On Fri, 31 Oct 1997, Geoffrey Sperl wrote:
> I can see connections between _Awakenings_ and _Algernon_, but I still would have
> to place _Algernon_ in SF...it's a fringe piece, yes, but definitely SF...of
> course, Oliver Sachs would probably say that the events in _Awakenings_ were
> almost science fiction...
>
> - Geoffrey
>
I don't understand why you think _Flowers for Algeernon_ is a _fringe_ sf
piece. The discussion of intelligence and the possibilities of
super-intelligence has long been one that is central to science fiction.
Admittedly Keyes did the story in a way that is more approachable to those
not used to genre sf (such people might have had problems with Poul
Anderson's marvellous _Brain Wave_, for instance, which is an earlier
approach than Keyes). But it was published within the sf genre, received
the accolades of the sf community, and is in every respect core sf. Why
fringe? :-)
Edward James
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Professor Edward James, Dept of History, Faculty of Letters and Social
Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, READING RG6 6AA, UK
http://www.rdg.ac.uk/~lhsjamse/home.htm
Editor, FOUNDATION: THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION
Director of Studies, MA in Science Fiction: Histories, Texts, Media
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