Mythcon, day 1

[calimac]

Discovery - apparently this has been published, though I have not seen it - of an unpublished preface to the Screwtape Letters, attributing their discovery to Ransom and stating that they are translated from the Old Solar, which puts quite a new perspective on the context.

Lone professor bearing the Sisyphean load of counter-acting Jacksonian readings of Tolkien by showing his students film scenes of, e.g., Aragorn being angsty about the burdens of becoming king, or Arwen hauling Frodo around like a sack of potatoes, and then saying, "Now let's look at how Tolkien did it." Yet another rebuttal to the lie that most Tolkienists like the movies.

Richard West's GoH speech on the place of sfnal views of the universe in fantasy, and of fantasy-oriented insights in sf. Lot of good stuff, includong the discovery of green suns, Tolkien's key example of the subcreative imagination, in Robert Sawyer's Starplex. Take-away quotes: "Science fiction is fantasy masquerading as realism." "I prefer fuzzy sets to definitions."

Comments

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Fascinating. I adored The Screwtape Letters as a teenager, when I was still feeling indulgent towards organized religion. What do you think, would I still enjoy it now? I think so, but I've been hesitant to pick it up again. I've even recommended it to people, but I really ought to read it again myself. And what is the new perspective yielded by the preface?

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Those are handwaving questions. By which I mean, a lot easier to respond to verbally while standing in front of you waving my hands to cover fumpfs than by slowly typing one fingered into a tiny portable device. I'll get back to you.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

No problem. I'll try to remember to ask you the next time I see you.

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

I like the fuzzy sets thing over definitions, which don't really work well when you're talking about something so diverse as genres. Good job Mr West!