Re: A magazine of Farce and Science Fiction
Mike Schilling
Asimov's Christmas on Ganymede is a slapsticky farce about a spaceman
pretending to be Santa Claus to humor a plantation full of moronic aliens.
It suffers from being very, very bad in all dimensions.
Gordon Dickson's Perfectly Adjusted is a farce; at least, I think a story
that ends with an entire planet ful of naked people, with the hero and
heroine fighting over the last suit of clothes in existence counts as one.
(See a fuller description at
http://mybabyisabasketcase.blogspot.com/2009/09/childe-cycle-pefectly-adjusted.html)
WJW's Drake Maijstral novels are farces, and might almost be intended as a
study of the SF farce. The Crown Jewels features a large collection of
characters, largely idiots and all self-deluded, chasing the same macguffin.
Shards of Honor has a smaller cast and a more claustrophobic location, with
a variety of motives at cross-purposes. Rock of Ages has the hero running
from place to place to try to avoid his nemesis.
And last but hardly least is Fritz Leiber's Lean Times in Lanhkmar, a
perfectly constructed Wodehousian comedy of manners. Fafhrd and the Gray
Mouser are often humorous, but this is as deep as they ever get into farce.
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Joseph Nebus <nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> wrote:
>
>
> And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples of
>farcical SF stories. As it's impossible to imagine that I am spectacularly
>ignorant of the genre or of the many outstanding stories in this mode [1]
>I'm forced to conclude there exists something about science fiction which
>makes farce impossible to pull off. Yet, what?
>
There are plenty of SF farces. Of course farce is one category of "humor",
and there are even more humorous SF stories that aren't farces than are, but:
"Cultural Exchange" by Keith Laumer
"The Kappa Nu Nexus" by Avram Davidson and Morton Klass
"Young Doctor Eszterhazy" also by Davidson
_How Much For Just The Planet_ by John M. Ford
"Lean Times in Lankmahr" by Fritz Leiber
Large parts of the Cassandra Palmer books by Karen Chance
Many more that I'm drawing blanks on right now..
Ted
--
------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
Andrew Plotkin
>
> It occurred to me that the farce, being a strongly plot-driven
> tale with often outlandish or improbable characters, rushing through an
> ever-more-frantic pace, while multiple parties try to accomplish some
> goal while being ever-more-frustrated until it works out pretty happily
> somehow, ought to be a natural story mode for science fiction. This is
> particularly considering that the harder science fiction modes rely on
> building often elaborate chains of reasoning that seem to echo the ways
> farcical plots will convolute.
> And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples of
> farcical SF stories.
I shall mention _How Much For Just The Planet?_ and then a certain
subset of the newsgroup will... throw pies at me, I guess.
Farce is a species of comedy (anyone disagree?) and while there is
funny SF, it's rare to find SF that is primarily comedy. So I could
suggest _The Long Run_ -- lots of frenetic action and many funny
scenes -- but the action wins out. It's a caper novel, but not a
farce.
Maybe Scalzi's _Android's Dream_, but that too may fail to meet the
underlying standard of triviality for farce.
--Z
--
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
*
Anthony Nance
>
> It occurred to me that the farce, being a strongly plot-driven
> tale with often outlandish or improbable characters, rushing through an
> ever-more-frantic pace, while multiple parties try to accomplish some
> goal while being ever-more-frustrated until it works out pretty happily
> somehow, ought to be a natural story mode for science fiction. This is
> particularly considering that the harder science fiction modes rely on
> building often elaborate chains of reasoning that seem to echo the ways
> farcical plots will convolute.
>
> And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples of
> ignorant of the genre or of the many outstanding stories in this mode [1]
> I'm forced to conclude there exists something about science fiction which
> makes farce impossible to pull off. Yet, what?
>
> particularly when slapstick is relied on, and the actors' stage presence
> can put across an otherwise unacceptable plot development, but it's not as
> though the style doesn't exist in print or that the script of a play or TV
> show can't be great reading anyway.
>
>
> [1] Not just me, actually. The only science fiction farce that
> Wikipedia grants is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I don't
> think that's got anything like the strong line of action that I think
> is needed.
Wibberly's _The Mouse That Roared_
Perhaps maybe with proper squinting WJW's Drake Maijstral books
More later if I think of any,
Tony
Joseph Nebus
It occurred to me that the farce, being a strongly plot-driven
tale with often outlandish or improbable characters, rushing through an
ever-more-frantic pace, while multiple parties try to accomplish some
goal while being ever-more-frustrated until it works out pretty happily
somehow, ought to be a natural story mode for science fiction. This is
particularly considering that the harder science fiction modes rely on
building often elaborate chains of reasoning that seem to echo the ways
farcical plots will convolute.
