it is accepted and met with little conflict elsewhere in the universe. Human folly and weakness is emphasized more than human greatness. A small group of powerful humans were inconsiderate and callous enough to destroy the world. The Onkali actually thought that the humans must have discussed and decided to perform mass suicide of their species together, because any other reason for a species self-inflicted destruction did not make sense to them.The humans in Dawn are constantly portrayed as powerless against the Onkali and their "seduction". The only strength a human obtains is through Onkali genetic engineering and the creation of primitive weapons.

The novel is an exploration of a world very separate from our own. The author relies on social interaction between the Onkali and humans in order to describe  the difference between the alien and human worlds. For example, the Onkali believe cancer has medicinal or curative properties and see it as a gift. The Onkali have a third gender called Ooloi. The Ooloi mate with a male and female Onkali and are instrumental to reproduction. This third distinction is extremely important to Onkali existence, but is foreign from human understanding. Once experienced, an encounter with an Ooloi can be dangerously strong. They can provide a mental connection that simulates or is better than sex. Interestingly, in a species that trades genetic codes for survival they do not see differences as negative. The fact that humans are equally full of life and death on a genetic level intrigues them and is seen as "beautiful possibility," erasing racial tension. 

  This is a niche book. Ignoring majority expectations,  it creates its own momentum. Dawn illustrates that Science Fiction is becoming increasingly more diverse. There is a rise of authors similar to Octavia Butler, interested in world building and challenging  accepted culture. The first installment of the Xenogenesis series leads the reader to wonder what the Onkali's human "trade" will lead to.

Required Movie:

Monsters (2010) director: Gareth Edwards 




Monsters explores human nature. When the food chain is threatened humans become aggressive. The aliens in the movie are shown to be aggressive when they feel threatened, but seem otherwise unconcerned with humans. 

When humans are scared, they become irrational. In order to survive, man must remain calm and observant of his surroundings.

During crisis the gap between differing social classes becomes larger. Those with means are insulated by their wealth. Those on the margins of society tend to take risky, desperate actions. However, when humans are dependent on each other for survival, they often become more compassionate. Impossible circumstances can push very unlikely people together.

When people are afraid they like to pretend they are invincible. 

Catastrophe morbidly draws people like flies and sells papers.

Being heartless is much harder to do when actually faced with a grotesque situation or moral compromise.

When constantly faced with impending death,  personal identity becomes clearer.


No matter how hard you try to push away your past it stays with you. 

Temporary pleasure is just that, temporary.

 

Sci-Fi Parody and Satire

Required Audio: 




Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was originally a 1978 radio show written by Douglas Adams, broadcast in the United Kingdom by BBC radio 4. It is about finding the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything, as well as the demolition of earth for a hyperspace Bypass, and Arthur Dent, the supposed last surviving human of Earth's demolition, among many other interesting characters and events. Full of conscious robots, aliens, time travel, hyper evolution, infinite improbability drive, and dry humor
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sounds like it would be a serious journey into science fiction. However its dry humor is more than just comic relief, it is satire and parody at its best. This radio series uses the science fiction genre as its vehicle to deliver several cultural assumptions that are not futuristic, but current. 

For example, The company that wants to demolish Arthur Dent's house to build a new bypass in its place parallels the Vogon constructor fleet coming to demolish Earth to build a hyperspace Bypass. Both of these "companies" don't care about the "common man" they are about to destroy, they want to get on with their job and make money in the process. When they receive complaints they try to pin the situation on the complainer by throwing out a plethora of red-tape hoops to jump through. This is not a lofty idea of the future, but a remark on current society.  

The show goes on the establish multiple times over that in the future there will not be any change from this viewpoint, because species superiority, greed, apathy, and unscrupulous behavior will always be a large part of any "higher thinking" society. Scams, social bias, social injustice, depression, popularity contests, and ridiculous consumerism still exist, but on a galactic scale.

In order to illustrate some of these points the event being described is exaggerated. For example, there is a planet full of birdlike creatures on which an entire sedimentary layer of shoes is found. Why would there be an entire sedimentary layer of shoes on a planet that is home to only birds? This is because of the Shoe Event Horizon. 

A huge company, Dolmansaxlil Shoe Corporation, tried to make shoes the most important commodity by using the fact that depressed people look at the ground often and thus might want to buy a new pair of shoes to cheer themselves up. They sold shoes that were poorly made and sized to cause a higher demand for shoes, because they would have to be replaced more often. This would result in worse quality shoes and higher demand until the planet's society collapsed and the current lifeforms gave up on feet entirely, evolving into birdlike creatures that had no need of them.

This has a direct correlation to current society in that people want what they don't have, but as soon as they do get it they move on to something else. Likewise, if they never get what they want they never stop trying to achieve it or achieve it better. 

In this way Science Fiction is important to society in that it has a way of either pointing out current things that could be made better or predicting a near future, in which the current situation has evolved into a more aggravated state.

The Aquatic Uncle

1) Are there any prominent symbols in the story~ what are they and how are they used?

