Are There Any Valid Criticisms? (aka Kalessin's Rant) - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Kalessin · 04-20-2002, 09:35 PM

Being not so well-adjusted in my dotage, I am disproportionately concerned that my response to Estel does not get drowned out just yet (grrr ... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] ).

However, Nar and Maril, the issue of 'genre' itself is interesting, and has been explored a little in this thread. Who decides which genre a work belongs to - and therefore where it appears in bookshops and libraries? Ursula Le Guin's website has a polemical piece by her on genre, with which I tend to agree, in which she excoriates the pervasive acceptance of "realism" as the only genre that has 'literary' quality. Rather like teetotal bartenders or clean-living drug dealers, it seems as though we are subject to the whim of publishers who do everything but READ the darn books [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

Strangely, the fantastical (fantasy) stories of Borges end up as 'realism' too. I am conscious of certain subtle similarities between Borges and Tolkien, although JRRT does not share JLBs playfulness - nor his occasional (philosophically informed) studious amorality.

I think that, unfortunately, classifying something as fantasy means that "non-aficionados" are immediately expecting at worst a graphic novel aimed at misanthropic teenagers who cannot face more than 50 words a page, and at best an irrelevant romp (rather like an extravagant costume drama) with unpronounceable names at a premium.

As a children's book, Harry Potter can sidestep this genre imprisonment. As an old book that has outsold everything else, so can LotR. The rest are not so lucky.

Peace

[ April 20, 2002: Message edited by: Kalessin ]

04-20-2002, 09:35 PM	#11
Kalessin Wight Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Earthsea, or London Posts: 175	Being not so well-adjusted in my dotage, I am disproportionately concerned that my response to Estel does not get drowned out just yet (grrr ... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] ). However, Nar and Maril, the issue of 'genre' itself is interesting, and has been explored a little in this thread. Who decides which genre a work belongs to - and therefore where it appears in bookshops and libraries? Ursula Le Guin's website has a polemical piece by her on genre, with which I tend to agree, in which she excoriates the pervasive acceptance of "realism" as the only genre that has 'literary' quality. Rather like teetotal bartenders or clean-living drug dealers, it seems as though we are subject to the whim of publishers who do everything but READ the darn books [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] Strangely, the fantastical (fantasy) stories of Borges end up as 'realism' too. I am conscious of certain subtle similarities between Borges and Tolkien, although JRRT does not share JLBs playfulness - nor his occasional (philosophically informed) studious amorality. I think that, unfortunately, classifying something as fantasy means that "non-aficionados" are immediately expecting at worst a graphic novel aimed at misanthropic teenagers who cannot face more than 50 words a page, and at best an irrelevant romp (rather like an extravagant costume drama) with unpronounceable names at a premium. As a children's book, Harry Potter can sidestep this genre imprisonment. As an old book that has outsold everything else, so can LotR. The rest are not so lucky. Peace [ April 20, 2002: Message edited by: Kalessin ]