Thursday, April 30, 2015

Science Fiction Parody and Satire

This week I was pretty busy, but listened to the audio-book of Douglas Adam's, A Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy.  So, this book was delightfully weird. i remember some of the plot from the movie version, I'd watched years back. But I really remembered was a robot with Alan Rickman's voice. The story seems to definitely be a mix of sci fi and maybe bizarro humor. It's very witty, odd and enjoyable. I particularly likes how it treated the genre of sci fi, turning it upside down. The Vogon poetry is hilarious. The characters are enjoyable/memorable as well. Arthur Dent's normal-ness makes him relatable... and it creates an interesting contrast with the weirdness he encounters. I love Marvin the Paranoid Robot too (the one I remembered from the movie/Alan Rickman). Pessimistic but absolutely lovable and silly. The ship's infinite improbability drive is really cool as well- we all love to hold onto the impossible being made possible... very not so logical and rather fantastical for something rooted in science fiction. I got a kick out of this, and now I want to go back and re watch the movie.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Literary Speculation

Literary Speculation is NOT necessarily a genre

The Aquatic Uncle Assessment Exercise

Prominent symbols in the story? What are they how are they used?

The prominent symbols in the story I noted are, water, land, evolution, Attitudes toward chance, adaptation, and kinship/generations. Water is used to represent the past and an older time. The land it used to represent the present and maybe the future. There is a sort of reverse evolution within the story where the narrators fiance wants to evolve backwards and learn to be a water dwelling creature. This poses the thought that evolution is not always linear. The uncle has a traditional and anti change attitude, but is passionate enough about his believes to be able to convince a member of a younger generation.

What connections did I make with the story? What elements did I connect with? 

We all have that old traditional family member who refuses to adapt and adjust with the times. I related to trying to stay in touch with this kind of person. Although my Grandpa is not a fish, I can relate experiences. Whenever we have to introduce someone new to that member of the family, there is always some worry that they will be offended by the old ways, crudeness and generally not PC language of the older family member. Sometimes, like in the story, we are surprised that people are charmed, intrigued by someone who is so strong in their opinions and passions.  Lastly, I relate with the element of being hesitant towards change. We all can be. we love the comfort of the familiar.

What changes could be made to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would I use? What changes would I make? 

As the current medium is written, the visuals and culture of the characters are up to the imagination. Since there are land creatures, and sea creatures of limited description, I would love to see this story in an animated short film format. The medium for the animation I would like to show the duality of the story, perhaps a live action stop motion mix. The evolved land people or creatures would be more familiar to us, and the fish or sea creatures would have an older and more crafted traditional look.


Thursday, April 9, 2015

Science Fiction from a Diverse Position

I read the short story,
I Live With You - by: Carol Emshwiller

"I Live With You," was pretty terrifying. One of the creepiest things I've read in a while. For me, the lack of resolution aided in this. It's simply and aptly tells how this female like being lives with a human, trying to improve the human's life... Pretty basic. It starts to complicate when this female- ish narrator started to basically stalk, watch and live within the life of the girl. This is super creepy because this lady/girl being stalked by the narrator is completely unaware that this narrator being is for certain living with her. While reading, the narrator ind of sounded ghost like, and that thought pretty much made sense. No one ever noticed her in any of her pervious dwellings either. As the story progressed, that couldn't make sense because the being ate, drank, interacted with come people.... but really, I was satisfied with thinking she was a ghost, and it bothered me more knowing that she probably wasn't. Ehhhh, the narrator using the lady's clothes, playing with her cat and eating her food all unnoticed? what? Stalk-y being would even take food off the lady's plate while she was eating. The lady kind of had had a'n idea she wasn't alone. This sounds like a nightmare haha... not to mention confusing and annoying (aside from terrifying.)  So, it was pretty dissatisfying to me that this situation was never resolved and the narrator wasn't identified.  The lady being stalked and followed sets traps and stuff, trying to get to a conclusion, but in the end, there really isn't any. So yes, pretty spooky resolution that made me look behind me while I was writing this. Although, dissatisfying, I think it's well written and darkly creative. It plays of of common fears and insecurities from multiple angles. It was an entertaining short story to read is the topic of Science Fiction from a Diverse Perspective. I imagine this could be thought of as sci fi, because the bing really could be anything... alien? But it overall doesn't seem like a typical sci fi piece... which is not bad. I give a thumbs up for creepy.


In class, we watched the movie:
Attack the Block (2012) - Joe Cornish
This movie is from the perspective of a group of inner city kids in an alien invasion.

In class, we read:
Bloodchild- Octavia E. Butler

Notes:

-Humans are invasive species on a planet and are made to be hosts for the native creature species.
-Literary pivot point- role reversal (male/female)
-A matriarchy is established
-Octavia's voice as a black, female, sci-fi author is identified
-Slavery, symbiotic relationships, parasitic relationship can be identified and disputed as themes and categories of relationships in this
-Thinking about relationship with oppressors, power relationships. Can love exist where there is no equality?


Thursday, April 2, 2015

Cyber Punk and Steam Punk

This genre is driven by fear or anxiety around machine intelligence, and it as a threat to humanity.

Cyborg Manefesto

We fear that machine intelligence will eventually evolve and become conscious that it does not need humanity, and may turn on humans (like in terminator)

Another Motif of this genre is an industrial landscape. The future envisioned in a cyber punk landscape is a vast suburbanization... the future is FILTHY... and the mechanical and industrial world are out of control.

Along with this, industrial body modification is also common with this genre. This is seen as an extension of the human body.

This genre mostly happens in a post-humanist landscape. After Nationalism peaks at WW2 there is a decline in an obsession in this concept. 

Another theme is Corporation

And lastly, in this genre we so often see the "Cyberpunk Heroine". She usually embodies all the attributes of the traditional hero, wears leather and kicks ass.

The matrix encompasses a lot of these genre tropes.

I recently watched Rachel Talalay's 1995, Tank Girl. (based on Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett's Comic)

It was weird haha. But it pretty much encompassed all of the genre tropes. Theres the evil water corporation, a cyber punk landscape with vast and filthy suburbanization, and the industrial world is out of control. Of course we have the Cyberpunk Heroine as well, Rebecca... kicking ass, sex galore, leather wearing, witty... the works 



Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick

The sub-genres we are reading this week deal in augmented, altered or alternative realities. Discuss the types of reality rendered

Describe the effects of these reality on the narrative and the implications for the presumed reader

Space Opera

Star Warssssss! I've always loved the series from when I was a kid. I remember telling my mom all about this really cool golden robot and his friend the trash can robot and their crazy adventures. Ha! Up until this year, I did not know that there was a genre called "Space Opera". I guess I always knew the genre existed but just never knew the correct term. It makes sense though. I always saw Space Opera as just Sci Fi. I  suppose there are defining elements that set it aside, making it more like a soap opera, having romantic, melodramatic adventures. (No opera music though- at least not yet!)

Space Opera seems to be a very hot genre of late. This past semester, it was the theme for the annual run illustration show. Also Dr. Who, Firefly, and Star Trek seem to be wildly popular with my generation. The media of television seems to be where this genera best grows, because in nature, the soap opera- like stories are episodical.

Although this week I took a chance to re-watch the original Star Wars trilogy. Having a new perspective on the genre offered an interesting/ enlightening perspective looking back.  I'm curious to try watching Firefly. I've heard good things, and I really like Buffy (Also Joss Whedon).  So much good content to explore this summer!