The short story, The Aquatic Uncle, by Italo Calvino creates its own symbols that parallel "modern life". It could be said that the use of the Science behind the "Carboniferous period, abandoned aquatic life for terrestrial" is only a metaphor for a society moving forward in to modernity and leaving behind the old way of life. However, the use of "paws", "tadpoles", great-uncle N'ba N'ga and "edges" can be seen as symbols for other things. The "paws' of the story refer to the terrestrial creatures that have lived on land long enough to develop them and so are a symbol of the highest achievement adapted at this point. The narrator, Qfwfq, speaks of his terrestrial girlfriend's "paws" in a kind of reverence. He has put her on a pedestal as being greater than him because of it. "Tadpoles" symbolize not just an antiquated, undesirable beginning to new life, but immaturity, someone who does not understand the world. This would be found in Qfwfq's embarrassment at everything fish, instead of understanding that the two worlds should embrace each other. Great-uncle N'ba N'ga symbolizes the ages gone by and the idea that what is once considered old will one day become new again, a cycle of ideas and life. This is seen when Qfwfq's terrestrial girlfriend decides to join him and become a fish, because that is where she sees the future. Finally, "edges" symbolize a divide in society and how playing along the edge of an issue can result in falling to one side or the other.

2) What connections did you make with the story? Discuss elements of the story with which you  were able to connect?

I have always been fascinated by my older relatives, their story, life, and anything they have to tell me about "the way things were". I believe it is very important to be knowledgeable about the past in order to insure that bad events do not repeat and to be able to discern when an aspect of the past is needed in the present day society. Youth are often embarrassed by their parents or otherwise older relatives, like Qfwfq is by his great fish uncle. This embarrassment and denial of the past and the fact that they themselves will one day be the past, often blinds them to anything beneficial that they could take from the past to use in the present. For example, Qfwfq realizes too late that if he had made peace with his past and incorporated it into his life then he may not have lost his terrestrial love, Lll, who recognized the importance of the the past. However, Lll takes the other extreme. She does not incorporate the past into her current life either, she lets it replace her current life. There needs to be a give and take balance between the past, present, and future, because ultimately life has a way of repeating itself. 

3) What changes would you make to adapt this story to another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?

This story would be an interesting picture book, not for children, because they probably wouldn't like the way Lll leaves Qfwfq in the end, but then again picture books do not have to be for children at all. The story is so well written it would have to be followed rather precisely to have the same affect. I imagine illustrations created using woodcut prints or linoleum block prints. This would be very affective in capturing "age", since the story takes place in the Carboniferous period, it would be interesting to use an older form of image making. The prints would be black and white slowly gaining color as the story moves from the water to the land. The story has a humorous tone, so it would be appropriate to not change the characters into humans, but to keep them as fish and terrestrial beings in a human setting. I can already picture a car load of slightly terrestrial fish in a big van on their way to make their once a year visit to the lagoon their great-uncle N'ba N'ga lives in. In the end when Lll swims away with N'ba N'ga, she should be trailing her "color" behind her in a sea of grey to illustrate the meeting of two different worlds.

Literary Sepeculation

 Required Reading:
 

"The distance of the Moon", "At Daybreak", "A sign in space", and "Without color", are all short stories in Italo Calvino's collection, Cosmicomics. 

These stories are built around scientific "facts" of the time the stories were written. The character, Qfwfq, narrates each tale in a witty, polite, fanciful tone. Calvino describes events in the history of the universe that can only be guessed at in such an imaginative, playful, and lyrical way, that his writing seems almost poetic. 

Italo Calvino's Cosmicomics collection seems to hold so much more than regular science fiction. It would be too limiting to label his work science fiction. This is because, no matter how witty and pretty Calvino's words roll off the tongue they also signify deeper aspects of human relationships. 

For example, in "The distance of the Moon" Calvino's illustrates three character's hopelessly lost in unrequited love for each other. The captain's wife, Mrs. Vhd Vhd, is in love with the Deaf One, cousin of the narrator Qfwfq, but Qfwfq is in love with Mrs. Vhd Vhd. Meanwhile the Deaf One is unaware of Mrs. Vhd Vhd's love for him as he is head over heals for the moon. Desperate actions occur and Ofwfq is stuck on the moon with Mrs. Vhd Vhd. This is where Calvino slips in human relationships in a sly twist. 

 Mrs. Vhd Vhd, although alone with Qfwfq on the moon for a month, is only thinking of the Deaf One and how if she were more like the moon he may then love her. The month ends and the Death One returns to push the moon further away from the earth. Qfwfq realizes this is his last chance to return to earth and leaves Mrs. Vhd Vhd behind without a second glance, understanding she is forever beyond his reach, now quite literally. It is revealed that the reasoning for
Mrs. Vhd Vhd's decision to stay behind on the moon is that she felt this was the only way to stay connected to the Deaf One.

 "It was only at this moment that she proved her passion for the deaf man hadn't been a frivolous whim but an irrevocable vow. If what my cousin now loved was the distant Moon, then she too would remain distant, on the Moon."

