Amy H. Sturgis's Blog, page 153
January 23, 2012
Monday Miscellany
Many thanks to everyone who took part in my poll on the "Vampire Novel of the Century." The poll is still open, if anyone else would like to take part.
In other news...
* As of the time I'm posting this, there are only three tickets left for my Sherlock and Science Fiction web lecture/Q&A on February 18. Thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word about this event.
* I have an update about Star Trek and History, the collection edited by Nancy Reagin that will include my essay "If This Is the (Final) Frontier, Where Are the Natives?" Wiley Blackwell has slated it for April 8, 2013 publication, just ahead of the expected May 2013 release date of the new Star Trek film. Huzzah!
* R.I.P., Etta James, January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012. I was listening to her haunting cover of "Somewhere" only hours before I learned of her death. *moment of silence*
* Neil Gaiman's Sherlockian story "The Case of Death and Honey" (from A Study in Sherlock ) has been nominated for an Edgar Award. (So, too, has an episode of the amazing Justified .)
* Previously I posted that China Glaze was releasing a new nail lacquer set in honor of The Hunger Games. Here is new information and detailed pictures of "Colours from the Capitol: The Hunger Games Collection."
* Lastly, my sweetheart gave me my Valentine's present early, a wonderful little netbook to make all my travels this spring/summer/fall far easier. (While I like tablets, they're not terribly useful/efficient for my purposes.) I just got a new "skin" to personalize it, and I'm quite tickled with what I found. To me, it looks like a cross between Conan Doyle's Dr. John Watson, looking off into the distance, and a refugee from H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, contemplating the Martians.
The official description is as follows: "A lone figure decked out in suit and bowler hat, is drawn to a mysterious, almost alien structure in the distance as a flock of silhouetted birds keeps watch, flying overhead, in this faded black and white grayscale design." I love it!
In other news...
* As of the time I'm posting this, there are only three tickets left for my Sherlock and Science Fiction web lecture/Q&A on February 18. Thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word about this event.
* I have an update about Star Trek and History, the collection edited by Nancy Reagin that will include my essay "If This Is the (Final) Frontier, Where Are the Natives?" Wiley Blackwell has slated it for April 8, 2013 publication, just ahead of the expected May 2013 release date of the new Star Trek film. Huzzah!
* R.I.P., Etta James, January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012. I was listening to her haunting cover of "Somewhere" only hours before I learned of her death. *moment of silence*
* Neil Gaiman's Sherlockian story "The Case of Death and Honey" (from A Study in Sherlock ) has been nominated for an Edgar Award. (So, too, has an episode of the amazing Justified .)
* Previously I posted that China Glaze was releasing a new nail lacquer set in honor of The Hunger Games. Here is new information and detailed pictures of "Colours from the Capitol: The Hunger Games Collection."
* Lastly, my sweetheart gave me my Valentine's present early, a wonderful little netbook to make all my travels this spring/summer/fall far easier. (While I like tablets, they're not terribly useful/efficient for my purposes.) I just got a new "skin" to personalize it, and I'm quite tickled with what I found. To me, it looks like a cross between Conan Doyle's Dr. John Watson, looking off into the distance, and a refugee from H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, contemplating the Martians.
The official description is as follows: "A lone figure decked out in suit and bowler hat, is drawn to a mysterious, almost alien structure in the distance as a flock of silhouetted birds keeps watch, flying overhead, in this faded black and white grayscale design." I love it!
January 18, 2012
Poll Time!
Happy birthday to
![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1384074619i/6764190.gif)
astromachy
and
![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1418110195i/12674077.png)
manonlechat
, and happy early birthday to
shalna
,
estellye
,
sithdragn
,
reynardine
,
arisbe
,
dirtwitch
, and
dominique012
. May all of you enjoy a wonderful day and a fantastic year to come!
The Horror Writers Association has announced the nominees for the Bram Stoker Vampire Novel of the Century Award. The six finalists for "Vampire Novel of the Century" are as follows: The Soft Whisper of the Dead by Charles L. Grant (1983), Salem's Lot by Stephen King (1975), I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954), Anno Dracula by Kim Newman (1992), Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976), and Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (1978).
