On Mon, 1 Dec 1997, Geoffrey D. Sperl wrote:
> Bravo, Barbara! :)
>
> As a fellow 24-year-old, I must agree with every statement you made
> there...perhaps it is a genrational thing we're worried about instead of
> a snobbishness thing?
>
> - Geoffrey
Tho an ancient 28, I too am wondering if there is a generational (or
perhaps regional?) element to this SF/Sci-fi name game. I was raised in a
fan household, I've been involved in the subculture... why didn't I know
how people were using these terms? I hadn't noticed much beyond the
disrespect the genre always received from mainstream popular and academic
critics.
On the other hand, I must have picked up on some of this distinction. When
in doubt I've always done as above and called it "THE GENRE" or "a GENRE
whatever," as if there could be only one genre, as if we hip & happening
fans belonged to THE FANCLUB. I've noticed this little tactic in genre
propaganda more than once.
Does anybody remember who coined the term "speculative fiction"? I'm
thinking it was Bradbury, but I could be wrong.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Kristen L. Abbey kabbey@rci.rutgers.edu
Ph.D. Student http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~kabbey
Rutgers University
Program in Comparative Literature Favorite Spice Girl: Ambiguous Spice
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