Calvino used elements of the science fiction genre only in that his work holds science and the spectacle of space inside it. Truly his work is evaluating different aspects of the human condition through relationships. His use of science is as a metaphor or symbol that the reader can then use to understand the underlying message. For example in "Without color", the science is that without atmosphere, ultraviolet light makes Earth a dull gray color. When the Earth's atmosphere changed so did the the gray color, which became what we know today. This parallels the story's conflict, in which Qfwfq falls in love with Ayl, a person or creature who can only abide the dull grey provided by ultraviolet light. In the end Qfwfq and Ayl are forever separated by this dilemma as
Qfwfq realizes,

"So false, so much in contrast with Ayl's person, with Ayl's world, with Ayl's idea of beauty, that I realized her place could never have been out here." 

 

It could be argued that this story devoid of all science and fanciful flare is about a loving relationship that soured after something outside the two people in question was irrevocably changed, a relationship with a conclusion forced by external forces. 

In the case of Calvino's Cosmicomics the distinction between writing in genre and writing that uses elements of genre but is literary is important. So much would be lost out of Calvino's work if it were read as a simple science fiction thrill.
 


Required Movie: 

Existenz (1999) director: David Cronenberg

 

It's hard to talk about eXistenZ without ruining its plot and its mind twisting effect, so I will be talking mostly about its message. 

As can be seen in the above still shots of eXistenZ, the future holds organic virtual reality gaming consoles or "game pods" that can be physically linked to the the gamers' neurological pathways creating a gaming experience like no other. All of the senses can be accessed in the game making the game universe more realistic and if played in a group the group can decide what their character and plot will be based on a compilation of the groups desires. It is a gamers' dream come true.

However, things that usually seem too good to be true often are and this new gaming device has one very controversial problem linked with it. It is so realistic that gamers often unplug and cannot tell whether the reality they are in is the real world or not. This question of reality verses a virtual world that mimics reality almost perfectly is the main point of conflict throughout the movie. When has the virtual world encroached too far into everyday life and how do you stop it when it does?

 

Diverse Position Science Fiction

 Required Book:

 


In Diverse Position Science Fiction the characters are pushed to the limit in a world that is either no longer hospitable or unwelcoming to them. Octavia E. Butler has done a marvelous job of creating a world in which humans will have to struggle to survive as well as keep their humanity. 

The main character, Lilith Iyapo, wakes up in a cell where she is taken care of but contained with no outside contact except for an inanimate voice that attempts to ask her questions. It is discovered that the Earth has been made unlivable through human warfare and that extraterrestrials have intervened to trade. This trade is not of goods, but of genetic makeup. The alien race, Onkali, survives by taking what they see to be superior genes from other species. However, they do not just take they also force their trading partners to receive some of their alien genes in return, thereby changing both species completely. This becomes the main conflict of the book, the struggle to keep human beings human. 

Butler's Dawn is not typical of science fiction in that it does not center around a mechanically advanced society, galactic war, or human greatness. On the contrary the Onkali are essentially biological, even their space ship is "alive" and they do not use mechanics of any sort unless they absolutely have to. There is no mention of huge galactic empires fighting each other across galaxies, in fact the Onkali talk about their "trading" process as if it is accepted and met with little conflict elsewhere in the universe. Human folly and weakness is emphasized more than human greatness ever is. This has to do with the fact that a small group of powerful humans were inconsiderate and callous enough to destroy the world. The Onkali actually thought that the humans must have discussed and decided to perform mass suicide of their species together, because any other reason for a species self inflicted destruction did not make sense to them.The humans in Dawn are constantly portrayed as powerless against the Onkali and their "seduction". The only strength a human obtains is through Onkali genetic engineering and the creation of primitive weapons.

The book is very much an exploration of a world very separate from our own. It relies on social interaction between the Onkali and humans through much of the book in order to describe just how different their alien world is. For example the Onkali believe cancer has medicinal or curative properties and see it as a gift. Also, the Onkali have a third gender or kind separate from female and male called Ooloi. The Ooloi mate with a male and female Onkali and are instrumental to reproduction. This third distinction is extremely important to Onkali existence, but is so foreign from human understanding that the connection to it, once experienced, can be dangerously strong. They can provide a mental connection that simulates or is better than sex. Interestingly, in a species that trades genetic codes for survival they do not see differences as negative, even the fact that humans are so equally full of life and death on a genetic level intrigues them and is seen as "beautiful possibility". This erases racial tension where they are concerned. 

It would be right to say this is a niche book. It doesn't follow the majority vote for what science fiction tropes are expected to be, but it does a good job creating its own momentum. Science fiction has become increasingly more diverse. There is a rise of authors similar to Octavia Butler, interested in world building, testing way-of-life ideas alternative to any we have today. Dawn is part of the Xenogenesis series. The first book certainly leads the reader to wonder what the outcome will be from the Onkali, human "trade".

Required Movie:

Monsters (2010) director: Gareth Edwards 
 

This movie shows several interesting aspects of human nature. 

When our position on the food chain is threatened we get aggressive. The aliens in the movie are shown to be aggressive when they feel threatened, but seem otherwise not to care about humans. 