And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples of
farcical SF stories. As it's impossible to imagine that I am spectacularly
ignorant of the genre or of the many outstanding stories in this mode [1]
I'm forced to conclude there exists something about science fiction which
makes farce impossible to pull off. Yet, what?
Farces may work better played out on stage or screen than in text,
particularly when slapstick is relied on, and the actors' stage presence
can put across an otherwise unacceptable plot development, but it's not as
though the style doesn't exist in print or that the script of a play or TV
show can't be great reading anyway.
[1] Not just me, actually. The only science fiction farce that
Wikipedia grants is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I don't
think that's got anything like the strong line of action that I think
is needed.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacey Bedford
<nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> writes
> And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples of
>farcical SF stories. As it's impossible to imagine that I am
>spectacularly ignorant of the genre or of the many outstanding stories
>in this mode [1] I'm forced to conclude there exists something about
>science fiction which makes farce impossible to pull off. Yet, what?
>
> Farces may work better played out on stage or screen than in
>text,
>particularly when slapstick is relied on, and the actors' stage
>presence can put across an otherwise unacceptable plot development, but
>it's not as though the style doesn't exist in print or that the script
>of a play or TV show can't be great reading anyway.
Does the bug-butter scene during the dinner party event where Miles is
desperately trying to impress his beloved count? That's pretty close to
both slapstick and farce.
In:
Lois McMaster Bujold: A Civil Campaign
Cheers
Jacey
--
Jacey Bedford
Jerry Brown
The later butter tub fight with the Escobaran policemen is effectively
an SFnal version of a custard pie fight.
Jerry Brown
--
A cat may look at a king
(but probably won't bother)
Andrew Plotkin
Certainly -- but individual scenes are easier to find than an entire
book.
(Having said that, I'm having trouble thinking of specific scenes in
SF books that count as farce...)
Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy
news:nebusj.1...@vcmr-86.server.rpi.edu:
Aspring's Phules Company stuff comes to mind, but it's been a long
time, and my memory may not be all that accurate.
--
Terry Austin
"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."
-- David Bilek
Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.
Default User
"Joseph Nebus" <nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> wrote in message
news:nebusj.1...@vcmr-86.server.rpi.edu...
>
> It occurred to me that the farce, being a strongly plot-driven
> tale with often outlandish or improbable characters, rushing through an
> ever-more-frantic pace, while multiple parties try to accomplish some
> goal while being ever-more-frustrated until it works out pretty happily
> somehow, ought to be a natural story mode for science fiction. This is
> particularly considering that the harder science fiction modes rely on
> building often elaborate chains of reasoning that seem to echo the ways
> farcical plots will convolute.
Bill the Galactic Hero comes to mind.
Brian
William December Starr
nebusj-@-rpi-.edu (Joseph Nebus) said:
> And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples of
> farcical SF stories. As it's impossible to imagine that I am
> spectacularly ignorant of the genre or of the many outstanding
> stories in this mode [1] I'm forced to conclude there exists
> something about science fiction which makes farce impossible to
> pull off. Yet, what?
Perhaps many would-be farcical story ideas end up running aground on
"It's hard enough getting this big clockwork plot to work; why add
the burden of having to be funny?"?
-- wds
Gene Wirchenko
<look...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
[snip]
>Does the bug-butter scene during the dinner party event where Miles is
>desperately trying to impress his beloved count? That's pretty close to
>both slapstick and farce.
>In:
>Lois McMaster Bujold: A Civil Campaign
Before that point was a line (paraphrased) "Father, Mother, I'd
like you to meet- Stop her! She's getting away!"
Sincerely,
Gene Wirchenko
Robert A. Woodward
"Mike Schilling" <mscotts...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I can;t think of many SF farces, it's true, but there are a few:
>
<snip>
>
> WJW's Drake Maijstral novels are farces, and might almost be intended as a
> study of the SF farce. The Crown Jewels features a large collection of
> characters, largely idiots and all self-deluded, chasing the same macguffin.
> Shards of Honor has a smaller cast and a more claustrophobic location, with
> a variety of motives at cross-purposes. Rock of Ages has the hero running
> from place to place to try to avoid his nemesis.
