From: clc@kepler.unh.edu (Christian L Claiborn)
Subject: Re: SNOW CRASH by Neal Stephenson
Organization: University of New Hampshire  -  Durham, NH
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 01:24:03 GMT

In article <1906haINNb5l@oak10.doc.ic.ac.uk> mjb@doc.ic.ac.uk (Matthew Jude Brown) writes:
>In article <1992Sep13.183907.3214@newshost.unh.edu> clc@kepler.unh.edu (Christian L Claiborn) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep11.155743.18480@galileo.physics.arizona.edu> lnh@soliton.physics.arizona.edu (sometimes a Wombat) writes:
>>>clc@kepler.unh.edu (Christian L Claiborn) writes:
>>>>The only 'cyberpunk' writer with a grain of originality in him, at least in
>>>>my experience, is Bruce Sterling.
>>>Him and, a little less of it, Pat Cadigan.
>>Oh dear.  Is Cadigan stuck with the cyberpunk label too?  I've always enjoyed
>>Pat's work, never really grouped it with that of <ick> Gibson's.
          <Filler deleted>  <Filler deleted>  <Filler deleted>
>(1) Good fiction is good fiction, and bad fiction is bad fiction, and
>anyone who cares about what 'label' some people stick on an author's
>work, or worse is influenced by that label, is being foolish;

Looks like that's me.  I personally take offense whenever a writer who I am
a 'fan' of gets labeled with one of the truly bletcherous tags that are  
assigned to so many writers today.  It's not such a problem till you say, 
"Hey, I read Margaret Atwood's new book today," and someone says, "Isn't she
just feminist SF?"

>(2) In my experience, most of what's any good is difficult to assign a
>category for, anyway. (of course, there are always notable
>exceptions). However, some people dislike this state of affairs, and
>spend ages trying to stuff everthing into their neatly labelled boxes.
>I don't think it's worth getting annoyed over these people.

I enjoy getting annoyed about these people.  Jesus, if I didn't get pissed
off every once in a while, I'd be resigned to flaming alt.disney at regular
intervals.

>Seems to me that the sort of association you're seeing here is:
>Cyberpunk = Gibson imitators
>Gibson    = yuck
>=> calling [your favorite authors' work] 'cyberpunk' is saying it's
>rubbish.
Not bad.  A recursive definition in BNF might've been more fun, but that's not
a bad way to classify my prejudices.

>But do you really care? If others are being foolish, chuckle quietly
>and pass on.

Isn't it much more fun to make fun of them?  My lord, nobody here has any 
sense of the importance of being obnoxious.  I think that was a play by Oscar
Wilde.

>[There should be more smileys in this. Imagine them at appropriate
>points. One per line should be sufficient]

Likewise.  But I feel way too asinine for words typing ":-)"
>-Matt
						clc
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