When humans are scared they have a hard time thinking rationally. Taking a deep breath and observing your surroundings can be a life saver.

During crisis the gap between differing social classes becomes larger. Those with means are "protected" while those without have to make do.

Desperate people do desperate things.

When Humans are dependant on each other for survival compassion grows.

Impossible circumstances can push very unlikely people together.

When people are afraid they like to pretend they are invincible. 

Catastrophe morbidly draws people like flies and sells papers.

Being heartless is much harder to do when actually faced with a grotesque situation or moral compromise.

When constantly faced with impending death sense of self can become clearer.

and 

No matter how hard you try to push away your past it stays with you. 

Temporary pleasure is just that, temporary.

 

Cyberpunk

Required Reading:

Johnny Mnemonic a short story by: William Gibson
first seen in Omni Magazine's May 1981 issue







William Gib-son's, Johnny Mnemonic, was visually stimulating story. It's in depth description of a futuristic world saturated by technology, the control of multinational corporations, and body enhancement gives a rather intimidating image. This world is one where your face and gender can change quite easily. Animal parts, like doberman teeth, can be surgically implanted or grown into your body. Even the "Low-Tech" community who do not believe in such a rampant use of technology alter themselves as well. It makes the reader wonder if anyone knows who they are in this futuristic landscape where "identity theft" means surgically stealing someone's face instead of stealing a credit card.  

Gibson's reality is not very far from our own in terms of what people would do to themselves if the could. In the first reading of Johnny Mnemonic it may seem that the world as we know it could never get to that place, however if our society today is broken down it isn't too far from Gibson's vision in some aspects. Our present culture is very interested in outer physical appearance and superiority. Plastic surgery is used quite often by all kinds of people and "cyborgs", humans altered by mechanical elements built into the body, are also on the rise. For example, people with pace makers. Therefore a future where plastic surgery and physical enhancement through adding mechanical is seen as normal and desired is not hard to imagine. Fingernails with built in blades, like Molly Millions has or a couple that has used plastic surgery to have the same sex and look almost identical, such as the "dog sisters"may become more common in the future.

Other aspects of Gibson's reality include the further division of society into the "have" and "have not", those that have money, power, and technology and those that do not. The huge corporations, the literally bottom dwelling Low-Techs', and the powerful crime gangs are other groups that are given definition in his short story. Gibson's inclusion of these other groups gives depth to his world and makes it seem more real simply because his reality, like ours, is complicated.

The reality of the story rather forces the narrative. For example, there would be no story if Johnny did not have important information trapped in his brain that he can't get access to without help. Johnny is struggling to get his own memories and life back, but this information locked inside his head holds him back. Te ability to make memories and keep old memories is something we take for granted everyday without a second thought. The idea that one could remove memories like computer files to make room for force-fed information is interesting and foreboding to the reader. Much of what Gibson describes may actually occur one day in our own reality, therefor his story serves as a kind of testing ground. If the reader does not like or appreciate the state of Gibson's fictional reality then they should take a look at the direction the world is going in today, because, in some fashion, it is almost parallel . 

Movie: 

Robert Longo Johnny Mnemonic 1995




I found out that Johnny Mnemonic had been made into a film in 1995, so I watched it to see if it was able to capture Gibson's reality. It was very similar and yet so different from the short story, as many literary works adapted for the silver screen are. Most of the structure existed, such as huge corporations controlling the public through what they would and would not give them, Johnny's brain storage issue, the Low Tech's, and the Yakusa. However, the plot was extremely different. Molly Millions does not exist, she is now "Jane", a disease attacking people overly reliant on technology called N.A.S. is present, an international pharmaceutical company, Pharmakom, is trying to stop the cure to N.A.S. from getting to the public...so, it is different, but definitely still fits the cyberpunk genre.

Required Movie: 

Paprika (2006) director Satoshi Kon




Paprika is a feat of animation. Incredible. Just looking at the above images should give a taste of what the rest of the movie is like. 

The movie revolves around the possibility of harnessing dreams. A device, the DC Mini, as been invented that allows a person access into other's dreams. Obviously, this was meant to be used for psychotherapy and there are those that would abuse it. As the movie proceeds the consequences of the illegal use of the DC Mini grow dire. 

The most interesting Cyberpunk aspect of the movie is the fact that Dr. Chiba, the main character, has developed an alter ego in the dreamworld called Paprika. This aspect of the film is reminiscent of internet use today. People on the internet often have an alter ego that is more confident or rash, something they wish they could be in person, but only portray over the internet. Likewise, Paprika is "perfect", capable of doing so much more than Dr. Chiba. Paprika even mentions that dreams and the internet are similar. At some point in the film Paprika and Chiba become separate from each other as reality and the dreamworld converge, however they eventually become one. This also points to the future of our reality. When the internet becomes a solid aspect in every second of our day, even more so than now, possibly even connected to our brains, how will we know what is real and what is the dream or what is cyberspace and what is reality?

