Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!ucbvax!ucdavis!lll-crg!seismo!columbia!topaz!Purtill.StudentNS From: Purtill.StudentNS@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: The Literature of Ideas Message-ID: <3654@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Fri, 13-Sep-85 18:36:37 EDT Article-I.D.: topaz.3654 Posted: Fri Sep 13 18:36:37 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 16-Sep-85 00:03:56 EDT Sender: daemon@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 28 From: Mark Purtill >[responding to Charley Wingate, Peter da Silva writes:] >Item: Leguin and the other authors you mentioned with her are >outside the domain of SF. So, I think, are the other authors you >mentioned. One must distinguish between SF and literature with an SF >background. Stephen King writes plenty of the latter, but I don't >believe he has provided one new theme. You don't think Le Guin writes SF? Or Fred Pohl (one of the "other authors" Charley Wingate mentioned)? You must have a very narrow view of what "SF" means, and I don't think this perception is shared by most readers of "SF." I also don't understand your distinction between "SF" and "literature with an SF background." Citing Stephen King is little help as (1) I've never read anything by him, and (2) I was under the impression that he mostly wrote "horror" stuff. To me, "SF" means what we point to and say "that's SF." (Does anyone out there know who came up with that definition? I'm sure I read it somewhere...) It's not a very satisfactory definition, but anything excludes works that are "clearly" SF and/or includes works that equally "clearly" aren't. Anyway, certainly Lequin's _The Lathe of Heaven_ and Pohl's _Gateway_ are SF. Mark ^.-.^ Purtill at MIT-MULTICS.ARPA **Insert favorite disclaimer here** ((")) 2-229 MIT Cambrige MA 02139 Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com