>
Er, _House of Shards_ is the 2nd Drake Maijstral novel
--
Robert Woodward <robe...@drizzle.com>
<http://www.drizzle.com/~robertaw>
Mike Schilling
The whole dinner party scene is either hilarious or so embarassing as to be
painful. Or both.
Mike Schilling
> In article <hqiaad$hiv$1...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> "Mike Schilling" <mscotts...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I can;t think of many SF farces, it's true, but there are a few:
>>
> <snip>
>>
>> WJW's Drake Maijstral novels are farces, and might almost be
>> intended as a study of the SF farce. The Crown Jewels features a
>> large collection of characters, largely idiots and all self-deluded,
>> chasing the same macguffin. Shards of Honor has a smaller cast and a
>> more claustrophobic location, with a variety of motives at
>> cross-purposes. Rock of Ages has the hero running from place to
>> place to try to avoid his nemesis.
>>
>
> Er, _House of Shards_ is the 2nd Drake Maijstral novel
Well, of course it is. Shards of Honor is the first Vorkosiverse book.
Really, you people need to start paying attention.
David Goldfarb
Joseph Nebus <nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> wrote:
>
> It occurred to me that the farce, being a strongly plot-driven
>tale with often outlandish or improbable characters, rushing through an
>ever-more-frantic pace, while multiple parties try to accomplish some
>goal while being ever-more-frustrated until it works out pretty happily
>somehow, ought to be a natural story mode for science fiction.
How is it that nobody has yet mentioned Connie Willis? "Blued Moon"
and "Spice Pogrom" comes to mind, and "All Seated on the Ground".
The future sections of _Doomsday Book_ are also rather farcical.
Kim Stanley Robinson wrote a series of comic stories set in Nepal.
I don't know if you'd call them farce as such; it would depend on
how narrowly you draw your boundaries. They were fixed up into
the book _Escape from Kathmandu_.
--
David Goldfarb | "Boom. Sooner or later. Boom!"
gold...@ocf.berkeley.edu |
gold...@csua.berkeley.edu | -- Babylon 5, "Grail"
Mike Schilling
> In article <nebusj.1...@vcmr-86.server.rpi.edu>,
> Joseph Nebus <nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> wrote:
>>
>> It occurred to me that the farce, being a strongly plot-driven
>> tale with often outlandish or improbable characters, rushing through
>> an ever-more-frantic pace, while multiple parties try to accomplish
>> some goal while being ever-more-frustrated until it works out pretty
>> happily somehow, ought to be a natural story mode for science
>> fiction.
>
> How is it that nobody has yet mentioned Connie Willis? "Blued Moon"
> and "Spice Pogrom" comes to mind, and "All Seated on the Ground".
> The future sections of _Doomsday Book_ are also rather farcical.
As is the much of To Say Nothing of the Dog.
W. Citoan
> nebusj-@-rpi-.edu (Joseph Nebus) wrote in
>
> > farcical SF stories.
> Aspring's Phules Company stuff comes to mind, but it's been a long
> time, and my memory may not be all that accurate.
Your memory is accurate enough. They fit the request as the "good" is
qualifying "examples" and not "stories".
- W. Citoan
--
If you think things are chaotic now, wait awhile and watch them get worse.
(One statement of the Second Law of Thermodynamics.)
-- Anonymous
Howard Brazee
<mscotts...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> How is it that nobody has yet mentioned Connie Willis? "Blued Moon"
>> and "Spice Pogrom" comes to mind, and "All Seated on the Ground".
>> The future sections of _Doomsday Book_ are also rather farcical.
>
>As is the much of To Say Nothing of the Dog.
Most of he works have humor. _Blackout_ has a considerable amount.
--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."
- James Madison
Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy
news:slrnhss9st....@wcitoan-via.eternal-september.org:
> Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy wrote:
>> nebusj-@-rpi-.edu (Joseph Nebus) wrote in
>>
>> > And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples
>> > of farcical SF stories.
>
>> Aspring's Phules Company stuff comes to mind, but it's been a
>> long time, and my memory may not be all that accurate.
>
> Your memory is accurate enough. They fit the request as the
> "good" is qualifying "examples" and not "stories".
>
The first couple had a certain escapist appeal, I suppose. When I was
20 years younger.
But I won't quibble.
Matt Hughes
wrote:
> I can;t think of many SF farces, it's true, but there are a few:
My first, Fools Errant, was a farce. The first chapter's still on my
website.