The Fiction of Ideas

 Required Reading:
   
The Drowned Giant by: J.G. Ballard, a short story

 

The Drowned Giant by J.G. Ballard presented several ideas that were chilling in their assumption and accuracy of human character. The story follows the discovery of a dead giant washed up on the beach of a small seaside town. It has been said of Ballard that his Science Fiction writing "Uses the fantastic to highlight the real". However, instead of jumping into the expected tale of invading giants climbing out of the sea to reclaim their dead brother or the repercussions of a giant alien crash-landing into Earth's ocean, Ballard allows his dead giant to be the one fantastical element in his story.

What would you do if the corpse of a giant the size of a sperm whale or bigger washed up on the shore of the city you lived in? Narrated by an unnamed scientist that describes the discovery and reaction to the drowned giant in clinical detail, The Drowned Giant has an unnerving tone from the beginning. 

At first no one wants to believe what they are seeing, then they approach the giant corpse curiously. This "approach" is probably the most shocking element in the entire short story, greater even than the end. Why? Because the curious bystanders begin to crawl, climb, and play on top of the dead body of the giant, which is essentially a huge human. You wouldn't disrespect a dead human by stomping all over them, but that is the point. The giant is not seen as human. He is seen as being different, an alien form trespassing into our world. Again, this is all described in a cold, observational way.

First, the idea that the corpse of the giant being approachable, makes sense. The Scientist narrating the events sees the giant as being "beautiful" and becomes aware that he and everyone else there are like "mere copies" of this colossal creature. This reminded me of a child pulling the wings off of a butterfly, marveling at the power they hold over the tiny creature. This story puts this concept in reverse. The giant is like a metaphor for the death that must catch everyone in the end. It is huge and looming. The people of the seaside city therefore find immense fascination with the giant corpse, almost as if they are "conquering" or "facing" death in the most grand way imaginable. At this stage the giant holds great wonder for the people.

As the giant decomposes it becomes less admired and wondered at. It is "the approaching end of a magnificent illusion". The scientist narrating the story is one of the only people that continues to observe it's decent from a thing of beauty to a thing of grotesque. He describes it as, "This ceaseless metamorphosis, a macabre life-in-death" 

As the giant decreases in importance or "wonder" the fertilizer company and the cattle food manufacturer begin to dismember the giant, taking away his hands and feet in service of their business. Eventually the giant is decapitated and the people take various pieces and parts of his body to decorate their seaside city with. Memory of the giant slowly fades, until most remember it as a sort of washed up whale instead of what it actually was. The giant becomes landscape. In the end the people could not conquer death and so they continued to surround themselves with it. The scientist remembers and records all.

This story reflects life today. It does seem true that if people cannot physically touch or see something then they refute it as fiction. People often refuse to acknowledge death, because until they experience it for themselves, it is only a dream.


Required Book:

Peter Watt: Blindsight  (Read Online)





I read the prologue and about half of the Theseus section of Blindsight.

Peter Watts Blindsight begins at the end with this comment:

"It didn't start out here. Not with the scramblers or Rorschach, not with Big Ben or Theseus or the vampires. Most people would say it started with the Fireflies, but they'd be wrong. It ended with all those things." 

If this doesn't peek your interest to continue reading then the prologue presents another reason. The narrator Siri had epilepsy and with new scientific advances half of his brain had been taken out to get rid of his "flaw". This of course forced the remainder or his brain to create new neural pathways and ultimately resulted in most of his prior character being corroded. What he lacks in empathy he makes up for in strict observation of the most minute details. This is important because Watts has thought up all kinds of technological advances in need of a critical eye to explain them. 

One example of this is the artificial death. Involving a preservation system and a virtual "heaven" created by the artificially deceased, someone could potentially live in their dreamland of choice, waiting for another time and place to be reborn into. This of course causes social issues as it is seen as being close to suicide. The "dead" are essentially choosing to go to their personal "heaven" without their loved ones. This is something the main character has experienced with a family member.

So, with only reading a small portion of the book it can be seen that Watts is not so much interested in the action packed drama of the Space Opera genre as he is with the progression of the human race into the future. 

Technology has advanced so far in such a short amount of time things thought to be impossible are becoming reality. Watts has created a world that in some respects may not be too far away from our own. There are people working hard on some of the concepts presented in his book, such as a virtual world that can also be connected to the senses or uploading a person's consciousness into a computer.

Space Opera

Reuired Book

Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honor 
 


 Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, holds to some of the standard aspects of "Space Opera", but it also adds in a few literary characteristics. For example, there are many explosions, tough decisions, and long periods of one crisis after another. The characters are put through so much turmoil that it seems like they should have broken before the halfway mark. This is where McMaster's storytelling struck a chord with me. 

Yes, there is drama, adventure, and Sci-Fi galore, but that is not the only appeal of the book. I've read Sci-Fi in the past that I could not get into, because the story was all shiny affects and no development of character and plot. However in Shards of Honor, the main character, Cordelia is not impervious to the strife she is put through. She develops several unhealthy conditions caused by her mental and physical strain. Some of these are Pounding Headaches, insomnia, left hand tremula, and a stutter. This immediately makes her character more engaging, because she is made realistic in her human weakness and inspiring in her strength to endure. 

