Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site duke.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!duke!crm
From: crm@duke.UUCP (Charlie Martin)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: space "operas"
Message-ID: <5872@duke.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-May-85 14:26:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: duke.5872
Posted: Thu May 23 14:26:27 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 25-May-85 09:46:28 EDT
References: <2056@topaz.ARPA>
Reply-To: crm@duke.UUCP (Charlie Martin)
Organization: Duke University
Lines: 28
Summary: 

In article <2056@topaz.ARPA> milne@uci-icse writes:
>From: Alastair Milne <milne@uci-icse>
>
>
>  Would somebody please have pity and tell me what a space "opera" is supposed
>  to be?  

>  Thanks,
>  Alastair Milne

Jeez, I almost hate to do it, but --

space opera is named by association with "horse opera", i.e. 2-reel
shoot'em-ups.  If a movie or story can be translated from SF to Bonanza
by word replacement of "phaser" with "Winchester" and "spaceship" with
"noon stage" -- then it is space opera.  The term has gottento be
extended to include most all mindless public-appeal SF, especially in
movies (not to mention the Star Wars flicks, which I persist in thinking
are not mindless); even the recent book "The Helmsman", which reads to
me like a translation of Alexander Kent imitating C.S. Forester.

Ghods know why 2-reel oaters became known as horse opera.


-- 

			Charlie Martin
			(...mcnc!duke!crm)