From: jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Jim Mann)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.misc
Subject: Re: Designing a Course (was: Re: What _ought_ to be in a proper course on sf?)
Date: 21 Jan 1993 13:34:39 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer Inc, Marlboro MA
Reply-To: jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: gondolin.pubs.stratus.com

In article <STEINLY.93Jan20155707@topaz.ucsc.edu>  
steinly@topaz.ucsc.edu (Steinn Sigurdsson) writes:
> In article <1jkg52INNs55@transfer.stratus.com>  
jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Jim Mann) writes:
> 
> 
>    In article <Dave_Wetzel-200193154716@dwetzel.mis.stratus.com>  
>    Dave_Wetzel@vos.stratus.com (David Wetzel) writes:
>    > In article <1jk7poINNc47@newsstand.cit.cornell.edu>,
>    > phydeaux@guru.med.cornell.edu (Dave Weingart) wrote:
> 
>    >> Things I'd like to see in the SF class (off the top of my  
head):
>    > * LeGuin - one of: The Disposessed, The Left Hand of Darkness,  
The  
>    Lathe of
>    > Heaven
>    > * Asimov - Nightfall
>    I suppose, though there are a dozen Asimov stories I like
>    better than this.
> Maybe one of his Robot shorts...

After thinking about it a bit, I think one of the Foundation
stories (possibly "The Mule")  would be a good choice.

>    Now, lets also identify the authors who we'd like to represent  
(and
>    perhaps a work by them):   (Note, not all of these are  
represented
>    in the anthologies I listed above.)

[I've deleted chunks of the original, since my newsreader doesn't
like it when I include too much text from previous posts.]


>    Heinlein  "By His Bootstraps"
> All you zombies

"All You Zombies" is a good story also, but I think "By His
Bootstraps" is better because it develops as a real story. "All
You Zombies" is mostly an elaborate joke (though a good one).

>    Bradbury  "Mars Is Heaven"
> Fahrenheit 451!

But that's a novel. It's good, but Bradbury was at his very
best (and most influential) with his short stories.

>    Smith     "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" or "The Ballad of 
> 	      Lost C'Mell"
> Yes!
> Also "Game of Rat and Dragon" - that's by Smith isn't it?

Yes, that's also Smith.

> 
> As a genre issue I suppose some cyberbunk should be included.
> Also some Moorcock, I'd say Warhound and the Worlds Pain if it
> were not so unrepresentative, perhaps Dancers at the End of Time?

I think Sterling is a good representative of cyberpunk, though
perhaps we should also include something by Gibson.  Moorcock
is a writer who probably should be represented, but none of the
his novels seem to be worth being one of the 4 or 5 the course
reads. Maybe the short version of "Behold the Man" would do.
> 
> For more modern hard stuff, how about Timescape by Benford,
> Postman (the novella) by Brin, and maybe Startide Rising
> or Crystal Spheres, and "True Names" by Vinge?
> Oh, and Thor meets Captain America by Brin is a must too!

I never liked "The Crystal Spheres."

I like Timescape a lot, and it's worth including if we have the
space.

> An author noticably missing so far is Stabledon, but I'd have
> a very hard time picking which novel; perhaps Odd John,
> or maybe Sirius, except Last and First Men and Star Maker
> are too de riguer. Make 'em (want to) read 'em all, kids nowadays  
watch
> too much tv anyhow...
> 

I never liked Stapledon, though he is influential enough that
maybe he deserves space. Perhaps an excerpt from Last and First
Men (the chapters of which to some degree stand on their own)
will do.

--
Jim Mann            
Stratus Computer   jmann@vineland.pubs.stratus.com  

Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.misc