Sarah Xu: "Dear Michael Damian and Lynne Thomas: Shower Thoughts, Exclusive Ideas, and Gossip"

Dear Michael Damian & Lynne Thomas: Shower Thoughts, Exclusive Ideas, and Gossip

By

Sarah Xu

As a high school student, let alone an IMSA student, I rarely have time for activities other than browsing Facebook, Buzzfeed, legally streaming movies with no copyright laws, and occasionally, homework. However, when I do find myself with extra time, I often delve into short science fiction and fantasy (SFF) works. Why read, you ask? Two reasons that pop out of my mind are knowledge and escape. While science fiction can give details about the laws of physics, if I was really trying to become more knowledgeable, reading a textbook on the same topic would increase the process exponentially, and if I was trying to detach myself from reality, historical romance novels would do the same trick. Why then, short SFF? Tolkien would argue that fantasy offers a particular type of escape flanked with recovery and consolation. Hartwell would argue that once exposed to SF as a child through the various media plots, the reader is addicted and must continually receive their dosage. Although those are both reasons I read SFF, I would argue that the main reason I read SFF is due to my curiosity.

One of my favorite times of my day-to-day life is when I am showering and pondering. I often ask questions like what if our futures had infinite possibilities and we only eliminate a possibility when we die, or what if sentient robots existed. Luckily, my questions are frequently already answered in SFF works in some form. Although I know that I could live my entire life without knowing someone else’s thoughts about aliens, curiosity forces me to search and read for answers. I believe that this curiosity isn’t solely related to me. These questions existed before I was born and most likely come from human nature. In fact, human progression and advancement is a testament to the inherent characteristic of curiosity, and SFF is a natural response to such a creative thirst.

My love for SFF does not only stem from pre-formed internal questions, but also from the questions the intriguing and peculiar stories raise. Not only does SFF offer an escape from reality, but they usually also have genuinely interesting and unique plotlines. In most of the realistic dramatic novels throughout history, the actions are largely the same although the characterization is different. Falling in love, betrayal, murder, being given a second chance, cheating after the second chance, and murdering once more, are all actions present in non-SFF work. Although SFF novels do use some of these actions, they can also throw in something new. SFF can deal with invention, the loss of control of your own free will, and even time travel. Not only that, but often times the genres also play with human emotion by extrapolation. For example, we’ve all experienced the pain of a loved one’s cry, but no human has heard the extended cry, happening in real-time, for the rest of their life. These unordinary, exclusive plotlines and dilemmas easily pique my curiosity just from reading summary on the back cover.

Then, if I love SFF, why read short works instead of long drawn-out works that I can really immerse myself in and get, in a sense, more bang (content) for the buck (idea)? I believe that short works are especially precious commodities in these genres. The short length allows accessibility to even the busiest of readers. Like a vacation, sometimes shorter is better. A vacation offers you a sense of the new culture, a chance to unwind a relax, as well as an introduction to new foods or sustenance. However, once you stay there for too long, you may experience homesickness, or even worse, become fed up by the strange customs such as no restrictions for infants defecating in public streets. A short work can offer you a sense of the new invention or magic and a well-deserved break, but if the novel is drawn out far too long for its breadth, you risk becoming uninterested and perhaps even annoyed with the author.

The moral of the blog post is, if I were to compare myself to a lowly peasant serving a tyrant king, short SFF would be my gossip- brief, catchy, relatable, mind-opening, a necessary relief from the boredom of reality, but most importantly, satisfying my curiosity.

Sarah Leahy: "Dear Bridget Smith: Once Upon a Time, Happily Ever After, and the Stereotypical Stuff in Between"

Dear Bridget Smith:

Once Upon a Time, Happily Ever After, and the Stereotypical Stuff in Between

By

Sarah Leahy

            When I think of fantasy, I think of the monomyth (…. and Disney). If you are unfamiliar with the monomyth, you probably haven't taken Dr. Townsend's class where we are beaten over the head with that information. The monomyth is a stereotypical path that the protagonist of a fantasy book follows. It is probably the most classical and uniform thing for most fantasy stories.

