S&S vs. SF in BotNS

David Stockhoff · 22 Dec 2011, 20:44 · from 2011-December.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:44:14 -0500
Subject: (urth) S&S vs. SF in BotNS
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On 12/22/2011 2:19 PM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
>> From: Dan'l Danehy-Oakes danldo at gmail.com
>> Lee Berman wrote:
>>
>>> Thus I think the debates about the "real science" behind alzabo
>> and inhumi memory/personality
>>> sharing are moot. What we are supposed to pick up on is the
>> cannibalism/eucharistic aspects;
>>> the magic/spirituality of it.
>> Bingbingbingbingbing! That is _exactly_ what I am getting at. Thank you.
> ...
>
> Certainly we're supposed to pick up those aspects.  This would all be fine, if it weren't for Wolfe's article in /Thrust/ as quoted in LU:
>
> "There are /no/ fantasy elements involved -- no "magic" in the fantasy sense. There is time-travel, but that belongs to sf, not fantasy. There are hypnotism, sleight of hand, and a few other things, but those belong to the world of reality, if not the world of science." (/Thrust/ no. 19, winter-spring 1983)
>
> So my problem isn't with the books but with this quotation.  Of course I could just ignore it.

Granting that that comment was made in a particular context, even so I 
think it leaves room for everything discussed above. After all, belief 
in ritual magic is quite real; eating brains for magical purposes 
actually happened. That phrase "a few other things" could hide anything.

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