Most of my gothic reading predates this past century, so of these titles, I'm sorry to say I've read only one: I Am Legend, which I absolutely love (and highly recommend). Anno Dracula has been on my "to read" list for some time, so I think I'll move it to the top of the pile. As for titles not listed, I do remember quite liking Barbara Hambly's Those Who Hunt the Night (1988), but I'm not certain that it's "best of the century" material. I also thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian (2000), although it qualifies as a 20th-century work only by the skin of its (pointed) teeth.
Once I saw this list, I was anxious to hear what you thought, my clever and well-read friends. So I ask...
View Poll: What is the greatest vampire novel of the century?
"There are such beings as vampires, some of us have evidence that they exist. Even had we not the proof of our own unhappy experience, the teachings and the records of the past give proof enough for sane peoples."
- Bram Stoker, Dracula
astromachy
and
manonlechat
, and happy early birthday to
shalna
,
estellye
,
sithdragn
,
reynardine
,
arisbe
,
dirtwitch
, and
dominique012
. May all of you enjoy a wonderful day and a fantastic year to come!The Horror Writers Association has announced the nominees for the Bram Stoker Vampire Novel of the Century Award. The six finalists for "Vampire Novel of the Century" are as follows: The Soft Whisper of the Dead by Charles L. Grant (1983), Salem's Lot by Stephen King (1975), I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (1954), Anno Dracula by Kim Newman (1992), Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976), and Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (1978).
Most of my gothic reading predates this past century, so of these titles, I'm sorry to say I've read only one: I Am Legend, which I absolutely love (and highly recommend). Anno Dracula has been on my "to read" list for some time, so I think I'll move it to the top of the pile. As for titles not listed, I do remember quite liking Barbara Hambly's Those Who Hunt the Night (1988), but I'm not certain that it's "best of the century" material. I also thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian (2000), although it qualifies as a 20th-century work only by the skin of its (pointed) teeth.
Once I saw this list, I was anxious to hear what you thought, my clever and well-read friends. So I ask...
View Poll: What is the greatest vampire novel of the century?
"There are such beings as vampires, some of us have evidence that they exist. Even had we not the proof of our own unhappy experience, the teachings and the records of the past give proof enough for sane peoples."
- Bram Stoker, Dracula
January 17, 2012
Wait - Where Did Monday Go?
* My most recent StarShipSofa "Looking Back on Genre History" segment, which discusses the first English translation of the original manuscript of Jules Verne's "invisible man" novel
The Secret of Wilhelm Storitz
, is now available. You can download it or listen to it here. If you listen, I hope you enjoy. (A full list of my past podcast segments, with links, is available here.)
* After a spectacular second series, it's great news to hear that Sherlock will be back for a third!
* Young adult dystopias (you can see the lastest iteration of my working list here) are again in the news. Here are a couple of recent articles:
-- from Salon: "What Occupy Could Learn From The Hunger Games"
-- a response from ThinkProgress: "Are YA Dystopias Secretly Conservative?"
I don't usually post about politics here - I'm part of a group blog for that - but I did want to note that at midnight, the English language version of Wikipedia (along with reddit and a host of other sites) is going dark for 24 hours in response to SOPA and PIPA. It's not an exaggeration to say the future of many outlets (including LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction.net, YouTube, DeviantArt, and others that host transformative works) might hang in the balance. It's proposed US legislation with truly global consequences. /Rant
Here's a useful video.
"Moriarty Lied: I Believe in Sherlock Holmes!"
- as seen on a t-shirt
* After a spectacular second series, it's great news to hear that Sherlock will be back for a third!
* Young adult dystopias (you can see the lastest iteration of my working list here) are again in the news. Here are a couple of recent articles:
-- from Salon: "What Occupy Could Learn From The Hunger Games"
-- a response from ThinkProgress: "Are YA Dystopias Secretly Conservative?"
I don't usually post about politics here - I'm part of a group blog for that - but I did want to note that at midnight, the English language version of Wikipedia (along with reddit and a host of other sites) is going dark for 24 hours in response to SOPA and PIPA. It's not an exaggeration to say the future of many outlets (including LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction.net, YouTube, DeviantArt, and others that host transformative works) might hang in the balance. It's proposed US legislation with truly global consequences. /Rant
Here's a useful video.
PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.
"Moriarty Lied: I Believe in Sherlock Holmes!"
