Saturday, July 5, 2008

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Hiatus

I've decided to put this project on a hiatus. There isn't a whole lot of interest in it at the moment, so I'll stall it until a date when more folks may be interested. If you have suggestions, feel free to tell me about them. I'll continue to add to the list from time to time, but for now, no new posts. Don't forget to check out my main blog though.

Thanks.

Monday, March 10, 2008

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New Works to Include

Thought I'd mention that I've thought of some works to put on the workable list for a canon. Since it also seems like there is a general opinion that Shakespeare shouldn't be on the list I will strike Midsummer Night's Dream off unless someone can really come up with a valid reason it should be there.

Here are the additions:
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne (I'm putting this in SF for now, but it could very well fit into fantasy. I'm not sure exactly where to put it though.)

Any other suggestions other than the ones I'm about to add? Any objections?

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

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More SF Definition Stuff

I was writing a post related to the discussion of a definition of SF over on the YWO blog and figured I'd point there. The discussion is still open. I'd like to get a workable definition for this project.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

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A Workable Definition of SF (For Now)

Given that we can't really discuss science fiction thoroughly without a working definition for it, I'd like your opinions on whether or not the following is a definition we can use for the time being:

"Fiction that speculates on future societies and future technology (in the near or far future) or on on things such as space travel, government, human evolution, robotics, aliens, technological advancements, etc (or both). It is the genre that asks 'what if?'"

One concern, obviously, is whether we consider works written long ago that no longer are considered 'relevant' as far as the science is concerned to be SF. I would posit that we have to still consider them SF because we must look at when they were written and the fact that, at the time, they were SF. 1984, obviously, is off by quite a few years, but we still consider it SF. The same can be said about a lot early SF.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

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What is Speculative Fiction? (Part One: Defining Science Fiction)

In a previous post we were discussing the necessity to have some sort of standardized definition of what science fiction actually is. This is somewhat of a question that has been asked of SF for such a long time, but we need to come to an agreement on this subject so we can proceed with the canons. The goal here is to come up with one sentence that defines science fiction that we can use to address the texts that are suggested for the canon.

So, let's start with what science fiction is to you? What elements must it include? What elements cannot be present? Do we still include works that are considered classic SF even if their futures haven't happened?

Monday, December 17, 2007

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Discussion #1: Genre and the List

"Anonymous" brought up some good points about the canon, so I decided to open up the discussion by presenting his comment and addressing things and asking my own questions. This is for discussion, and he raises very important questions about the canon. (His suggestions for the list were also added).

Are y'all still talking about this, or am I trying to bring a dead conversation back to life?
It's still alive as far as I know, but one of the key issues is getting people involved, which is already a problem within the blogging community anyway. I am not really qualified to make the canon all by myself and I think an SF & F canon should be represented by readers rather than by some small sect of individuals, such as is the case with the Western Canon.
Couple of questions...
I am curious why you have included the Odyssey in the Fantasy list. I have always read Homer as Mythology (a genre in its own right). I think his writing has had greater effect on epic poetry than science fiction and fantasy, and I'm wondering if we really need the power of his name to validate the SF&F canon.
That was a piece I put up of my own accord because

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Saturday, December 8, 2007

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Added Items!

I've added several items to the list already (Fahrenheit 451 and Ringworld just now). You can find The List here, or you can click it on the right sidebar there. These are simply items for discussion at this point. Meaning, you can suggest ANYTHING you think should be considered or discussed, provided it fits the criteria found here.

You can leave suggestions anywhere on the site, although an ideal, organized place would be here.

Also, please tell people about this. It won't go anywhere unless we get community involvement. If you have an argument you'd like to bring up on any subject related to this project, please use the "Contact Me" link on the right to send an email with your argument. I can post it here and provide a link to your blog and we can have a discussion on a particular book. I haven't read everything on the list right now, so I can't comment on whether I think they belong, but perhaps some of you have an opinion. So feel free to email me!

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