            But when I hear the words “stereotypical” and “uniform”, I instantly think of the word “boring”. If we take a look at the Disney princess movies, they have stereotypical pretty princesses, stereotypical evil villains, stereotypical hot princes, and stereotypical “happily ever after” endings. Time after time again, you can expect the audience to be bored. Maybe it's just me, but I can never stop going back for more. Even though the protagonists in each story do similar things or struggle through similar events, they aren't the same and boring. It wasn't Cinderella, Belle, or Ariel, who ate a poisoned apple. It was only Snow White. It wasn't Pocahontas or Jasmine, who pricked their finger on a spinning wheel. It was Aurora. However, both Snow White and Aurora were saved by princes by true love's kiss. Even though their stories have that in common, I love them both the same. (In reality, I'm the mental age five and still think I'm a princess, so I love any princess movie.) 

            I think of reading a book or watching a movie can be almost like riding a roller coaster. I'm not bored of all the roller coasters in the world just because I've ridden one, even if they all have similar twists, loop-de-loops, and fifty foot drops.  If I go on multiple different roller coasters, it doesn't make me any less scared or make me regret my decision any less. Even though I know or can guess what is coming in a movie or book, it still doesn't still doesn't affect my enjoyment, even if the book or movie follows the monomyth. In fact, I like to know what to expect, because it helps ensure of the experience that I will have. Sure, riding 20 identical roller coasters or watching 20 near-identical movies will get boring and the enjoyment will wear off. But that's why I like to shake things up a bit.

            Take Disney's Sleeping Beauty, for example. It has the prince who has to save the princess who is being guarded by an evil dragon. Pretty generic, right? My all time favorite series, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, takes those characters and gives them a new role to play. This time, the princess is a cook to a dragon who she later has to save from evil wizards with the help of a prince. And the reason why it is my favorite is because of the warping of stereotypes. Of course, it follows the monomyth, but it makes the stories a more interesting read when  you get to see new people.

            Although the monomyth is an important part of fantasy, I believe that a lot of good stories can be made if you manipulate the monomyth. In fact, most stories don't follow the monomyth 100%. I read Neil Gaiman's Stardust this year and it is an example of a book that benefits from not following the monomyth. Three different stages of the monomyth, “Refusal of Call”, “Temptation”, and “Refusal of Return”, are completely left out of the story.  The lack of these stages adds character development of the protagonist because he is determined to finish his quest and cannot be distracted.  I don't think that I could ever hate a book or movie for not following the monomyth completely, but it certainly adds value to the story when it does follow it.

Sam Rousser: "To _Uncanny Magazine_: From a Fan"

To Uncanny Magazine: From a Fan

By

Samuel Rousser

            The world of fandoms is, to say the least, a many-splendored wonder. From classic literature to webcomics or television, almost everyone can admit to some guilty pastime with an origin in fiction. As trips to the library begin to lose out to Netflix, e-Books and other digital entertainment, speculative fiction continues to thrive in any medium it is presented in. Being transported to another world, meeting new characters and learning the rules of this new world has an appeal that transcends any sort of human boundary, and lets us all gather together to fight over which imaginary friend is the cutest, or which make the best couple. Some say that Goku vs. Superman cannot, or should not be answered, because the universes that they live in are completely different (Though many of us have our own opinions on who’s more super). The ability to take all of these characters, these worlds or, the ideas themselves and mix whatever you want is my favorite thing about fiction.

            The reason I read so much speculative fiction isn’t because I like a particular type of story. I don’t really care if the hero wins or loses in the end, nor am I picky about their methods for reaching the end goal. All I’m interested in is taking in the world, and knowing the exact details. Stories that bore me don’t always have a stereotypical plot; they simply don’t have fun ideas. The what-if’s that drive the story are just as important as the answer. I find the most enjoyment in stories with a plot that’s not very complicated, and the driving force is the imagery of the world I’m taken to. They devil is in the details, and the easier it is for me to dream up the world that I’m being placed into, the better. Being able to constantly update and expand the world while I’m reading allows me to draw connections, insert myself, and enjoy some what-ifs of my own.

            This curiosity for new ideas is what keeps me reading. If music is food for the soul, ideas feed the imagination. I enjoy sitting back and ‘digesting’ a story, trying to piece together the various themes and tropes that came together in a new way to create something I’ve never read before. In short, I just want to be entertained. Speculative fiction is growing at a rate far higher than I could possibly take it all in, and that’s for the best. No matter how much I read or watch, there will always be a new chapter, another book or a different series to keep me going.