Outside of this her character strives for understanding and acceptance of a culture that is widely regarded as "barbaric, war-loving, and uncivilized" and it does not happen overnight. She has some very strong opinions, like most people, and must come to terms with them. Cordelia conquers a great deal of the stereotypical judgments taught to her by her own culture. However, even after she has come so far she still has moments where her gut reaction is negative. 

The most surprising to me was when she witnessed the "birth" of a child and someone asked why it had to scream so loud. Her response to this question, in her own mind, was "Because she knows she's been born a Barrayar". This is the kind of subtle characterization that McMaster uses throughout the book. She is letting us know that while Cordelia may accept and love her husband, who is a Barrayar, she does not view his society in the same light. 

Also, McMaster has chosen to write Shards of Honor in a third person omniscient voice. Thereore Cordelia is not the only character we get an internal view of. I found this quite entertaining, but it must also be noted that this was a smart move on her part to emphasize the cultural struggle that existed in her world. The reader did not have to imagine what each side was thinking, they got a front row seat.

The internal struggle of the characters to find and keep their honor is a big theme in the book, as the title Shards of Honor, suggests. Some of them have to make tough decisions to keep their honor or choose to loose it in order to save someone important to them. There is also the impact of outer forces on a character's perceived honor. The media is shown to twist around the truth repeatedly turning some characters into heroes and others into villains when they are undeserving of these titles. 

As this is a romance space opera, there are also the complications of love and where it leads the characters. Sometimes they deny their true emotions in the face of their social complications and sometimes dramatic events keep them apart. This adds a sense of the realistic to the book as well. The characters are not drooling over each other for the entire book, which is much appreciated. They have lives outside of each other and it is through a balancing act that they form a healthy relationship and move forward. It takes time.

The "Aftermaths" section of the book must also be remarked upon. It took me by surprise. This "Aftermaths"comes after what I thought was the natural ending of the book, which is the description of Cordelia's contentment and the hope for the future. The mood is decidedly positive. However, the "Aftermaths" drastically changes the mood to a somber one. It is not negative, but it does leave a lingering sense of foreboding. This foreboding could be taken as a hint at her future installments into the series, but it could also be seen as a warning to the audience. The warning is, you have the power not to see the differences all around you, but the similarities. See the good in people first, before the bad and hopefully you can stop your society from ever getting to the point of so much destruction. 

The "Aftermaths" does not involve the main characters at all, it follows a Medtech and a Pilot Officer assigned to recover the bodies of the fallen from one of the war zones. Designed to look into the devastation of war, it highlights that death is a great equalizer. No matter if the war was fought for a good reason or for the greed of powerful individuals, the cost of human life is high on both sides. The Medtech is a deeply compassionate woman who cares for the dead with dignity. The Pilot Officer is a character foil to her in that he does not understand why the collection of the dead matters, especially when it comes to the collecting of the enemy's dead. He gradually, with the reader, is taught how his attitude is not healthy. The "Aftermaths" of Shards of Honor brings up many stirring emotions and ideas and is an interesting piece of literature to read for its own merits.

Overall Shards of Honor has deeper character development, commentary on social complication, exploration of what it means to have honor, action adventure, realistic romance, well thought out plot, and compelling world building. It has taken the Space Opera genre and given it a higher standard to meet.

Mythic Fiction and Contemporary Urban Fantasy

 


Anansi the spider is an animal trickster from West African mythology. He is often seen as a god or at least someone that can contend with gods. He is a spider, but often appears and acts as a man. He can also, shape shift into other animals. He enjoys making life fun, but his mischief often causes others trouble. Anansi's cleverness is used to trick others so that he can get what he wants, but he isn't evil.


Required Book:

Anasi Boys By: Niel Gaiman


In Anansi Boys,by Niel Gaimen, the myth of Anansi is reinvented.

Anansi is a God living as a man. This follows the original Anansi stories in which Anansi is said to live in "his house", instead of some otherworldly place set up for gods, like Mount Olympus in Greek mythology. Also, like the original stories Anansi is a trickster, but Gaimen has given him extraordinary sway over other people. For example, if Anansi gives a name to something everyone seems to call it by that name. This is why the main character can't get people to stop calling him "Fat Charlie", because his father, Anansi, gave him that name. Charlie describes his father as "the finest liar you'll ever meet." What I liked most about Gaimen's version of Anansi is that he is so charismatic people gravitate toward him unaware that he enjoys mischief at others expense. Charlie's fiance, Rosie, listens to Charlie explain how embarassing his father is and then says she wants to invite him to their wedding, because he sounds like a "character". Likewise, Charlie's mother says Anansi is, "Not a bad man" but he is, "certainly not a good man." 

Charlie seems to be the only one who sees his father in a purely negative light. He is everything his father is not and just about anything his father does mortifies him. This is interesting since the story evolves around him and the brother he never knew he had, Spider. When his father dies Charlie thinks that he has gotten away from the embarrassment, at least a little bit, but then everything goes out the window when he drunkenly decides to follow Mrs. Higgler's advice to "tell a spider" that he wants to see his brother. His brother is exactly like him except he has all the qualities Charlie does not. Spider is charismatic, just like Anansi, and causes all kinds of trouble for Charlie, who must learn about his cultural roots in order to put Spider back in his place. 