Matt Hughes
http://www.archonate.,com
Greg Goss
Perhaps some of the Retief? There are some elements of farce in
Zelazny's "Doorways in the Sand" (that my hindbrain keeps insisting on
as a Tak Hallus / Robinett, since I hate Zelazny.) It's been too long
since I've read any real Robinett.
The Flying Sorcerers (Niven/Gerrold) has some elements of it.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
Mike Schilling
> On 19 Apr, 12:18, "Mike Schilling" <mscottschill...@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>> I can;t think of many SF farces, it's true, but there are a few:
>
> My first, Fools Errant, was a farce. The first chapter's still on my
> website.
Cool. I will check it out.
Robert Carnegie
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
As I posted upthread, the Retief story "Cultural Exchange" is (IMHO) farce,
with all the moving pieces coming together. I'm sure others are as well,
but that's one of my favorites.
Wayne Throop
:: with often outlandish or improbable characters, rushing through an
:: ever-more-frantic pace, while multiple parties try to accomplish some
:: goal while being ever-more-frustrated until it works out pretty
:: happily somehow, ought to be a natural story mode for science
:: fiction. This is particularly considering that the harder science
:: fiction modes rely on building often elaborate chains of reasoning
:: that seem to echo the ways farcical plots will convolute.
::
:: And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples of
:: farcical SF stories. As it's impossible to imagine that I am
:: spectacularly ignorant of the genre or of the many outstanding
:: stories in this mode [1] I'm forced to conclude there exists
:: something about science fiction which makes farce impossible to pull
:: off. Yet, what?
Alamagosa? (perhaps missing the "works out OK")
Bicycle Built for Brew?
Martians Go Home?
It's a Good Life?
Wayne Throop thr...@sheol.org http://sheol.org/throopw
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
>:: It occurred to me that the farce, being a strongly plot-driven tale
>:: with often outlandish or improbable characters, rushing through an
>:: ever-more-frantic pace, while multiple parties try to accomplish some
>:: goal while being ever-more-frustrated until it works out pretty
>:: happily somehow, ought to be a natural story mode for science
>:: fiction. This is particularly considering that the harder science
>:: fiction modes rely on building often elaborate chains of reasoning
>:: that seem to echo the ways farcical plots will convolute.
>::
>:: And yet, I couldn't think of any particularly good examples of
>:: farcical SF stories. As it's impossible to imagine that I am
>:: spectacularly ignorant of the genre or of the many outstanding
>:: stories in this mode [1] I'm forced to conclude there exists
>:: something about science fiction which makes farce impossible to pull
>:: off. Yet, what?
>
>Alamagosa? (perhaps missing the "works out OK")
I wouldn't say this were a farce, just a shaggy offog story..
>Martians Go Home?
I don't remember there being the sense of "many moving parts" in this one,
though it's been decades since I read it.
Joseph Nebus
>On Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:44:30 -0700, "Mike Schilling"
><mscotts...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> How is it that nobody has yet mentioned Connie Willis? "Blued Moon"
>>> and "Spice Pogrom" comes to mind, and "All Seated on the Ground".
>>> The future sections of _Doomsday Book_ are also rather farcical.
>>
>>As is the much of To Say Nothing of the Dog.
>Most of he works have humor. _Blackout_ has a considerable amount.
You know, I have a curious blind spot regarding Connie Willis.
Even when I do like a particular story of hers it doesn't seem to
linger, and I can't blame it on her writing being particularly opaque
or anything like that. I think 'Fire Watch' is the only one of hers
that sticks to me. (Of course, consider all the writers who don't get
even that far in my brain.)
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Nebus
You may have something there, come to think of it. Or might
it be that the genre is discouraging comic-SF-novels, as opposed to
SF novels with comic elements, and people going to the effort of
having a complex enough plot see little point in hurting the salability
by playing the comedy too broadly?
Obviously there are examples and I'm not sure that the rate
of farcical SF production is less than that of farcical TV shows or
theatrical plays. I just have this gut instinct that there could be
more yet. Or I'm wildly out of touch with the current SF marketplace,
which would not surprise me at all.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Schilling
According to WJW, the Maijstral books sold in career-destroying numbers.
And they're (IMHO) brilliant.
Remus Shepherd
> <mscotts...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> How is it that nobody has yet mentioned Connie Willis? "Blued Moon"
> >> and "Spice Pogrom" comes to mind, and "All Seated on the Ground".
> >> The future sections of _Doomsday Book_ are also rather farcical.
> >
> >As is the much of To Say Nothing of the Dog.
> Most of he works have humor. _Blackout_ has a considerable amount.