Samuel Rousser

Roopa Rajesh: "Dear Michael Damian and Lynne Thomas: The Appeal of SFF"

Dear Michael Damian & Lynne Thomas: The Appeal of SFF

By

Roopa Rajesh

                As a reader, I often find myself revisiting science fiction and fantasy (SFF) despite the large variety of compelling pieces and texts available to me from outside of these two genres. While some might say that it’s important to broaden your horizons by familiarizing yourself with more diverse selections, I have found SFF to fulfill all that I look for in literature, as it contains a great range of archetypes, plots, lessons— a great range of distinct experiences for the reader— by itself.

SFF can be quite the ride. The form of escapism that it provides me with is something that continues to attract and engage me as I grow up— despite any changes in interests or passions. The implausible nature of the plot or the main idea that makes the whole story work is rather captivating (if written well). They make one wonder— suppose what the world or universe would be like if the proposed ideas, notions, or culture existed and were prominent in our daily lives— possibly even make one loathe the way things really are, compared to the fantastic elements in the piece. Reading The Candy Shop War as a kid, you might have been left resenting the lack of moon rocks— capable of rendering you weightless— in real life. SFF enables us to place ourselves in a variety of situations, regardless of how much far-fetched or absurd they may seem.

                You never know what to expect. Although you may have much experience with a variety of texts from the genre previously and you might think you know what’s up, you never know what’s coming. Eventually, you learn to not have expectations— to just let the stories take you by surprise. It’s amazing how we, as humans, are able to conceive of the impossible— how we can imagine that which has never happened and never (as far as we know) will happen. It’s interesting to see how different authors approach the same issue or concept and what decisions they make in borrowing and modifying facets from the metatext. And while some writers might focus on creatures or gadgets, others tend to focus on perhaps answering a philosophical or ethical question through the experiences of an individual or society as a whole. So while you may come across a story that you have heard is about a concept that you’ve had experience with multiple times before and think “oh, God, not again”, it’s rash to dismiss it based solely on your past experiences, as SFF is constantly changing with the contributions of new authors.

                SFF features a great variety of skilled writers. While the magic and bizarreness might be what initially attracts readers to SFF, the genres do offer more than mere entertainment. Many leave us feeling changed, teaching us something about ourselves or others. It’s rather interesting how writers are able to make us reflect on our lives with a story that is so far removed from reality. Despite the absurdity of certain plots or settings, many stories manage to reflect on a certain aspect of human nature, giving us the opportunity to reflect on our nature.

                SFF provides us with a way to stay entertained, while broadening our interests and making us think. In my opinion, it’s one of the few genres that provide you with a variety of distinct experiences. 

Ray Sun: "Dear Michi Trota: The Theme of Constant Change"

Dear Michi Trota: The Theme of Constant Change

By

Ray Sun

I like genre stories, specifically science fiction, which address the theme of constant technological advancement. Science fiction reflects the interests of readers like me by exploring economic, social, and philosophical issues of the potential future. SF stories are relevant to my life and experiences because they discuss the continual technological progress that is prevalent in modern life. Teenagers appreciate science fiction stories that consider the regular advancement of technology which they are used to and the future that they look forward to.

Many science fiction stories are based on the fast pace of technological development. Last year, I did a Student Inquiry and Research project about artificial intelligence, during which I learned about the exponential growth of technology. In his 1999 book The Age of Spiritual Machines, Ray Kurzweil, a leading futurist, proposed the Law of Accelerating Returns, which states that the rate of change of evolutionary systems, including the growth of technology, tends to increase exponentially. As technology advances, the means to improve technology also improve, so technology grows faster the more developed it is. Looking back at history, the human race has advanced more in the last 20 years than in the previous 200. Current high school students are used to this constant development of technology, as innovations and breakthroughs are reported every day. Kurzweil’s writings support Vernor Vinge, an author of several science fiction books, and his concept of a technological singularity, the point in time at which artificial intelligence surpass humans. In his novel Rainbows End, Vernor Vinge portrays both the young and the old dealing with the vast social transformations arising from a singularity. Similarly, Accelerando by Charles Stross depicts the development of human society from the near future to post-singularity civilization across 3 generations. These stories interest young readers because they explore approaching fundamental changes, fulfilling the excitement that the young generation has for the future.