Gaimen has made the myth relevant to the world today by suggesting Anansi stole the "stories" from Tiger. Tiger's stories were all violent and bloody. Tiger solved problems by hitting, Anansi solved problems by thinking. Saying that Anansi tricked Tiger and stole all of the stories is another way of saying the world has changed. Problems should be solved through the mind, not the fist.


Required Movie:
Lady in the Water (2006) director: M. Night Shyamalan


 

This movie, like Gaimen's book builds on the known myth of mer-people. However, the rest of its mythology seems to have been created just for the movie and later a children's book.  

A string of very "human" characters are explored, asking the question, What would you do if you found out a certain mythology was real? Gaimen's book asks a similar question of the main character, Charlie. But, in Anansi Boys, Charlie must solve his problem alone. In Lady in the Water all of the characters must learn to work together to save Story, the queen of the Narf's. 

Both Lady in the Water and Anansi Boys sets a tale of myth in an urban setting. This immediately asks the audience to believe in something that they know can not be real, at least for the duration of the media being viewed. In this way, both of these works mix Mythic Fiction and Urban Fantasy.

Novel of Spiritual Education

The "Novel of Spiritual Education" is usually seen as a type of fantasy geared towards young adults. It is almost like instructions on how best to navigate the world. Some of these books are very opinionated and obvious in their design. 

C.S. Lewis's The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is a good example of this. The book clearly spells out belief in God "Aslan" as being integral to happiness or success in life. 






 But, just because the "Novel of Spiritual Education" has the word "spiritual" in it does not mean that this sub genre can only tout one viewpoint. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials book series conveys the opposite message through a humanist viewpoint.


The "Novel of Spiritual Education" may have its roots in Judeo-Christian beliefs, but it has evolved to encompass the author's personal values outside of a wider belief system.

The Harry Potter series promotes many "good" behaviors in its characters. It uses a pretty standard set of values that can cross many cultures. The battle is between good and evil, however the distinction of being either good or evil is grey for the characters. They are not perfect. While they may seem predominantly good or bad there are usually ulterior reasons behind why they choose to behave the way they do. This is true even for extremely dark or "evil" characters, like the Death Eaters. They make poor choices, sometimes purposefully to reach their goals. Usually, this results in negative consequences, but sometimes they get away with it. 
Ultimately this is a realistic and appealing view of the world. Everyone gets to where they are through a combination of the choices they make and the circumstances they find themselves in, but everyone dose have control over where they end up.



Required Book: 
The Night Circus by: Erin Morgenstern




In "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern the characters are faced with the decision to be selfish or risk their lives and their love to save all the people connected to the circus that were caught up in a "game" thrust upon them by two powerful men representing two schools of thought.

"The Night Circus" definitely teaches moral concepts and viewpoints, but it is not a book for children, which shows that the "Novel of Spiritual Education" is not just for kids. Also, the way that it approaches these topics is more "sideways". It is not in your face and lets the reader slowly discover the issues at hand. 

This book was probably the best book I've read in a long time. Its tangible sensory description, twisted plot, use of several points of view, and skewed sense of time, which makes complete sense if you read the book, are all enchanting. The circus and its characters seem very real in their internal and outward struggles. I did not want to put the book down and actually felt sad when it ended, because it is as the last line says, "You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream." 

________________________

The two schools of thought are chaos and control. They are displayed in differing forms of magical ability. Chaos has more control over objects in the outside world and is extremely "hands on" when taught. Control is deft at influencing the mind of self and others and is learned through quiet study and practice. 

The teachers of these two forms choose two students to be taught and then bind them to play a dangerous game of magical, mental, and emotional endurance, where only one can survive. This game has been played repeatedly with different pupils over time and seems perpetual. 

In the book the Night Circus is the setting for the game. It is almost a force of nature the way it captures people's imagination and spirit.
Celia and Marco are the players. Each of them encounters the same complex moral issues and spiritual tests. 

They have been chosen and bound to play the game to the end before they could have a say in the matter, while not being told the dark truth of the game's solution. One of them must die. If the fact that they must kill each other or themselves to end the game is not complex enough, they fall in love before they know the truth. 

As the book progresses both characters come to the conclusion that they do not wish to play this "game" or war between their teachers. The situation forces them to act.  

Unwilling to kill each other or live without each other they are then confronted with another pressing issue, their playing board, the circus, has become an integral part of many peoples lives. The people that work there and the people that live for it, would be deprived of the one thing that makes their "soul sing". The circus is that important, however at the end of the game it would inevitably fall apart. This presses the characters to attempt saving it. 

Celia in particular is a huge support of the circus. Without her it would not exist. She attempts to secure the circus and the people connected to its future first, planning on killing herself afterward to end the game and save her love, Marco. But, she runs out of time. 