- as seen on a t-shirt
January 14, 2012
A Promo, A Picture, and Other Stuff
In case you're interested, here is my five-minute audio promo for my upcoming live video lecture/Q&A session on "Sherlock and Science Fiction." At the time I'm posting this, only nine tickets remain for this event, which will be held online at 3pm GMT on 18 February, 2012. I hope some of you will be able to join me. I already have my "thematic" apparel chosen and ready. *wink*
To get everyone in the mood, StarShipSofa is running a three-part serial (on episodes #220, #221, and #222, the first of which aired this past week) of one of M.J. Trow's Inspector Lestrade stories, "Exit Center Stage." Enjoy the Holmesian love!
I love this new image of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming Hobbit films:
In other news, I'm steeling myself for tomorrow's "The Reichenbach Fall," Sherlock's adaptation of "The Final Problem." Thus my quote for the day:
"Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last."
- Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of the Red Circle"
To get everyone in the mood, StarShipSofa is running a three-part serial (on episodes #220, #221, and #222, the first of which aired this past week) of one of M.J. Trow's Inspector Lestrade stories, "Exit Center Stage." Enjoy the Holmesian love!
I love this new image of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming Hobbit films:
In other news, I'm steeling myself for tomorrow's "The Reichenbach Fall," Sherlock's adaptation of "The Final Problem." Thus my quote for the day:
"Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last."
- Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of the Red Circle"
January 10, 2012
Bizarre Hobbity Goodness and Other Misc. News
From the "Misc." files...
* Enrollment for Spring 2012 courses (both for audit and graduate credit) at The Mythgard Institute, including my online seminar on "Taking Harry Seriously: The Artistry and Meaning of the Harry Potter Saga," closes on January 13.
* Speaking of teaching, I've just agreed to offer my online seminar on the dystopian tradition, "The Hunger Games and Worlds Gone Wrong," at Belmont University this summer.
* Thanks to the extended trailer for Sherlock's "The Reichenbach Fall" (see it here), I have Nina Simone's version of "Sinnerman" on continual loop in my head, now with extra Moriarty-esque goodness creepiness.
* From SF Signal: Before the 1977 Rankin And Bass production of The Hobbit, there was this 1966 version by Gene Deitch. Originally planned as a full-length feature film before the Tolkien craze hit, a screenplay was written that took several heretical liberties with the story. Unfortunately the deal fell through with 20th Century Fox. But then, just one month before the rights were set to expire, the property value of Tolkien's work skyrocketed and Gene put together the version you see here:
Read Gene Deitch's fascinating recollection of the events.
"Dilettantes," Art3mis said. "It's their own fault for not knowing all the Schoolhouse Rock! lyrics by heart."
― Ernest Cline, Ready Player One
* Enrollment for Spring 2012 courses (both for audit and graduate credit) at The Mythgard Institute, including my online seminar on "Taking Harry Seriously: The Artistry and Meaning of the Harry Potter Saga," closes on January 13.
* Speaking of teaching, I've just agreed to offer my online seminar on the dystopian tradition, "The Hunger Games and Worlds Gone Wrong," at Belmont University this summer.
* Thanks to the extended trailer for Sherlock's "The Reichenbach Fall" (see it here), I have Nina Simone's version of "Sinnerman" on continual loop in my head, now with extra Moriarty-esque goodness creepiness.
* From SF Signal: Before the 1977 Rankin And Bass production of The Hobbit, there was this 1966 version by Gene Deitch. Originally planned as a full-length feature film before the Tolkien craze hit, a screenplay was written that took several heretical liberties with the story. Unfortunately the deal fell through with 20th Century Fox. But then, just one month before the rights were set to expire, the property value of Tolkien's work skyrocketed and Gene put together the version you see here:
Read Gene Deitch's fascinating recollection of the events.
"Dilettantes," Art3mis said. "It's their own fault for not knowing all the Schoolhouse Rock! lyrics by heart."
― Ernest Cline, Ready Player One
January 7, 2012
News, A Free Download, and a YouTube Video
* The always-eldritch Dwight MacPherson is offering the first chapter of his forthcoming Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom for free download. It's Lovecraft! It's MacPherson! It's free! What's not to love? Check out the preview here.
* My paper on the literary ancestors of the TV series Fringe (including Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and the tradition of "SF investigator" literature) has been accepted for presentation in March at SONAR: The Symposium On Nerdy Academic Research (I love that name!), which should be loads of fun.
