http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,977654-1,00.html
----
10.13.2008
10.06.2008
Fiction 2000: Cyberpunk and the Future of Narrative
Slusser, George, and Shippey, Tom, ed. Fiction 2000: Cyberpunk and the Future of Narrative. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1992.
Part 1: The Movement: Forward or Backward?
Part 2: The Question of Tradition: Cyberpunk and Science Fiction
Part 3: The Question of Newness: Cyberpunk and Postmodernism
Part 4: The Question of Generic Identity: The Cyberpunk "Canon"
Part 5: The New Metaphoricity: The Future of Fiction
I'm normally extremely wary of scholarly books about technology or the future published more than five years from present day. Technology is evolving so fast, and human social behaviors are so rapidly changing, that it's nearly impossible to make accurate predictions about "the future". Despite my initial misgivings, I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this book so far. It is actually a series of papers first presented at the 1989 annual J. Lloyd Eaton Conference on Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, which explored the question of what fiction will be in the year 2000 and beyond. The conference had a particular focus on Cyberpunk that year, what it is (and is not), the authors' real ideas and literary goals, and the various ways the cyberpunk aesthetic has seeped into popular media culture. Reading this over 15 years after it was released, nearly 20 years after the papers were initially presented, I've been surprised and intrigued at how most of the thoughts and ideas presented have held up. This book seems like it will be incredibly helpful in observing the many narrative techniques employed by authors who are deliberately striving to push fiction beyond its current point of stagnation. Though I will have to skip many of the essays for now, being only part way through Neuromancer at the moment, there are many wonderful essays on how we view the future, how that vision has changed, and what it could mean for the real future. I'm really looking forward to reading this book cover to cover. My only problem is resisting the urge to highlight and make notes in the margins. I'm quite tempted to buy this one!
----
Part 1: The Movement: Forward or Backward?
Part 2: The Question of Tradition: Cyberpunk and Science Fiction
Part 3: The Question of Newness: Cyberpunk and Postmodernism
Part 4: The Question of Generic Identity: The Cyberpunk "Canon"
Part 5: The New Metaphoricity: The Future of Fiction
I'm normally extremely wary of scholarly books about technology or the future published more than five years from present day. Technology is evolving so fast, and human social behaviors are so rapidly changing, that it's nearly impossible to make accurate predictions about "the future". Despite my initial misgivings, I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this book so far. It is actually a series of papers first presented at the 1989 annual J. Lloyd Eaton Conference on Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, which explored the question of what fiction will be in the year 2000 and beyond. The conference had a particular focus on Cyberpunk that year, what it is (and is not), the authors' real ideas and literary goals, and the various ways the cyberpunk aesthetic has seeped into popular media culture. Reading this over 15 years after it was released, nearly 20 years after the papers were initially presented, I've been surprised and intrigued at how most of the thoughts and ideas presented have held up. This book seems like it will be incredibly helpful in observing the many narrative techniques employed by authors who are deliberately striving to push fiction beyond its current point of stagnation. Though I will have to skip many of the essays for now, being only part way through Neuromancer at the moment, there are many wonderful essays on how we view the future, how that vision has changed, and what it could mean for the real future. I'm really looking forward to reading this book cover to cover. My only problem is resisting the urge to highlight and make notes in the margins. I'm quite tempted to buy this one!
----
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