I first heard of Connie Willis when I saw her at a panel at Worldcon.
I thought she was a bright, very funny woman, and I decided to find and
read one of her books. I picked up _Doomsday Book_, thinking it was an
ironically titled comedy.
I've since learned that Ms. Willis has two sides -- one funny, and
one downright sadistic. She's a good writer, though. She really made
me sympathize with all those characters who died horribly.
... ...
Remus Shepherd <re...@panix.com>
Journal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/remus_shepherd/
Default User
"Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy" <taus...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9D60AC156FB...@69.16.186.50...
> "W. Citoan" <wci...@NOSPAM-yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:slrnhss9st....@wcitoan-via.eternal-september.org:
>
>> Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy wrote:
>>> Aspring's Phules Company stuff comes to mind, but it's been a
>>> long time, and my memory may not be all that accurate.
>>
>> Your memory is accurate enough. They fit the request as the
>> "good" is qualifying "examples" and not "stories".
>>
> The first couple had a certain escapist appeal, I suppose. When I was
> 20 years younger.
I also found the first couple to be fine. After that, not so much. Perhaps
not too surprisingly, the third book on had a "co-author" who seemed to miss
the point of the Phule character to a degree.
Brian
Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy
news:838v0f...@mid.individual.net:
I guess I picked the right time to stop reading them, then. Co-
authors are virtually *always* a sign of excessive crapage.
Dorothy J Heydt
Remus Shepherd <re...@panix.com> wrote:
>Howard Brazee <how...@brazee.net> wrote:
>> <mscotts...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> >> How is it that nobody has yet mentioned Connie Willis? "Blued Moon"
>> >> and "Spice Pogrom" comes to mind, and "All Seated on the Ground".
>> >> The future sections of _Doomsday Book_ are also rather farcical.
>> >
>> >As is the much of To Say Nothing of the Dog.
>
>> Most of he works have humor. _Blackout_ has a considerable amount.
>
> I first heard of Connie Willis when I saw her at a panel at Worldcon.
>I thought she was a bright, very funny woman, and I decided to find and
>read one of her books. I picked up _Doomsday Book_, thinking it was an
>ironically titled comedy.
>
> I've since learned that Ms. Willis has two sides -- one funny, and
>one downright sadistic. She's a good writer, though. She really made
>me sympathize with all those characters who died horribly.
As I understand it, Willis's mother died when she was twelve.
Understandable, if she's been struggling to work out the problem
of death ever since. Note that one of her *other* major themes
is failure to communicate. Hard to communicate with the dead,
unless you have a better Ouija board than I've ever seen.
I observe that her latest book, Blackout, is just out and is
advertised as the *first volume of two.* Ay ay ay ... to buy now
or to wait till November when the second volume is out? I can
still remember taking the first two volumes of _The Lord of the
Rings_ out of the library, thinking they would last me over the
weekend. I finished _Towers_ on Saturday afternoon and the
Ed/Psych library was closed till Monday morning.......
--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Should you wish to email me, you'd better use the gmail edress.
Kithrup's all spammy and hotmail's been hacked.
MajorOz
wrote:
> I can;t think of many SF farces, it's true, but there are a few:
>
> pretending to be Santa Claus to humor a plantation full of moronic aliens.
> It suffers from being very, very bad in all dimensions.
>
> Gordon Dickson's Perfectly Adjusted is a farce; at least, I think a story
> that ends with an entire planet ful of naked people, with the hero and
> heroine fighting over the last suit of clothes in existence counts as one.
> (See a fuller description athttp://mybabyisabasketcase.blogspot.com/2009/09/childe-cycle-pefectly...)
>
> WJW's Drake Maijstral novels are farces, and might almost be intended as a
> study of the SF farce. The Crown Jewels features a large collection of
> characters, largely idiots and all self-deluded, chasing the same macguffin.
> Shards of Honor has a smaller cast and a more claustrophobic location, with
> a variety of motives at cross-purposes. Rock of Ages has the hero running
> from place to place to try to avoid his nemesis.
>
> perfectly constructed Wodehousian comedy of manners. Fafhrd and the Gray
> Mouser are often humorous, but this is as deep as they ever get into farce.
The Girls of Planet 5 ... maybe just soft porn with a SF slant :>)
Job: A Comedy of Justice (Heinlein)
Then Asimov's (IIRC) two shorts:
1. Problems with Superman's love life; e.g. ejaculation blowing
off Lois's head...
2. The one about never being able to tear paper at the
perforations leading to an invisible shield.