As you may recall, last May I went to DC to film some videos for The Institute for Humane Studies. Well, the first has gone live into the YouTube 'verse. More are forthcoming.
(For those of you who know me in real life, no, I don't know why I look like I haven't slept in six months. For those of you who don't know me in real life, meet the lisp that fought my childhood speech therapists and won!)
As usual, I'm far better via the written word than in person; FYI, this mini-talk is based on my article "Not the Same Old Hickory: The Contested Legacy of Andrew Jackson" in Reason.
"To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June."
- Jean-Paul Sartre
* My paper on the literary ancestors of the TV series Fringe (including Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and the tradition of "SF investigator" literature) has been accepted for presentation in March at SONAR: The Symposium On Nerdy Academic Research (I love that name!), which should be loads of fun.
As you may recall, last May I went to DC to film some videos for The Institute for Humane Studies. Well, the first has gone live into the YouTube 'verse. More are forthcoming.
(For those of you who know me in real life, no, I don't know why I look like I haven't slept in six months. For those of you who don't know me in real life, meet the lisp that fought my childhood speech therapists and won!)
As usual, I'm far better via the written word than in person; FYI, this mini-talk is based on my article "Not the Same Old Hickory: The Contested Legacy of Andrew Jackson" in Reason.
"To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June."
- Jean-Paul Sartre
January 6, 2012
Sherlock and Science Fiction
To say I'm excited about this announcement is quite the understatement.
It seemed only fitting to post this on Sherlock Holmes's birthday!
The Hugo Award-winning StarShipSofa presents...
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND SCIENCE FICTION:
A Live Video Lecture by Dr. Amy H. Sturgis
What does the world's only consulting detective have to do with science fiction? What was the relationship of his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to the genre? Why have so many science fiction authors since Doyle found ways to incorporate Holmes into their works? What is the unique history between Holmes's world and H.P. Lovecraft's? In what ways has Holmes been recreated and reimagined via science fiction over the years? What is it about Holmes that makes him so at home – and popular! – in the 21st century?
Join award-winning genre scholar Amy H. Sturgis live as she investigates Sherlock Holmes then and now through a science fictional lens. A live Q&A will follow the lecture.
Click here for full details (date, time, tickets), including a synopsis of this four-part presentation.
It seemed only fitting to post this on Sherlock Holmes's birthday!
The Hugo Award-winning StarShipSofa presents...
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND SCIENCE FICTION:
A Live Video Lecture by Dr. Amy H. Sturgis
What does the world's only consulting detective have to do with science fiction? What was the relationship of his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to the genre? Why have so many science fiction authors since Doyle found ways to incorporate Holmes into their works? What is the unique history between Holmes's world and H.P. Lovecraft's? In what ways has Holmes been recreated and reimagined via science fiction over the years? What is it about Holmes that makes him so at home – and popular! – in the 21st century?
Join award-winning genre scholar Amy H. Sturgis live as she investigates Sherlock Holmes then and now through a science fictional lens. A live Q&A will follow the lecture.
Click here for full details (date, time, tickets), including a synopsis of this four-part presentation.
January 5, 2012
Happy Geek Thursday!
Ah, there are so many reasons why I am a happy geek girl today. To wit:
1. The new series of Sherlock . Obviously.
2. Casting spoiler alert! Speaking of Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch has been confirmed as the villain for the next Star Trek film!
3. Also speaking of Benedict Cumberbatch, there will be a fourth series of Cabin Pressure! (Don't miss the picture at this link.)
4. I am currently reading the 2011 dystopian science fiction novel Ready Player One , and it is brilliant.
5. Last but not least, the first single from the soundtrack to The Hunger Games (produced by the legendary T. Bone Burnett) has been released. Perhaps this is the lullaby Katniss sings to Rue? Here it is:
SHERLOCK: "Geek Interpreter." What's that?
JOHN: It's the title.
SHERLOCK: What does it need a title for?
- from "A Scandal in Belgravia," Sherlock
1. The new series of Sherlock . Obviously.
2. Casting spoiler alert! Speaking of Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch has been confirmed as the villain for the next Star Trek film!
3. Also speaking of Benedict Cumberbatch, there will be a fourth series of Cabin Pressure! (Don't miss the picture at this link.)
