My latest post at the Blog Gate is up. It’s about sf/f criticism (not Bulwer-Lytton, sadly).
And it looks like I’m going to be late to my first class, so I guess this is the morning I try out those new teleportation skills. (The instructor said that if I paid him in cash they’d start to work right away, so of course I did. I’m no fool.)
Despite one rather bad opening line and over-writing from modern standards, Bulwer-Lytton had a very lengthy and successful career.
True, but I really don’t like his stuff. I don’t think it’s just a then/now issue, because I read and enjoy lots of 19th C. work. (Of course, I’m not saying anyone who likes Bulwer-Lytton has to not like him on my say-so.)
Very cool post! I’ve read a lot of mainstream litcrit, but not a lot of SFF stuff, so you were very elucidating.
Thanks! This is really paleolithic stuff nowadays, though. The technical stuff relates to a magazine market whose last remains are disappearing even as we speak (e.g. the imminent demise of RoF). I was going to write a little about that but (a.) I was running long anyway and (b.) it was too depressing.
Do try not to teleport into a wall. I had to help a friend sort through his molecules once, and I’m pretty sure we didn’t get it 100% correct. He has a tendency to stand in one place for a very long time, and last week in Best Buy he asked me how a this one plasma TV would look on him, even though he never used to wear black. It was spooky.
Useful advice! Thanks.
Somehow this teleport device isn’t quite working as advertised; I may not have attached the navel-electrodes correctly. The tech support page isn’t loading, so I guess I’ll try Wikipedia.
RotS interview
Speaking of teleporting, hop on over to your RBE interview at http://www.roguebladesentertainment.com/2009/02/mini-interview-james-enge/!
Interesting BG article, too.
Re: RotS interview
[Declined to answer]
I’m trying to suss out the deeper meaning of this. I’m not sure if it stems from a maniacal whimsy or a sinister agenda. Either way, I think we’d best keep a careful eye on this Enge guy.
–Jeff Stehman
Re: RotS interview
I may have just forgotten to answer. (Or that might be what my maniacal agenda and sinister whimsy want people to think.)
Re: RotS interview
“hop on over to your RBE interview at http://www.roguebladesentertainment.com/2009/02/mini-interview-james-enge/!”
Hey, thanks! There’s glory for you.
That’s an interesting take on books I should probably read but never ever will. Thanks.
But… how many heaps? 🙂
2 + 2 = 3!
I can never list any series of things without adding another thing. I should have learned to expect it by now, but nobody expects…
So you count like Solomon? That does get annoying after a while.
–Jeff Stehman
Well, maybe he wasn’t so great at addition. But as for division…