Science fiction concerning the future engages readers like me with endless possibilities. Many young readers are optimistic about the future, and are interested in exploring the implications of prospective advancements. In Farah Mendlesohn’s essay “Religion and science fiction”, she mentions that “three plots dominated the development of genre sf: the incredible invention, the future war and the fantastic journey.” Of these three, the incredible invention plot best represents what many young readers seek. Teenagers are interested in investigating what the future may hold, and stories which focus on specific potential innovations easily analyze possible societies and worlds. I appreciated “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss because it examined the issue of sentience in artificial intelligence. I found Pat Cadigan’s “Pretty Boy Crossover” very interesting because of the social and philosophical problems it presented about mind uploading. I loved “Johnny Mnemonic” by William Gibson because of its detailed world with a completely reshaped society. All three stories consider the effects of technological progress on the human race and people’s everyday lives. Many readers like me use science fiction to look forward to the future.

The theme of constant change is relevant to teenagers because technology shapes many facets of their lives. Teenagers spend a lot of their time on computers and smartphones. The Internet has become a primary source of content and interaction between people, and the young typically embrace new technology first. A good example of technology shaping society is the effect it has made on the science fiction/fantasy community. In fact, the first sentence of the prompt document for this assignment, written by Tracy Townsend, states that “The internet’s utility in reinforcing (or creating) relationships has changed just about every social group in the Western world, and the sff community is no exception.” The prompt goes on to note the popular use of blogs, Tumblr, Youtube, and Twitter within the community. Interesting side note: this blog post is discussing the phenomenon that is the cause of its existence. Technology has become prevalent throughout our lives, and the flow of our lives shifts as it continually advances. Science fiction that focuses on the link between technological and social change engages readers, especially young ones.

In conclusion, science fiction fascinates young readers by contemplating a future and its issues very different from today due to the exponential growth of technology. Novels like Rainbows End and Accelerando and short stories such as “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long”, “Pretty Boy Crossover”, and “Johnny Mnemonic” fill my imagination and build on my optimism for the future. As I prepare myself to contribute to society, science fiction inspires me with visions of the future that I hope to bring about.

Patrick Swearingen: "Dear Chuck Wendig: Friendship, Adventure, and The Feels"

Dear Chuck Wendig,

Friendship, Adventure, and The Feels

by

Patrick Swearingen 

            The troubles and interests that readers encounter in science fiction and fantasy often coincide with each other. Good science fiction and fantasy will introduce troubles and interests using the same themes. These themes must of course be relatable to the reader’s own troubles and interests.

Friendship is one of the themes throughout science fiction and fantasy that produces relatability in characters, as well as creating troubles and interests for the reader. Readers find an interest in friendship because they enjoy the bonds formed between characters. It allows readers to compare their own friendships, and even share the book with their friends saying, “This scenario reminded me of our friendship.” However, this theme also speaks to the troubles that readers have. Many people have a fear of being alone, or at least not having close friends. Thus, friendship in fiction draws on these troubles to create the sense of fantasy, something that might be unreachable for readers. Even if people have friends, they might have fear the fear of losing them, or that their friends are not as close as they let on to be. In either case, science fiction and fantasy stories that explore the depths of friendship, both the negative and positive experiences, create a sense of interest and trouble for the reader.

Another theme that produces interest and trouble for readers is adventure. They can relate the adventures of the characters in science fiction and fantasy to their own life. If the character is forced to make a decision, readers relate this to decision making in their own lives. If the character overcomes a great feat, readers relate this to their personal successes. This relatability with a character’s adventure create interest for the readers. Similarly, the same works for the difficult times in a character’s adventure. If a character fails a trial in their adventure, readers relate this to their own failures. This creates a sense of trouble from the adventure theme. However, readers do not just feel a sense of failure, they also can experience the character overcoming this failure, thus relating to the reader’s own ways of dealing with difficult times in their lives. It allows readers to confront their failures from a new perspective. The adventurous theme is attractive to readers because they can relate to the adventure through the interest and troubles portrayed by similar situations.

