Comments on: Relevant much?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:32:55 +0000

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By: bitter and twisted

bitter and twisted — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:38:04 +0000

I don’t see what’s to get worked up into a tiss about regarding social comment in fiction. The thing that I see as more concerning is the lack of authors who can tell a story. You know, with a beginning, a middle and an end. And a plot that works isn’t a bad idea either. If when writing a story, it requires topical social comment, fine. If not, fine too. If it requires that the author uses his characters to make comments that are in total opposition to his/her own viewpoint, fine also. Fiction is not real and if people take examples of social and political situations from made up stories then all we get is even more know-it-all-know-nothings interfering with the life’s of people that would rather be, and are better off, without such meddling.

For serious issues read serious books. Read fiction for escapism. Whether there are, or are not authors making life effecting social comments in fiction; it just doesn’t matter. When an author is writing a story that needs social comment to make the story work then he/she should make it; and make it from whatever viewpoint makes the story work.

I’m afraid the only one of the authors listed in the blog that I am familiar with is Larsson and if he made any kind of social comment it went right over my head. And I know I’ve said this before, but; what is this obsession with Larsson? An author should conquered the greatest challenge of genre writing: making the outcome of the plot unpredictable while also managing to satisfy the reader. And Larsson doesn’t do that.
And if that’s not what an author is supposed to do….then take it up with your guy Jim as it’s his quote.

By: CFD Trade

CFD Trade — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:33:07 +0000

Call me bias but I do appreciate the authors of the past who can weave social issues into fiction. And I still deem they were better than almost the present-day writers we have. Call it the Fallacy of the Golden Past.

By: Kristin Laughtin

Kristin Laughtin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:17:44 +0000

I agree with your assessment. I think part of the problem is that we look at writers of the past and idealize them: "Those people were tackling the big issues!" Yet many of them didn't make waves right away. The same could be true of today's writers. And of course, there's the sense that there are so many more people writing today, so it's harder for any one person to stand out without making a scene.

I read lots of science fiction and apparently Siegel needs to start as well. It's ripe with social commentary and relevance.