Skip to main content

Home/ APLit2012/ Group items tagged science fiction

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Filter: All | Bookmarks | Topics Simple Middle
Miki Clark

Fantasy & Science Fiction - April 1990 - Books to Look For - 0 views

www.hatrack.com/...90-04.html

science fiction Asimov Research review

shared by Miki Clark on 13 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Asimov presents ideas to his audience in such a way that each idea has been perfectly prepared for; so that even as it surprises us, we already understand the context so well that we grasp the new information instantly.
  • In second-rate fiction, the cosmic and personal stories are irrelevant to each other -- we get "characters" solely to be witnesses of the cool stuff that happens on a cosmic level, or we get "ideas" thrown in only to make standard adventure or character stories seem like science fiction. In the best sf -- like Nemesis -- the two stories absolutely depend on each other. Resolutions of the problems posed by Nemesis depends on Marlene and her family, resolutions of Marlene's needs, and the needs of her parents, absolutely depend on the ideas and discoveries in the cosmic story.
  • Miki Clark on 13 Jan 12
     
    Argument: Asimov's knack for story telling relies on the style with which he presents his characters, and the way he makes the cosmic story of the book as much a relevent character to the plot as the humans. Claims: That his style is a very plain yet very clear one, that his characters are often plain with a touch of peculiarity, and that he can weave a story that is both surprising and not unexpected in the least. Evidence: Highlighted.
Miki Clark

Asimov Collective Works Analysis - 0 views

web.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/...detail

Asimov Literary Analysis Reference

shared by Miki Clark on 11 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Wollheim called the Foundation trilogy “the point of departure for the full cosmogony of science-fiction future history.” The 1966 World Science Fiction Convention voted the trilogy “the greatest all-time science fiction series.” Numerous scientists have attributed their interest in science to their early reading of the trilogy.
  • the fall of the Galactic Empire and efforts by Hari Seldon and his successors to shorten the period of barbarism that would follow from thirty thousand years to only one thousand years.
  • Asimov valued transparency and logic over character and style (the latter, he thought, militated against the former), and traditional literary analyses are likely to find his stories deficient.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Nonetheless, his initial interest in history influenced the sequence of the stories as much as the manner of their creation, as they portray the solution of each generation’s problem itself becoming a problem that the next generation must solve. The grip of the encyclopedists, for instance, must be broken by Mayor Hardin; the political power of the mayors must then be broken by Hober Mallow; the religious power of scientism must be broken by the traders; and the economic power of the traders must be modified by the incorporation of the independent traders.
  • If there is any element of necessity in the trilogy, it is the necessity to behave rationally rather than emotionally if civilized ends are to be achieved without resorting to violence. As a consequence, power often lurks behind the scenes, which may also have been Asimov’s analysis of history.
  • Miki Clark on 11 Jan 12
     
    Argument: Asimov uses character motivation to progress the story by having the purpose behind the characters shift in reaction to events in the plot. Claims: He changes his characters from rational to reactionary and impulsive to indicate the climax and the rising anxiety of action. Evidence: Highlighted
lindsey shields

"Hollow at the core": Deconstructing Yann Martel's Life of Pi | Stratton | St... - 1 views

journals.hil.unb.ca/...13689

Life of Pi

shared by lindsey shields on 11 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • lindsey shields on 11 Dec 11
     
    Argument: This article's main purpose is to deconstruct Yann Martel's Life of Pi. The author, Florence Stratton argues various points, depicting the novel by reasoning Martel's choices. Stratton also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the novel's claims. Claim: Stratton proposes Martel's treatment of religion in the novel reigns unpersuasive in the essence that the story would not make others believe in God, but justify the belief in Him. He also argues Life of Pi structures around various philosophical debates such as favoring reason over imagination, science over religion, materialism over idealism and fact over fiction or story; these debates are symbolized through the various characters of the novel. Stratton discusses Martel's elaborative plot and characters, discussing their symbolism. Evidence: "This wonderful book did not make me believe in God but it did reinforce my faith in the considerable redemptive powers of fiction" (Whittaker). "Mr. Chiba, on the other hand, represents the viewpoint of Romanticism, and, in particular, its emphasis on spontaneity, subjectivity, imaginative creativity, and emotion" (Stratton). "The dazzling display of colours and patters suggests that Richard Parker's primary signification is the incantatory or transcendent power of art: the imaginative truths or realities that great art encompasses" (Stratton). "..the heroic struggle of a religiously devout man to overcome the impediments of material reality" (Stratton).
Crystae Rohman

Literary Reference Center - powered by EBSCOhost: When I Was in Kneepants: Ray Bradbury - 0 views

web.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/...detail

shared by Crystae Rohman on 16 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • Crystae Rohman on 16 Jan 12
     
    Argument- Bradbury has an issue letting go of an idea or a point, "squeezes it dry." This is order to make sure his point gets made through all types of his literature. Claims - Since he began writing his final works acquired a large amount of depth and polish, much more extensive than his sometimes disturbing first works. -Bradbury attempts to display machines and large things as evil as they tend to represent the adult life, something Bradbury seems to fear. -Most of his earlier stories, lacked the idea of a true story and were rather just intensely realized fragments. Evidence- "but because they are grownup things; because they symbolize the big, loud, faceless, violent, unromantic world of adults" -The author discusses how like other science fiction writers, that Bradbury's goal is to demonstrate new ideas not normally thought about. -Also, the author demonstrates his opinion of the dark side of Bradbury and his inability to properly adress the things he hopes to, as his works are sometimes more sickening than intended.
1 - 4 of 4
Showing 20▼ items per page