The science fiction community

Post by **vison** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:54 pm

There is always a danger in learning too much about writers, actors, etc. I tend to stay firmly away from reading anything "about" the writers I like, since very often their personal lives and quirks are not as "heroic" as their work. Leo Tolstoy is the worst example I can think of. I toiled heroically twice through War and Peace, never loved it as I ought (

) and cannot love it at all now when I know what a terrible jerk the guy was. Is this fair? Probably not, but why do I have to be fair to a long-dead man who was horrible to his wife and was many other awful things besides?

I was never a great Harlan Ellison fan, although I read scifi so voraciously in the past. It's hard for me to explain why I didn't like it, it was his style, not the content, though. There was a style in those days, and he exemplified it.

I know people who go to Star Trek conventions and other scifi conventions and to be honest I wonder why they go. Unless they are writers themselves, what do they get out of it? I'm asking that question sincerely. Aside from our Prim, there is only one living writer I would like an autograph from, and she doesn't write scifi. And I don't want to know about her personal life, if she drinks or any other secret. I admire her work and that's what I care about.

I went to a couple of Star Trek things with a friend of mine, and I was bored to tears even though I was a Star Trek "fan". I heard Gene Roddenberry give the same boring speech three times -- word for word, as far as I could tell. I wanted to say to the breathless adorers in the crowd: you watched it, you enjoyed it, why is it so important to touch the hem of the garment of the man who once had an idea that paid off?

When I first read LOTR I knew absolutely nothing about JRRT. Nothing at all beyond the brief biography on the book jacket. And that didn't change until I joined an LOTR fan site in 2001. What I learned about Tolkien did not sour me on the books (although it did, for some people I know), but on the other hand, I confess that learning about the man did not add anything to my enjoyment. I am content to let the work speak to me, the man can be silent otherwise.

As for Mel Gibson, I liked him in Gallipoli. Other than that, he's played the same role in every other movie and I firmly believe he would have played Jesus in The Passion if he'd been a little younger. That's how he sees himself. IMHO, of course.

Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:55 pm

I think you are pretty.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:05 pm

Voronwë, I think you're a sweet person, and I'm right.

vison, SF fandom (as opposed to "media" fandom such as the Star Trek conventions) is very much about itself. The people are brought together by a mutual interest, but there's actually quite a spectrum of interests on offer, from SF and/OR fantasy books to SF art to gaming to costuming to filksinging to just generally hanging out with other similar people. There's interest in the business of writing, say, but I'm not sure how much of that extends beyond pros picking up some cross-pollination (and people who want to be pros looking for tips).

There's not really the kind of lionization that goes on in other fandoms. For one thing, many of the SF "stars" are complete introverts who go to conventions to see their friends, not to be looked at or to publicize anything. For another thing, I think a lot of SF fans are just like you: they're interested in the book, not the writer.

Post by **axordil** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:07 pm

vison--

People want to belong to something. Cons provide a ready-made community where people who may have trouble mustering the courage to join things can join simply by showing up and perhaps pitching in. It's kind of a sheltered workshop for the socially less than ept.

Post by **yovargas** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:11 pm

Reminds me of a certain messageboard I once heard about.....

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:18 pm

Well, social ineptness can hurt you in fandom, actually (as it can on even the geekiest messageboard). There are still rules and customs and still the expectation that people will buy into them.

They just don't include "You will be physically gorgeous and utterly self-confident" or "You will know everything about sports."

Post by **axordil** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:33 pm

Prim--

Oh, there are DEFINITELY rules and customs to run afoul of. But as you also indirectly note, though they may seem just as arbitrary, they are designed to include those who are used to lifetimes of exclusion. That doesn't mean people don't get excluded anyway...but you really have to work at it in fandom.

Post by **Andreth** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:17 am

Oh my!

I'm a second gen sf fan, my parents started taking me to cons when I was 7. Harlan is Harlan and sadly has not improved with age. The last WC I went to was Boston in 03 because the LOTR exhibit was there. Can't remember the last regional I've been to.

I sort of grew up in fandom. There was a group of families that went to the same cons and we hung out with each other. One of the few times growing up that I ever felt like I fit in anywhere. I did meet alot of pros and a few even stayed at our home. I remember the change when Star Wars came out but didn't really notice it at the time. The "community" is quite fractured now but still exists in pockets. I have certain writers that I buy regularly and don't venture much beyond them. Besides my Tolkien obsession has sort of crowded alot of other reading out.