First, read Ya-Kela And His Men.
In that post, I pointed out that a Poul Anderson text replied to its reader's thought. Then a letter from Ludwig Wittgenstein did likewise. Then a British TV comedian replied to a viewer. Then someone found that his response to a script written by Neil Gaiman was already incorporated into the script. Now Poul Anderson does it again.
Hanno says:
"'Now he's picking up extra votes - someday they may help him into the White House - by telling us that violence never settled anything. If only the city fathers of Carthage could talk to him.'" (p. 385)
Like no doubt many other sf readers, I remembered that a Robert Heinlein character had said that in Starship Troopers. The Carthaginian city fathers cannot talk to anyone because violence settled the question of whether they should continue to exist. "Delenda est Carthago." ("Delenda Est," Anderson's Time Patrol series.)
Next Hanno's companion replies:
"'Plagiarizing Heinlein, are you?'" (ibid.)
Andersonian self-parody. And Heinlein also wrote about an immortal man.
14 comments:
Well, as Stalin said, when people cause you a problem... no people means no problem.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Except I believe Stalin eventually had to answer for his brutalities to God.
Ad astra! Sean
And here we each have to think of our own inner state, not just those of people who seem to be or even who are worse than ourselves.
I don't think in those terms, and as far as I can recall I never have. I don't think my enemies are "bad", they're just my enemies, so I want them dead. Nothing personal, as the saying goes.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I understand, but most of your stories do have characters who think as I do. So you can at least understand what I said.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: Oh, sure. I'm unusual. To be a writer, you have to be able to handle more conventional characters well. I've been accused of being a Wiccan propagandist... and a Catholic one, too!
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I never thought of you as a propagandist--I think of you as a very well read and learned writer who treats his characters fairly. Iow, like Anderson!
Ad astra! Sean
Exactly.
Sean: well, I try to treat my characters 'on their own terms'.
If it's one thing I dislike, it's fiction written by solipsists, disguised autobiography.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling~
Don't think I ever read stuff like that, it sounds boring!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: almost infinitely. I got assigned some in university.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Gol darned so called "English literature" teachers spoiled reading for far too many! Just assigning ERB's Barsoom stories to their students would have been vastly better. ERB was a vastly better writer than many of those bores.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: agreed, though he was more of an 'instinctual' writer to begin with. He had a -really- vivid imagination; you can tell because the first half of.a Princess of Mars draws you in even though very little happens plot-wise.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Absolutely! ERB was amazingly talented for an "accidental" writer. I still like to read his Barsoom stories once in a while.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment