It's no surprise that...
Apr. 23rd, 2009 04:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12...since I have a take-home essay to do, I'm here, on LJ. However, I've been very good with my internet usage today, and didn't allow myself to go online until I'd written 1000 words.
Life
We got our take-home essay topics on the dot of midday today. I was hanging around in the ASNaC common room anyway, because I needed to use the printer. We have until Monday afternoon to write 3000 words on no fewer than three of our seminar set texts, related to a single concept. We could chose from:
Nature
Interaction
Community
Distance
Justice
Disappointment
Models.
I picked 'interaction', and have already written 1000 (reasonable) words on Virgil's Aeneid, but it struck me after doing so that I might've been better with the topic of 'distance', since I'm obsessed with (and reasonably well-informed about) the concept of heroic liminality. I could've written quite a nice little essay about the ways heroic figures are distanced physically, psychologically and spiritually from ordinary individuals.
I suppose the exercise is meant to be a challenge, though, and I like where my writing is going at the moment, so I won't start again. I'm just happy to have an excuse to stop working on my dissertation for a few days. This is the kind of writing I used to enjoy as an undergrad - taking a fairly nebulous concept, applying it to a group of fairly disparate texts, and making it my own. It's a shame that postgraduate research isn't usually like that.
Weathering the cliché-storm
On Saturday I went to the library and picked up Rose of the World, the third book of Jude Fisher's Fool's Gold trilogy. I have not read the first two books in the series, and basically just borrowed it to see if the trilogy was worth buying. Unfortunately, it's not, and I've come close to giving up a few times.
I really do like medieval-inspired fantasy, and I'm prepared, as a medievalist, to put up with some fairly egregious historical and cultural inaccuracies in books set either in the real medieval world, or in a context inspired by medieval Europe. But what I simply won't tolerate these days is lazy characterisation.
In Fisher's world, there are three types of woman: feisty, tomboyish warrior women, suffering madonnas and shrewish whores who use sex to get what they want. As you'd expect, the first two types are presented sympathetically, the third unsympathetically. As in another book with which I have many issues, Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, women are either oppressed, actively fighting against oppression, or colluding in their own oppression.
To be perfectly honest, it's the 21st century, and I don't see why authors shouldn't be able to do better than these kinds of clichés. It is possible to do so within the medieval fantasy sub-genre. Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series is a marvellous example of this, as is Sara Douglass' best work. Jo Walton's character Sulien ap Gwien (who despite the male-sounding name, is a woman) is a breath of fresh air, a woman driven by a sense of justice and a platonic devotion to her king. Even Juliet Marillier, who gets so many things wrong (Thor as an 'uncomplicated' god?) can sometimes manage to write female characters free of cliché.
As someone who reads predominantly fantasy, I have come to tolerate a certain degree of cliché, but is it too much to ask for slightly more nuanced characters?
All good geeks detest the Fox Network with a passion
Oh, Fox, how do I loathe thee.
I was pretty mad about the cancellation of the final, 13th episode of Dollhouse (which will include guest stars Alan Tudyk and Felicia Day). It was my understanding that Fox had committed to airing 13 episodes - the full first season. Then the slimy maggots at Fox apparently argued that since they saw, but scrapped, Whedon's unaired pilot episode, that counts as one of the 13, and so they're not going to screen the finale. Scum. I don't feel bad about watching Dollhouse online any more, and I wish there was some way for my money to go directly to Joss and his cowriters, directors, actors and crew when I buy the DVD.
It also looks like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles isn't going to be renewed. To be honest, until yesterday, I didn't really care all that much. I'd given up watching about a month or two ago, at around Episode 13. I was basically fed up with the character of Riley (it seems to be ever thus with me and characters called Riley). However, I've continued to hang around on the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
scchronicles_tv community (mainly for icons), and yesterday, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
twistdmentality posted this John/Cameron fanvid. Suddenly, much to my surprise, I turned into a rabid John/Cameron shipper.
I've always had a bit of contempt for people who watch shows (or read books) just for the shipping, as I've always viewed characters' relationships in books, movies and TV series as one element of a unified whole, tied in with plot and themes and other aspects of the characters' personalities. So it was with a great deal of rueful self-deprecation that I realised I had, in two minutes of fanvid, become a crazed shipper of a truly messed up relationship.
So I jumped online and watched the last seven episodes of the series. I was delighted to see that the writers seemed to be John/Cameron shippers too. And in watching John and Cameron's oddly beautiful relationship unfold, I realised that I'd regained interest in the wider storyline and themes of the program. But the season ended on the most amazing cliffhanger. There are so many unanswered questions - about the nature of time-travel in the Terminator 'verse, about John and Cameron's relationship in the pre-Judgment Day present and the post-apocalyptic future, about what it means to be human - that it's a disgrace the series almost certainly won't be renewed.
I'm sick of Fox's attitude to genre fans, and geeks in general. We are the ones who, ultimately, make them the most money. I'm resorting to stereotypes here, but we are the ones more likely to spend more money on our fandoms, buying DVDs and other merchandise. We are also the ones more passionate about our obsessions, taking to the interwebs for discussion, fanart, fanfic and general fangirling about our favourite series. It's getting to the point where it's very easy to bypass the networks altogether when accessing content (ugh, managerialese!), and Fox isn't giving us any reasons to do otherwise.
