Why Do You Read This Crazy Stuff?

[sleigh]

I'm teaching a Lit class looking at SF & Fantasy. How would you explain to those students (most of whom don't actually seem to read the genre) why you read this weird stuff? What is it about sf&f that you love? (Warning: I'm likely to relay your answers to the class -- anonymously, of course!)

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

When I was a tiny little girl of 6, as a kindergarten graduation present, I was given a compilation of fantasy stories (http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Treasury-Childrens-Literature-Untermeyer/dp/0307165221) that I read endlessly through my grade school years. At the same time, our school readers were classic Dick and Jane simplicity but the final section of each reader was all fantasy, usually some sort of talking animal stories. These were my favorite.

So, I was primed for switching to SF as I got older and finished reading all the fantasy in our school library. I think the switch to SF was easy because it was during the years when we were regularly landing men on the moon and bringing them home again. Space was very much part of the everyday news then.

K.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

Me too! I started reading fairy tales, then myths, then science fiction, and then fantasy. The fantastic has always interested me much more than reality.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Good point -- I wonder if there _was_ something about the time... and I wonder what about _this_ time could do the same.

It's late and I ramble...

[buttonlass.livejournal.com]

The problem as I see it with present day inspiration is the lack of any. We lack the endless possibilities of space travel having already axed it from our country. I find the number of movies revolving around the human brain/memory/psyche interesting because it's one of the last dimensions not given up on or invalidated.

I miss the optimism of older SF/F. Yes, things fell apart and whole planets were ruined, but we were going places as a species, in big ships that travel the stars and use freaky fuel and astronavigation.