Marco is then pressed with making the decision of ending the game himself, which means his death. 

Both of these characters are met with the decision of "what would you die for?" They answer this question with, for each other and to save the palpable spiritual presence of the circus itself. 

Morally the characters must decide whether or not to be selfish when there are so many people that would be affected by their decision. Spiritually, they must accept their fate before they can change it. 

Ultimately they find a way to save each other and the circus, ending the game by combining the two schools of thought to create a new world in which they can find peace.

Required Movie:

Time Bandits (1981) director: Terry Gilliam

  
Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits, represents the child, Kevin, as being more morally correct than the surrounding adults, whether it is his parents or the dwarves he meets. The movie preaches several key concepts. The first one seen right away is that the love of the newest household gadgets over personal relationships with people (Like your family) is wrong. Living to compare yourself to other people is also wrong. The message may even be that people have lost the value of personal relationships because of the distraction modern conveniences offer. Being selfish and stealing is wrong. You should treat your friends with respect. There are more important things than money. Sticking together is a sure way to succeed...The list goes on.

Basically, this entire movie is a teaching tool and evokes the same qualities as the "Novel of Spiritual Education". It approaches these topics humorously. This means it can slyly slip in plenty of education, without the viewer getting tired of being "taught". Kevin, as a character who makes the best of his situations, is appealing and seems designed to draw younger viewers in. This completes the education by giving the young viewers someone to look up to, making the possibility of them applying what they learned from the movie higher.

Heroic Journey

Required Book:


 The Hobbit by: J.R.R. Tolkien


As a genre fantasy brings the reader out of their reality and into a made up one in which they can go anywhere and do anything. They can be the hero. This is probably why it is such a popular genre  today. Fantasy allows for the imagination to take the wheel and drive. In most societies and cultures allowing your imagination to be the ruling course of thought is not looked well upon. Logic and facts run the show. 

When the fantasy genre was just getting started it was seen as an "escapists" pleasure. Today fantasy and the use of imagination is seen as a common fact of life. It is lucrative. In fact, imaginative people are often sought out to create more fantasy for the masses to consume. People want to see more of what they remember and understand. In part this is how the genre got built in the first place. For example,
 The Hobbit by: J.R.R. Tolkien set up some of the archetypal themes, settings, and characters seen seen repeatedly in fantasy. 

Tolkien uses a completely different world separate from our own. This gives him the ability to mold every aspect of the setting he created. Obviously influenced by folklore, he includes some recognizable characters, such as goblins, trolls, giants, elves, and dragons. Hobbits are entirely his creation. He then gives his characters a host of complications on their journey of high adventure. 

Interestingly, one of my favorite parts about the book was the songs. I've heard many people complain about the songs taking away from the story and slowing everything down. I thought it was the opposite. The songs put the reader into the story and move the action forward. It is a song in the beginning that pushes Bilbo to desire adventure and it is the goblin song that makes the reader understand the fear of the characters when they are captured. Each song from a different species of character has a different background and gives insight into hat kind of character is being dealt with. The goblin song is strikingly staccato, abrupt, and means what it says,
"Clash, crash! Crush, smash!", while the Hobbit songs are more lyrical and mysterious.

Also, in Tolkien's story there is a journey for a prize and the path is dangerous. This is a theme seen in many works of fiction. It is a way to set the characters up for trials and growth. The hero is at first unwilling but is called to action by a mentor and so sets forth into a strange knew world to eventually become able to solve conflicts on their own ending the journey changed in some way. This theme of storytelling is often called  The Hero's Journey. (This link is interactive. Interaction is not required. It can be used as a quick guide to understanding the Hero's Journey)


 
original source unknown
 

It seems that "High Fantasy" has been dominated by this ideal of storytelling often following Tolkien's setting of another world. Usually "High Fantasy" includes, a world in which our world does not exist, a world reached through a portal in our world, or a distinct world within a world. 

Dsicworld is a world in which our world does not exist


The Chronicles of Narnia a world reached through a portal in our world   


Harry Potter a distinct world within a world
 

The Hero's Journey has even leaked into other genres such as Sci-Fi.







 Required Movie:

The Color of Magic (two episodes made for television, 2008) 
 

This story also follows the Hero's Journey, but instead of having a serious mood it is humorous. It is based on the Comic Fantasy novel The Colour of Magic by: Terry Pratchett, the first book in his series  Discworld. 

Following Rincewind, a wizard who is not very good at magic and the first ever tourist to visit Ankh-Morpork, Twoflower, the story follows these characters as they become entangled in a journey to save the entirety of Discworld from certain destruction. Hilarity ensues as Pratchett twists several common fantasy archetypes. 

This can be seen in the extremely old Cohen the Barbarian, who is not a youthful hot-head. Bethan, the beautiful young Druid sacrifice, is also a good example as she is not a damsel in distress and falls in love with the much older Cohen instead of a young handsome man. 

These twisted archetypes were very fun to become acquainted with since they were unusual to "High Fantasy". Authors and directors today have to be clever to come up with "High Fantasy" that does not seem expected to the viewer.