Backwards and in High Heels…
I got into a really good conversation on Goodreads regarding how fantasy and Science Fiction tends to be looked down upon and not regarded as, ‘literature.’ This, despite many classics of literature actually being, quite incontrovertibly Fantasy or Science Fiction.
One contributor pointed out that writers such as Margaret Attwood are appalled at the suggestion that they are writing Science Fiction, even when they quite clearly are and go out of their way to loudly deny it.
So, what’s wrong with Fantasy and Science Fiction? Why is it considered a lesser form of writing?
I think we can all appreciate that in its early days, it was a mainstay of the ‘pulp fiction market.’ Which, by the way, does not mean that all the works produced in those days were bad, some of them were amazing. In any case though, that was a long time ago. Fantasy and Sc-Fi have been respectable for a very long time now. Yet, somehow, neither can quite shake the labels that were slapped on them then. Sci-Fi. The perceived wisdom has it, is cold, technical and two dimensional. Fantasy, is silly, macho, juvenile. Both genres are you know, just for kids, aren’t they?
Well, no, no they aren’t. They are the absolute best way in which to explore difficult or controversial topics without offending anyone. If some of them also happen to be very entertaining while they are doing that, well what’s wrong with that? Who says a book can’t be both worthwhile and entertaining? Where did that idea come from?
Another contributor mentioned that books like the recent Piranesi by Susanna Clarke are at last going someway towards bridging that perceived gap between Fantasy, Sci-Fi and literature. I quite agree, it’s a beautiful book and sits very nicely between both worlds. The prose is wonderful but I have read words just as lovely in ‘pure,’ fantasy and Sc-Fi.
It’s an old hobby horse of mine, so apologies for the next bit, I may foam at the mouth ever so slightly. Do you not think, that ‘Literary Fiction,’ is a strange beast anyway? Literary Fiction accounts for only a tiny percentage of world-wide book sales, yet it is the yardstick by which all other books are measured. Why?
‘Literary Authors,’ get away with things genre authors never could. A ‘Literary Work,’ need have no discernible structure and come to no conclusion. It can be a sixty thousand word rambling essay that loosely resembles a story and just quietly peters out when whatever bee is in the author’s bonnet stops buzzing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that they wouldn’t be beautiful, exquisitely chosen words but still, you know what I’m saying, I’m sure you do.
My ‘author hat,’ is now firmly on… not I hasten to add, that I am proclaiming myself a great writer or some such, I’m well aware that I’m nobody much. On behalf of authors everywhere though, please stop looking down on Fantasy and Sci-Fi and those who write it.
So, why is this blog called ‘Backwards and in High Heels?’
Well, there is a famous quote attributed to Ginger Rogers (she never actually said it) that she did everything Fred Astaire did, except ‘backwards and in high heels.’
Now, imagine you are say, a crime writer, yes, that will do, you’re a crime writer. However, in your latest book, before you can develop good, well-rounded characters with a satisfying back story. A strong, fascinating plot. Realistic, moving, relationships and a string of entertaining sub plots, you have to do something else first.
First you have to give a brief history of the town where the action takes place, explain the religious and political climate of the country in which that town is located. Then, there are some other things to explain, like, what a police man is, what the different ranks are in the police service, what a police station is, how a police car works. Computers, smart phones and even the humble ball point pen, you must first introduce these concepts and properly explain them.
Did I mention that you have to provide all this exposition without the use of the dreaded ‘info dump?’ That you have to impart all this information without boring your readers to death and losing them?
Well, crime writers don’t have to do that. Fantasy and Sc-Fi writers do though…
So, you know, ‘Backwards and in high heels.’ Yes?
One contributor pointed out that writers such as Margaret Attwood are appalled at the suggestion that they are writing Science Fiction, even when they quite clearly are and go out of their way to loudly deny it.
So, what’s wrong with Fantasy and Science Fiction? Why is it considered a lesser form of writing?
I think we can all appreciate that in its early days, it was a mainstay of the ‘pulp fiction market.’ Which, by the way, does not mean that all the works produced in those days were bad, some of them were amazing. In any case though, that was a long time ago. Fantasy and Sc-Fi have been respectable for a very long time now. Yet, somehow, neither can quite shake the labels that were slapped on them then. Sci-Fi. The perceived wisdom has it, is cold, technical and two dimensional. Fantasy, is silly, macho, juvenile. Both genres are you know, just for kids, aren’t they?
Well, no, no they aren’t. They are the absolute best way in which to explore difficult or controversial topics without offending anyone. If some of them also happen to be very entertaining while they are doing that, well what’s wrong with that? Who says a book can’t be both worthwhile and entertaining? Where did that idea come from?
Another contributor mentioned that books like the recent Piranesi by Susanna Clarke are at last going someway towards bridging that perceived gap between Fantasy, Sci-Fi and literature. I quite agree, it’s a beautiful book and sits very nicely between both worlds. The prose is wonderful but I have read words just as lovely in ‘pure,’ fantasy and Sc-Fi.
