Date: Sat, 2 Mar 1996 20:20:41 +0200 (EET)
From: J Laari <jlaari-AT-cc.jyu.fi>
Subject: Re: Scary novels/future


Scary scifi?

Now that's interesting. I'd like to know, Hugh and Bryan, why Orwell 
instead of Huxley? 

I've thought Orwell's 1984 as manifestation of all hidden fears of 
bourgeoisie in the cold war period.. I mean, who thinks Orwell's vision 
is scary today? Surely novel was well written, but so is Huxley's too.

But think about Huxley now when there's great promises of biotechnology 
and the like: genes of our grandchildren could be determined, and because 
of capitalism, to put it bluntly, the more your own the better genes your 
children can get. Add to that Huxley's view of near future as 
entertainment society, or as German sociologist Gerhard Schulze says, 
'Erlebnisgesellschaft', 'Society of Experience' (where the logic of 
social life is based on new experiences). You get very realistic 
picture. I know that for some folks there's nothing scary, but for us 
fundamentalists that's worst to happen. 

In this sense I'd prefer Huxley.

But what about other scifi 'genres'? 

Scifi as reflection of its own time: Orwell comes first to my mind, but 
Asimov's "Foundation" series could be quite illuminating; the original 
trilogy from 1950's is straight expression of belief in 'positivistic' 
social sciences and social engineering. Later Asimov haven't been so 
naive and 'scientistic' anymore, but...

Scifi as meditation on the state of human race: Russian Strugatsky 
brothers wrote some nice novels? 

And finally, what about scifi films? Is Tarkovsky's "Stalker" best? Or 
might it be "Solaris", or perhaps "Bladerunner" (great stalker 
aesthetics...)? 

Yours, Jukka L


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