One of the most powerful themes seen throughout science fiction and fantasy is commonly called, ‘the feels.’ The feels is more or less when a character goes through an emotional event, usually depressing. When immersed in reading, a reader will begin to feel the same way as the characters in the story. They will feel empathetic towards the characters, so much so that they feel the emotions themselves. The interest and trouble with this theme arises from escape that comes with feeling a character’s emotions. By feeling empathy for a character, the reader is further immersing themselves in the world of the story. The immersion is of interest to those who want to escape their real lives for a time. ‘The feels’ can likewise convey a readers troubles. If the reader is experiencing a similar emotion based on real situations, they will relate strongly to the character and their troubles. It creates more relatability to the book and its characters, ultimately creating a better read. Whether the reader wants to escape boredom, depression, or just needs a break, having scenarios that allow them to feel intense empathy for characters creates an interesting story.

In order to create successful stories, authors must make their works relatable for readers. This relatability is created by including themes that both interest and trouble the readers. The themes I relate to most are friendship, adventure, and ‘the feels.’ These themes both create interest and trouble for readers, and are thus relatable for many people. 

Noor Michael: "Dear Michael Damian and Lynne Thomas: Short, Powerful Bursts of SF"

Dear Michael Damian and Lynne Thomas: Short, Powerful Bursts of SF

By

Noor Michael

Classic stories such as Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, lead most people beginning to read SF to believe that it takes time and, more importantly, patience, to enjoy SF properly. The first month of this class has taught me to believe otherwise. Personally, I have no patience for reading, but decided that Speculative Fiction was the most likely genre to keep my attention. The class began with various short stories, sampling many popular authors. Some examples of the works were Frederick Pohl’s “Day Million”, Tom Godwin’s “The Cold Equations”, and E. M. Forester’s The Machine Stops. I particularly enjoyed this portion of the course not only because the stories could be read in one sitting, but because they allowed for a quick escape from reality, and immediate satisfaction. What’s more fitting in our fast paced world than fast paced literature?

In my free-time, or more accurately, procrastination-time, I find myself browsing YouTube videos more often than not. On the contrary, I don’t watch movies very often, only doing so as a social event. This accurately correlates to my preferences in SF. Short stories keep my mind active, and allow me to finish reading an entire story before semantic satiation kicks in, and I begin reading words without meaning, and need to take a break. At a deeper level, short stories generally focus on one main conflict, and have a specific purpose. For example, “The Cold Equations” deals with utilitarian ethics, and how, in the grand scheme of things, all lives are equal. Analyzing these stories is also more feasible, because of the physically shorter amount of text being analyzed, and the focus on fewer topics. Certain writers also take more creative freedom when writing short stories, such as William Gibson’s “Johnny Mnemonic”, which effectively demonstrates how bizarre science fiction can be. The short story format increases the apparent punch of the fantastic elements of the world, even though, in the long run, the story has a lesser impact on the reader.

SF is such a wide genre that the majority of readers (I’d like to meet the outliers) have strong opinions on both ends of the spectrum about particular stories, and stick with their favorite types of stories. Short stories can serve as a taste-test for new types of SF, be it alternate history, cyberpunk, or even scientific romance. Even if you don’t like a story initially, it is generally worth finishing it, instead of giving up halfway through. This makes short stories especially practical for English classes, because students will be motivated to finish stories they didn’t enjoy to begin with, increasing the likelihood for students to read in the first place. This persistence to finish a story could cause some SF readers to learn to like new categories of SF, and expand one’s background. Short stories are also easier to recommend to friends, or in general, other SF readers, resulting in more discussions about a larger variety of literature. Also, even after finishing, if you still hate the story, it wasn’t much of a time commitment in the first place.

On a darker note, many people don’t take SF seriously. They regard it as literature for kids and geeks. Short stories have a similar stigma about them. They are for readers without patience, and for people that don’t have the intellectual capacity to read a full-fledged book. For people with this mindset towards SF, short stories may serve as a way to introduce them to the genre. Due the short time commitment, one can convince them to read the story in the first place. At first, they may enjoy the genre ironically, because it’s children’s literature after all. After a while, this irony serves as a way of making this new type of literature palatable, and results in these readers who were initially opposed to SF to genuinely enjoy the genre.

Short stories serve as SF’s most powerful weapon. With this, they can penetrate the ranks of the masses and spread the genre. Short stories may be good, but to enjoy a more involved story, and generate deeper discussion, longer SF stories are necessary. Also, many of the classics are long, and having read at least some of those is a must for any self-proclaimed SF enthusiast. Short stories are an effective gateway drug into the addictive world of science fiction.