Subject: (urth) Modernism, academic study, etc

From: Jonathan Laidlow <laidlojm at hhs.bham.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 09:19:15 +0000

Hello folks,

I've been away for a little while - work is hell - the thesis drags ever 
closer to completion, but this morning I took twenty minutes to skim 
through the latest Urth digests.

I agree with Damian - a fascinating discussion of Modernism - far 
more interesting than the ugly flame war I started on the subject 
some months ago. I still maintain, and urge you to read, Clute and 
Nicholls' piece on Wolfe in the SF Encyclopedia and its related 
texts. It is a very interesting piece on the subject of Wolfe and 
modernist SF. Given a little time, and if my CD-Rom was in the 
office I'd quote a few passages from it. Maybe tomorrow.

On the subject of academic study of Wolfe -well it is happening. My 
website bibliography of academic studies of Wolfe requires 
updating - it doesn't have any of Robert Borski's pieces in NYRSF 
yet as I haven't tracked them down. It also hasn't got Gerlach's new 
piece on Long Sun in Extrapolation yet. A recent book on British 
SF films features a piece by Peter Wright. Not on Wolfe, but the 
notes on contributors assert that he is working on a study of Wolfe.

I've also several times talked the talk about putting together some 
kind of academic journal on Wolfe. While my academic position is 
currently tenuous, once I'm in a secure job I plan to try to put 
together at least one set of scholarly essays on Wolfe. Nigel Price 
and I have also frequently discussed doing a one day symposium 
on Wolfe in the UK and I'm currently in the very early stages of 
planning that. More information as it becomes available!

As for the journal - Potto and I have discussed putting an electronic 
preview issue on my website which would reprint his now out-of-
print Nova Express piece and perhaps a few other choice morsels.

Suggestions and offers of help greatly appreciated.

Jonathan Laidlow
Visit Ultan's Library - A Gene Wolfe web resource
http://members.tripod.co.uk/laidlow/index.htm
Jonathan Laidlow
University of Birmingham, UK

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/