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From: brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: "Anti-Art" snobbery"
Message-ID: <242@hyper.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Aug-85 10:30:48 EDT
Article-I.D.: hyper.242
Posted: Wed Aug 28 10:30:48 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Sep-85 05:15:43 EDT
References: <3362@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> <515@baylor.UUCP>
Organization: Network Systems Corp., Mpls., Mn.
Lines: 17

> Science fiction is, as you say, the literature of ideas. Unlike other
> forms of literature the background has prominence over the characters.
> Thus it is that very bad works of literature are very good SF. The
> occasional exceptional author can produce a book that's both good SF
> and "art". .......................................................
> 
> 	Peter (Made in Australia) da Silva
> 		UUCP: ...!shell!neuro1!{hyd-ptd,baylor,datafac}!peter
> 		MCI: PDASILVA; CIS: 70216,1076

I respect your opinion on this, but it seems to me that, as
the "lituerature of ideas," the other requirements of the work
(characterization, quality of prose, etc) become stronger, not
weaker, lest the idea fail to get a fair hearing because the
writing itself puts one off the book.

			-- SKZB