tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post114100253164295430..comments2024-02-14T01:50:56.112-06:00Comments on The OF Blog: There Are Other WorldsLarry Nolenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-1141522179967436592006-03-04T19:29:00.000-06:002006-03-04T19:29:00.000-06:00Hey Larry,Once again a very interesting and though...Hey Larry,<BR/><BR/>Once again a very interesting and thought-provoking article.:-)<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work!Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16282597036862004865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-1141391062272350872006-03-03T07:04:00.000-06:002006-03-03T07:04:00.000-06:00I'm not as literarily accomplished or knowledgeabl...I'm not as literarily accomplished or knowledgeable as some of the other folks that hang around here; I just read and evaluate based on what I know.<BR/><BR/>One might speculate that the race and background of most characters is due to that of their creators. That is, George RR Martin, being knowledgeable about Europe in the Middle Ages, is not terribly likely to create a world that resembles Bronze Age Africa. More specifically, most (white male) authors - of which there are more than a few -are more likely to create worlds based on societies and cultures they already know or are familiar with, rather than creating ones that are completely foreign in every way to them and to the readers. Granted, there are a few exceptions - Erikson comes foremost in my mind - after all, aren't Kalam and Quick Ben black? (I'd say African-American, but neither of those apply.) Many of the other human characters - especially in the Seven Cities area, would be considered (as far as I can tell) Middle Eastern. Let’s not even speculate on the blue-skinned Napans. One might also speculate that the reason Erikson is able to get so far from his own culture is because of his anthropological/archaeological background, a luxury most other writers don't have.<BR/><BR/>That said, there's a perhaps greater difference to explore than simply skin color. In my reading (admittedly almost exclusively epic fantasy and some magical realism), none of the writers have been able to transcend their own worldviews and societal values. For example, Western (certainly American) culture tends to elevate the individual above the group (be it family, village, city, etc.). Individual freedom is highly valued, and our culture reflects that. Don’t we tell kids to just “be themselves”? Yet across the rest of the globe, that philosophy is alien - it’s the family, the village, the company, the <I>corporate</I> that matters, not the individual. So there’s no such thing as a messianic farm boy seeking his way in the world, because he never would have left the farm in the first place. So if you want to truly create characters and worlds from a non-white, non-Western perspective, don’t just make up a society and slap brown paint on everyone’s skin. Challenge yourself to learn about some of the Asian or Middle Eastern cultures and values, and model your world after that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-1141054324496787692006-02-27T09:32:00.000-06:002006-02-27T09:32:00.000-06:00This upper-middle class, white, American male foun...This upper-middle class, white, American male found your blog rather interesting.<BR/><BR/>It seems you've decided to talk about two 'seperate' issues here; blending them into one. I'll seperate them back out, and leave the racial/cultural issues to others.<BR/><BR/>Classification of fantasy seems to fall victim to the human need to carve out a territory - draw a line. The human mind works by categorizing things into bins, which can basically be thought of as drawing lines. There is an innate need to seperate things into distinct categories. 'Fantasy' gets the traditional epic fantasy categorization due to the typical first experience with fantasy - often a Tolkienesque series. Other early experiences with 'fantasy' often have their own labels - horror, fairy tale, sci-fi, daydream, etc. <BR/><BR/>People simply tend to not move beyond this process of creating bins of distinct categories. While fantasy is a branching spectrum that ranges through many sub-genres and from pulp to incredible literature, people tend to dismiss this and revert to the comfortable categorization. <BR/><BR/>A reinforcement of this categorization are the motivations of the reader. Many read for pure escapism and don't want the issues they see and deal every day to be present - they want to escape these into an ideal of some sort. This is very valid motivation, and one I often have. Other readers seek to learn and grow through what they read, and they seek out 'fantasies' that reflect to varying degrees our own world. As, you point out, reflections can dim or so like our own 'real' world that they aren't truly reflections at all. And the reality is that most readers fall between the two extremes on either end.Nethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16963540055415924510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-1141031335523051072006-02-27T03:08:00.000-06:002006-02-27T03:08:00.000-06:00Just wanted to make a brief comment on your intere...Just wanted to make a brief comment on your interesting and provocative blog. The speculative fiction most of us read is definitely of the white, male, Anglo variety. I happen to enjoy reading this type since I read speculative fiction for enjoyment rather than edification. I would like you to push you on the difference between “race” and culture (or are they the same?). While it is likely that different races often coincide with different cultures, I think it is the different cultures that are of primary concern. For example, I suspect a middle-class African American is much more likely to hold similar cultural values to white Americans, then an impoverished black Muslim in the Sudan. Likewise, an Asian American woman who was adopted by a white family as a baby is likely to have a different cultural perspective then a recently naturalized Asian woman though both are American. I think you main points are generally valid but I would like to see you clarify this distinction more. The question then becomes: Which cultures’ vision of society would triumph? Speculative fiction can further the debate in interesting ways by asking, "Which cultures' vision <I>should</I> triumph?" That is, of course, assuming you reject cultural relativism, which it appears you do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8068873.post-1141030346163290842006-02-27T02:52:00.000-06:002006-02-27T02:52:00.000-06:00I'm going to ponder this for a moment, I read the...I'm going to ponder this for a moment, I read the Noles article last week and the reactions had already been widely popping up then, and I haven't had the time for a proper commentary or even if I wanted to comment.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Glad you enjoyed Okri!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com