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From: wildbill@ucbvax.ARPA (William J. Laubenheimer)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: space "operas"
Message-ID: <7480@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 24-May-85 22:49:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.7480
Posted: Fri May 24 22:49:17 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 25-May-85 11:42:21 EDT
References: <2056@topaz.ARPA>
Reply-To: wildbill@ucbvax.UUCP (William J. Laubenheimer)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 31

Alastair Milne wants a definition of the term "Space Opera". I can do no
better than refer him to the introduction by noted SF author and bibliographer
Brian W. Aldiss, in his collection of such stories entitled "Space Opera"
(Doubleday, 1974). Some excerpts which may help clear up the issue:

"...Space opera was heady, escapist stuff, charging on without overmuch
regard for logic or literacy, while often throwing off great images,
excitements, and aspirations. Nowadays -- rather like grand opera -- it is
considered to be in decline, and is in the hands of imitators, or else has
evolved into sword-and-sorcery."

[On a definition of "space opera":]

"...The term is both vague and inspired, and must have been coined with both
affection and some scorn, analogously with soap opera and horse opera. And,
analogously with opera itself, space opera has certain conventions which are
essential to it ... Ideally, the Earth must be in peril, there must be a
quest and a man to match the mighty hour. That man must confront aliens and
exotic creatures. Space must flow past the ports like wine from a pitcher.
Blood must run down the palace steps, and ships launch out into the louring
dark. There must be a woman fairer than the skies and a villain darker than
a Black Hole. And all must come right in the end."

There follow several excellent examples of the sub-genre. If you do not
find this material sufficiently exciting (or perhaps outrageous, depending
on your taste), another Aldiss anthology, \\Galactic Empires// (St. Martin's,
1976), will lead you even farther in that dimension.

                                        Bill Laubenheimer
----------------------------------------UC-Berkeley Computer Science
     ...Killjoy went that-a-way--->     ucbvax!wildbill