It’s an old hobby horse of mine, so apologies for the next bit, I may foam at the mouth ever so slightly. Do you not think, that ‘Literary Fiction,’ is a strange beast anyway? Literary Fiction accounts for only a tiny percentage of world-wide book sales, yet it is the yardstick by which all other books are measured. Why?
‘Literary Authors,’ get away with things genre authors never could. A ‘Literary Work,’ need have no discernible structure and come to no conclusion. It can be a sixty thousand word rambling essay that loosely resembles a story and just quietly peters out when whatever bee is in the author’s bonnet stops buzzing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that they wouldn’t be beautiful, exquisitely chosen words but still, you know what I’m saying, I’m sure you do.
My ‘author hat,’ is now firmly on… not I hasten to add, that I am proclaiming myself a great writer or some such, I’m well aware that I’m nobody much. On behalf of authors everywhere though, please stop looking down on Fantasy and Sci-Fi and those who write it.
So, why is this blog called ‘Backwards and in High Heels?’
Well, there is a famous quote attributed to Ginger Rogers (she never actually said it) that she did everything Fred Astaire did, except ‘backwards and in high heels.’
Now, imagine you are say, a crime writer, yes, that will do, you’re a crime writer. However, in your latest book, before you can develop good, well-rounded characters with a satisfying back story. A strong, fascinating plot. Realistic, moving, relationships and a string of entertaining sub plots, you have to do something else first.
First you have to give a brief history of the town where the action takes place, explain the religious and political climate of the country in which that town is located. Then, there are some other things to explain, like, what a police man is, what the different ranks are in the police service, what a police station is, how a police car works. Computers, smart phones and even the humble ball point pen, you must first introduce these concepts and properly explain them.
Did I mention that you have to provide all this exposition without the use of the dreaded ‘info dump?’ That you have to impart all this information without boring your readers to death and losing them?
Well, crime writers don’t have to do that. Fantasy and Sc-Fi writers do though…
So, you know, ‘Backwards and in high heels.’ Yes?
date
newest »
newest »
Michelle wrote: "Great piece, Robin! And you have hit the genre nail on the head. Well done, Sir!Ugh. The dread info dump. I'll bet the mainstream fans haven't seen the like. I always liked the way Lois McMaster ..."
Thanks Michelle, 'the best way to handle the info dump is to not have one,' I love that and I completely agree ☺
I met Ginger Rogers when I was a lad. Very elegant and sharp as a knife even well into her 80's...Oh, and BTW, you are absolutely right in your declarations and observations... Some of the best books EVER are Sci-fi or Fantasy, and there is no better way to address deeper issues and societal woes than the power of the elaborate allegory or "world metaphor" that these books often come cloaked in. Hear! Hear!
Cheers KG, thanks for the kind words. You met Ginger Rogers? Excellent! If goodreads allowed thumbs up emojis you would get a double thumbs up for that.☺
Considered a lesser form of writing by whom? I most often escape into fantasy worlds because that is what I enjoy, though some I grudgingly take the nearest egress, dependent upon my personal taste. And all this boils down to subjectivity, whether fantastical or literary or whatever. Maybe the literary novel of the day tackles subject matter that is relevant, does that make it better? Or just timely? I find, in Fantasy and Science Fiction novels, many grains of wisdom, insight, etc., and so many times the fiction novel, in general, reflects the truth greater than those pretending to spout it.
Thanks for commenting. ☺I suppose that the whole literary fiction vs genre fiction thing is irritating but not surprising. It mirrors in many ways the absurd and utterly impractical garments that the high fashion industry parade on catwalks vs the kind of thing we all wear to work rest and play in. I think I get more irritated by the way in which Fantasy and Sci-Fi has somehow ended up so near the bottom of the genre heap, even in the modern world. Critics still appear to hate both forms and the average person in the street even now gives a condescending smirk more often than not if you say that you like them. All of the other genres, politics, thrillers, historical, crime, etc have been covered one way or another and very successfully so by Fantasy and Sci-Fi authors. To me they will always be the superior not the inferior forms. And I have to say, even when S&SF books are written just for fun (and why not?) When they are what critics are wont to call 'hokey,' they do that better too. 😁😁
Which don't listen to me, I don't even know what defines literary. Is antiquated literary? Most read? Ostentatious? School-assigned? And, most wondered, what is the average salary to determine its validity? Nice article, Robin. Wishing you the best.
Ugh. The dread info dump. I'll bet the mainstream fans haven't seen the like. I always liked the way Lois McMaster Bujold handled info dumps in her Miles Vorkosigan saga: she didn't have any. Despite the fact that each world in the nexus had it's own society, politics, races, customs, etc, she never had an info dump. But the reader caught on anyway! That series is excellent, intelligent, hilarious and extremely intricate, all at once. Literary fiction authors have it much easier, as you mentioned; they only deal with one world and the things in it which we are more or less familiar with.