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Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 19th, 2006, 1:57 pm
by jo

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 19th, 2006, 4:19 pm
by Theo
Lewis actually responded to this criticism himself, and cheerfully admitted that the "science" part of the books was mostly bollocks. In the essay, "In reply to Professor Haldane", an unfinished reply to Haldane's scathing review of That Hideous Strength, he starts out by admitting flatly that his science is bogus - but he also notes that this science is also fictional and part of an adventure story. He even gets in a nasty dig at Haldane himself, pointing out that some of his essays contain sweeping and inaccurate generalizations about history - (quoting from memory) "the difference being that my faulty science is part of a fictional book, while his faulty history is part of an essay intended to be believed".

The essay - it's reprinted in "In Other Words", if I remember correctly - is very interesting and gives a lot of insights into both the ideas and preoccupations of Lewis at the time of writing THS, but also into how he saw his books. For instance, he refers to the sci-fi trilogy as "light, holiday fiction" and (to me at least) appears slightly bemused that they are being taken so seriously, if only by a hostile critic.

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 19th, 2006, 4:52 pm
by Erekose
At some point all Science Fiction becomes outdayed.

To reiterate the Asimov theme from elsewhere, he himself (a scientist no less) wrote a series of books which had Venus as a habitable water planet.

So long as the science in an SF (note not Sci-Fi) novel isn't blatently riduclous by the standards which were then known, the main concern is the quality of the story.

venus Equilateral is a series of stories that centre around, would you beleive, valve technology.. vaccum tubes and the like. There's a lot of "techno-babble" in them which today for the most part is sort of.. "yawn.. how ridiculouse" (no Star Trek didn't invent the technobabble concept.. just over used it as plot get outs). BUT the stories are valid, the social ramifications of uncontrolled technology advanced for example as true today as they were then.

I think the same applies to The Space Trilogy. Having recently managed to speed through them.. yes I know sacrilige to read that way but constraints as usual... I found the science to be iffy.. but the stories to be valid.. and thats what counts

(That Hideous STrength for some reason I found to be somewhat eerie and prophetic)

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 19th, 2006, 6:47 pm
by Sven
Anyone that would like to read Haldane's review of THS can do so at It's posted online at Wardrobian Arend Smilde's web site.

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 7:29 am
by Messenger_of_Eden
It does not bother me one bit--I read it in context of an early 1900s technological idea and I find it delightful. It does not have to make sense--I'm not a rocket scientist. If it offers some reasonable answer to the problems they face, that is good enough for me. :read:

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 10:58 am
by jo

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 2:20 pm
by Bill

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 2:51 pm
by jo

Re: re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother peopl

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 3:03 pm
by Monica

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 3:10 pm
by jo

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 3:11 pm
by The Bigsleep J
Not really. Its the ideas behind the story that interest me, not the science.

Re: re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother peopl

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 3:13 pm
by Erekose

Re: re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother peopl

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 3:19 pm
by The Bigsleep J

Re: re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother peopl

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 7:35 pm
by Messenger_of_Eden

re: Does the quality of the science fiction bother people?

PostPosted: March 20th, 2006, 7:54 pm
by Bill
And we KNOW there is life on Venus; don't forget the Mekon and his Treens!!



Bill