Urth - Geology vs Humanity

Lane Haygood · 03 Dec 2008, 17:21 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: lhaygood at gmail.com (Lane Haygood)
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 11:21:05 -0600
Subject: (urth) Urth - Geology vs Humanity
In-Reply-To: <4936BF1F.1070508 at doubtfulpalace.com>
References: <63FB9AC7E0AEC7459DBCC99DC44247CA01F6B013 at BOSIDEXDB.Bankofscotland.ie>
	<4936BF1F.1070508 at doubtfulpalace.com>
Message-ID: <272706220812030921q5cd76fe2r842135a20411f289 at mail.gmail.com>

On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 11:17 AM, Tim Walters <walters at doubtfulpalace.com>wrote:

> O'Donnell, Tim (BOSI) wrote:
>
> Vance in the Dying Earth series never gave any clues to the passage of time
>> and thus escaped this trap.
>>
>
> I don't have time to look for a pull quote right now, but I'm pretty sure
> that somewhere he makes it clear that it's far, far in the future, far
> enough for the sun to have weakened naturally.
>
> And while the subgenre is named after Vance's book, he wasn't the only (or
> first) to write in it. Vance's model was Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique
> stories. Richard Lupoff wrote "One Million Centuries." Arthur C. Clarke got
> a toe in with "The City And The Stars." Ultimately the trope goes back to
> Wells' "The Time Machine." I'm pretty sure all of these are explicit about
> the passage of eons, and it's an important part of their effect.
>
> I believe Wolfe is following this tradition.
>
> --
>
> Tim Walters | The Doubtful Palace | http://doubtfulpalace.com
>


It's also instructive to note that the Dying Earth subgenre is very pulpy,
esp. in the Clark Ashton Smith (and his imitators) vein.  Vance brought a
little more literary panache to the genre, but its roots are pure pulp.

Pulp is often willing to sacrifice logic and good science for dramatic
effect.

-Lane

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