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I'm with Marc on this one. Sure, there are elements of "right wing
nightmare" to <i>Home Fires</i>. But political nightmares are all
over SF, sometimes from the right, but much more often from the
left. If that's going to stop you reading, there will be a lot not
to read.<br>
<br>
That said, I do understand the visceral reaction. I have such
reactions to some left-wing fantasies/nightmares in SF, though my
biggest problem is with what read as revenge fantasies or
wish-fulfillment (my standard example is Bacigalupi's "Pump Six").
When that happens, I sometimes stop reading, but more often I grit
my teeth and read on. It is good to be exposed to contrary opinions
sometimes.<br>
<br>
But the more significant observation, for me, is that in <i>Home
Fires</i> all of this is background. The main story doesn't strike
me as particularly right-wing, though I can see someone making a
case that it's deeply influenced by a Christian notion of what
marriage should be.<br>
<br>
Fernando<br>
<br>
On 4/10/2012 9:35 AM, Marc Aramini wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:1334064915.84104.YahooMailClassic@web161803.mail.bf1.yahoo.com"
type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Now people let their leanings interfere with objective criticism, especially if the viewpoint is unpopular. As if Tristam Shandy wasn't anti-papist in its rhetoric. Yet there are many Catholics who love it. It would be a sin against art for a Catholic to dismiss Tristam Shandy's merit based on that obvious prejudice of the time and place of its composition.
This reactive "everything must be sound and free from all stereotyping/common fears relating to a belief system so that no one may be offended" makes for some bland, boring, and uninteresting fiction.
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<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
=============================================================
Fernando Q. Gouvea <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.colby.edu/~fqgouvea">http://www.colby.edu/~fqgouvea</a>
Carter Professor of Mathematics
Colby College
5836 Mayflower Hill Editor, MAA Reviews
Waterville, ME 04901 <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.maa.org/maareviews">http://www.maa.org/maareviews</a>
How to Argue Effectively, III: Use meaningless but
weighty-sounding words and phrases
Memorize this list:
* Let me put it this way
* In terms of
* Vis-a-vis
* Per se
* As it were
* Qua
* So to speak
You should also memorize some Latin abbreviations such as
"Q.E.D.," "e.g.," and "i.e." These are all short for "I speak
Latin, and you do not."
-- Dave Barry
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