All right, that's my rant for the week.
Life
We got our take-home essay topics on the dot of midday today. I was hanging around in the ASNaC common room anyway, because I needed to use the printer. We have until Monday afternoon to write 3000 words on no fewer than three of our seminar set texts, related to a single concept. We could chose from:
Nature
Interaction
Community
Distance
Justice
Disappointment
Models.
I picked 'interaction', and have already written 1000 (reasonable) words on Virgil's Aeneid, but it struck me after doing so that I might've been better with the topic of 'distance', since I'm obsessed with (and reasonably well-informed about) the concept of heroic liminality. I could've written quite a nice little essay about the ways heroic figures are distanced physically, psychologically and spiritually from ordinary individuals.
I suppose the exercise is meant to be a challenge, though, and I like where my writing is going at the moment, so I won't start again. I'm just happy to have an excuse to stop working on my dissertation for a few days. This is the kind of writing I used to enjoy as an undergrad - taking a fairly nebulous concept, applying it to a group of fairly disparate texts, and making it my own. It's a shame that postgraduate research isn't usually like that.
Weathering the cliché-storm
On Saturday I went to the library and picked up Rose of the World, the third book of Jude Fisher's Fool's Gold trilogy. I have not read the first two books in the series, and basically just borrowed it to see if the trilogy was worth buying. Unfortunately, it's not, and I've come close to giving up a few times.
I really do like medieval-inspired fantasy, and I'm prepared, as a medievalist, to put up with some fairly egregious historical and cultural inaccuracies in books set either in the real medieval world, or in a context inspired by medieval Europe. But what I simply won't tolerate these days is lazy characterisation.
In Fisher's world, there are three types of woman: feisty, tomboyish warrior women, suffering madonnas and shrewish whores who use sex to get what they want. As you'd expect, the first two types are presented sympathetically, the third unsympathetically. As in another book with which I have many issues, Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, women are either oppressed, actively fighting against oppression, or colluding in their own oppression.
To be perfectly honest, it's the 21st century, and I don't see why authors shouldn't be able to do better than these kinds of clichés. It is possible to do so within the medieval fantasy sub-genre. Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy series is a marvellous example of this, as is Sara Douglass' best work. Jo Walton's character Sulien ap Gwien (who despite the male-sounding name, is a woman) is a breath of fresh air, a woman driven by a sense of justice and a platonic devotion to her king. Even Juliet Marillier, who gets so many things wrong (Thor as an 'uncomplicated' god?) can sometimes manage to write female characters free of cliché.
As someone who reads predominantly fantasy, I have come to tolerate a certain degree of cliché, but is it too much to ask for slightly more nuanced characters?
All good geeks detest the Fox Network with a passion
Oh, Fox, how do I loathe thee.
I was pretty mad about the cancellation of the final, 13th episode of Dollhouse (which will include guest stars Alan Tudyk and Felicia Day). It was my understanding that Fox had committed to airing 13 episodes - the full first season. Then the slimy maggots at Fox apparently argued that since they saw, but scrapped, Whedon's unaired pilot episode, that counts as one of the 13, and so they're not going to screen the finale. Scum. I don't feel bad about watching Dollhouse online any more, and I wish there was some way for my money to go directly to Joss and his cowriters, directors, actors and crew when I buy the DVD.
It also looks like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles isn't going to be renewed. To be honest, until yesterday, I didn't really care all that much. I'd given up watching about a month or two ago, at around Episode 13. I was basically fed up with the character of Riley (it seems to be ever thus with me and characters called Riley). However, I've continued to hang around on the
scchronicles_tv community (mainly for icons), and yesterday, twistdmentality posted this John/Cameron fanvid. Suddenly, much to my surprise, I turned into a rabid John/Cameron shipper. I've always had a bit of contempt for people who watch shows (or read books) just for the shipping, as I've always viewed characters' relationships in books, movies and TV series as one element of a unified whole, tied in with plot and themes and other aspects of the characters' personalities. So it was with a great deal of rueful self-deprecation that I realised I had, in two minutes of fanvid, become a crazed shipper of a truly messed up relationship.
So I jumped online and watched the last seven episodes of the series. I was delighted to see that the writers seemed to be John/Cameron shippers too. And in watching John and Cameron's oddly beautiful relationship unfold, I realised that I'd regained interest in the wider storyline and themes of the program. But the season ended on the most amazing cliffhanger. There are so many unanswered questions - about the nature of time-travel in the Terminator 'verse, about John and Cameron's relationship in the pre-Judgment Day present and the post-apocalyptic future, about what it means to be human - that it's a disgrace the series almost certainly won't be renewed.
I'm sick of Fox's attitude to genre fans, and geeks in general. We are the ones who, ultimately, make them the most money. I'm resorting to stereotypes here, but we are the ones more likely to spend more money on our fandoms, buying DVDs and other merchandise. We are also the ones more passionate about our obsessions, taking to the interwebs for discussion, fanart, fanfic and general fangirling about our favourite series. It's getting to the point where it's very easy to bypass the networks altogether when accessing content (ugh, managerialese!), and Fox isn't giving us any reasons to do otherwise.
All right, that's my rant for the week.