4. I am currently reading the 2011 dystopian science fiction novel Ready Player One , and it is brilliant.
5. Last but not least, the first single from the soundtrack to The Hunger Games (produced by the legendary T. Bone Burnett) has been released. Perhaps this is the lullaby Katniss sings to Rue? Here it is:
SHERLOCK: "Geek Interpreter." What's that?
JOHN: It's the title.
SHERLOCK: What does it need a title for?
- from "A Scandal in Belgravia," Sherlock
January 3, 2012
A day to celebrate!
Today is the birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of Hobbits and Dwarves and Elves and all of Middle-earth, who was born this day in 1892. I hope everyone will participate in The Tolkien Society's International Birthday Toast for 2012!
Happy tenth birthday to The Shire's Virginia Lórien, a.k.a. Virginia, the world's most beautiful Boston terrier and our very best friend, who was born this day in 2002. We love you, Sweetheart!
Here is the birthday girl:
You can see more pictures of Virginia here.
The quote for the day is from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, and one of Virginia's favorite verses (because, after all, it mentions part of her name):
"Gandalf's Song of Lórien"
In Dwimordene, in Lórien
Seldom have walked the feet of Men,
Few mortal eyes have seen the light
That lies there ever, long and bright.
Galadriel! Galadriel!
Clear is the water of your well;
White is the star in your white hand;
Unmarred, unstained is leaf and land
In Dwimordene, in Lórien
More fair than thoughts of Mortal Men.
Happy tenth birthday to The Shire's Virginia Lórien, a.k.a. Virginia, the world's most beautiful Boston terrier and our very best friend, who was born this day in 2002. We love you, Sweetheart!
Here is the birthday girl:
You can see more pictures of Virginia here.
The quote for the day is from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, and one of Virginia's favorite verses (because, after all, it mentions part of her name):
"Gandalf's Song of Lórien"
In Dwimordene, in Lórien
Seldom have walked the feet of Men,
Few mortal eyes have seen the light
That lies there ever, long and bright.
Galadriel! Galadriel!
Clear is the water of your well;
White is the star in your white hand;
Unmarred, unstained is leaf and land
In Dwimordene, in Lórien
More fair than thoughts of Mortal Men.
January 1, 2012
Happy 2012!
Happy 2012! Best wishes to one and all.
Happy birthday to![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380916456i/3231018.gif)
nickdcam
, and happy early birthday to
![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380985513i/3682689.gif)
the_cornettist
,
milkybarbiatch
,
delwyncole
,
jpsorrow
,
gryphonrhi
,
brighteyed_jill
,
scribblerworks
,
mjolnir1964
,
altariel
,
pwilkinson
,
lukeski
,
seemag
,
![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1381557958i/5030673.png)
pinkfinity
, and
thrihyrne
.
Each year I revisit this quote. I think it is worth repeating...
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion;
respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long
and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song
for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing
a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food
and for the joy of living;
if you see no reason for giving thanks,
the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing,
for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear
of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray
for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different
way; sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
- attributed to Tecumseh (1768?-1813), Shawnee Nation
(Note: The historian in me demanded that I add this footnote, just FYI. While researching and writing this I failed to find an adequate source for the above quote, so I suspect it has been enhanced and adjusted over the years, and might not even have originated with him at all. The sentiments, however, fit extremely well with more verifiable statements and speeches made by Tecumseh.)
Happy birthday to
nickdcam
, and happy early birthday to
the_cornettist
,
milkybarbiatch
,
delwyncole
,
jpsorrow
,
gryphonrhi
,
brighteyed_jill
,
scribblerworks
,
mjolnir1964
,
altariel
,
pwilkinson
,
lukeski
,
seemag
,
pinkfinity
, and
thrihyrne
. Each year I revisit this quote. I think it is worth repeating...
So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion;
respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long
and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song
for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing
a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food
and for the joy of living;
if you see no reason for giving thanks,
the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing,
for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear
of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray
for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different
way; sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
- attributed to Tecumseh (1768?-1813), Shawnee Nation
(Note: The historian in me demanded that I add this footnote, just FYI. While researching and writing this I failed to find an adequate source for the above quote, so I suspect it has been enhanced and adjusted over the years, and might not even have originated with him at all. The sentiments, however, fit extremely well with more verifiable statements and speeches made by Tecumseh.)
