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aamcnamaraIn light of all the World Book Day posts, throwing this one out there--not quite a meme, but--
I've been reading bits and drabs of Thackeray T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities. It's making me vaguely uncomfortable for a reason that I can actually identify: all the readings I've been doing for Post-Colonial Theory complicate this anthology like woah. The dippings-into that I've made all subscribe to that imperial worldview, and I haven't hit any yet that question or critique it. Maybe they're in there! But it's interesting to see how I start poking at the influences of stories, frown at premises, etc. based on the academic readings I've been assigned.
Also, how there are particular types of narratives that depend on an imperialist society to take place. Especially the "lone adventurer, exploring the wiiilds!" type of thing. Arguably (okay, possibly have been reading too much Spivak) the whole chosen-one-hero thing? And so it's always a choice, I guess, to put that in or not. Restricts the stories that you can tell but in another way opens up to more stories--or at least I hope it does, for me individually; I know it opens up to a wider variety of stories told by other people. Growing up in a very quest/explorer/hero-centered vein of fantasy literature makes it harder to see my way out of that, though, or to see in what ways that trope can be used without invoking the imperialist structures that grew it in the first place.
Possibly I'm getting too thinky. I should go to bed.
(Meanwhile, I have four and a half pages of a short story which is incredibly difficult to get right. Cursed thing. I will keep on, though; it's interesting just to see where this goes.)
I've been reading bits and drabs of Thackeray T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities. It's making me vaguely uncomfortable for a reason that I can actually identify: all the readings I've been doing for Post-Colonial Theory complicate this anthology like woah. The dippings-into that I've made all subscribe to that imperial worldview, and I haven't hit any yet that question or critique it. Maybe they're in there! But it's interesting to see how I start poking at the influences of stories, frown at premises, etc. based on the academic readings I've been assigned.
Also, how there are particular types of narratives that depend on an imperialist society to take place. Especially the "lone adventurer, exploring the wiiilds!" type of thing. Arguably (okay, possibly have been reading too much Spivak) the whole chosen-one-hero thing? And so it's always a choice, I guess, to put that in or not. Restricts the stories that you can tell but in another way opens up to more stories--or at least I hope it does, for me individually; I know it opens up to a wider variety of stories told by other people. Growing up in a very quest/explorer/hero-centered vein of fantasy literature makes it harder to see my way out of that, though, or to see in what ways that trope can be used without invoking the imperialist structures that grew it in the first place.
Possibly I'm getting too thinky. I should go to bed.
(Meanwhile, I have four and a half pages of a short story which is incredibly difficult to get right. Cursed thing. I will keep on, though; it's interesting just to see where this goes.)