Elderly wet ware prohibits recall of the titles.
cheers
oz
Default User
[Phule's Company]
>> I also found the first couple to be fine. After that, not so
>> much. Perhaps not too surprisingly, the third book on had a
>> "co-author" who seemed to miss the point of the Phule character
>> to a degree.
>>
> I guess I picked the right time to stop reading them, then. Co-
> authors are virtually *always* a sign of excessive crapage.
I didn't go beyond the third one. Wikipedia lists three more beyond that.
The "co-author" is Peter J. Heck.
Brian
Dorothy J Heydt
MajorOz <Maj...@centurytel.net> wrote:
>
>Then Asimov's (IIRC) two shorts:
> 1. Problems with Superman's love life; e.g. ejaculation blowing
>off Lois's head...
No, that was Larry Niven: the title is "Man of Steel, Woman of
Kleenex."
> 2. The one about never being able to tear paper at the
>perforations leading to an invisible shield.
I don't know that one; probably have never read it.
Moriarty
<snip>
> I observe that her latest book, Blackout, is just out and is
> advertised as the *first volume of two.* Ay ay ay ... to buy now
> or to wait till November when the second volume is out? I can
> still remember taking the first two volumes of _The Lord of the
> Rings_ out of the library, thinking they would last me over the
> weekend. I finished _Towers_ on Saturday afternoon and the
> Ed/Psych library was closed till Monday morning.......
Heh. I did something similar: finished _TTT_ on the school bus on the
way *to* school. Spent all day wondering and was picked up at school
by my mother who, for a treat, was taking us for a swim. Aaaarrrggg!
And when we finally got home from the pool and I raced upstairs to
commence RotK, I was horrified to discover the entire first half of
the book was NOT about Frodo. These days when I re-read it, I love
the whole siege of Gondor and Ride of Rohan sections but back then I
just wanted to know what happened to Frodo and the Ring.
-Moriarty
Mike Schilling
>
> The Girls of Planet 5 ... maybe just soft porn with a SF slant :>)
>
> Job: A Comedy of Justice (Heinlein)
It's funny in spots, but I wouldn't call if a farce.
>
> Then Asimov's (IIRC) two shorts:
> 1. Problems with Superman's love life; e.g. ejaculation blowing
> off Lois's head...
That's Larry Niven's "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex".
> 2. The one about never being able to tear paper at the
> perforations leading to an invisible shield.
That one I don't know.
Mike Schilling
> And when we finally got home from the pool and I raced upstairs to
> commence RotK, I was horrified to discover the entire first half of
> the book was NOT about Frodo. These days when I re-read it, I love
> the whole siege of Gondor and Ride of Rohan sections but back then I
> just wanted to know what happened to Frodo and the Ring.
Frodo and the Ring
Frodo and the Ring
One is a hobbit, the other's a Thing.
"What'll we do tonight, Frodo?"
"What you do every Age, Ringy, try to take over Middle-Earth."
Lawrence Watt-Evans
"Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" is by Larry Niven, not Isaac Asimov.
Not a farce; it's an article, not a story.
> 2. The one about never being able to tear paper at the
>perforations leading to an invisible shield.
>
>Elderly wet ware prohibits recall of the titles.
--
My webpage is at http://www.watt-evans.com
I'm selling my comic collection -- see http://www.watt-evans.com/comics.html
I'm serializing a novel at http://www.watt-evans.com/realmsoflight0.html
Howard Brazee
Heydt) wrote:
>> 2. The one about never being able to tear paper at the
>>perforations leading to an invisible shield.
>
>I don't know that one; probably have never read it.
There was a joke about putting perforations on an airplane wing -
because "toilet paper *never* tears at the perforations".
Except it usually tears at the perforations.
Kurt Busiek
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:36:01 GMT, djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J
> Heydt) wrote:
>
>>> 2. The one about never being able to tear paper at the
>>> perforations leading to an invisible shield.
>>
>> I don't know that one; probably have never read it.
>
> There was a joke about putting perforations on an airplane wing -
> because "toilet paper *never* tears at the perforations".
>
> Except it usually tears at the perforations.
There's a short story, too, where they perforate material finer and
finer until there's virtually nothing left, and the result is
indestructible.
I don't remember what the story is, though.
kdb
--
Visit http://www.busiek.com — for all your Busiek needs!
Howard Brazee
>>Most of he works have humor. _Blackout_ has a considerable amount.
>
> You know, I have a curious blind spot regarding Connie Willis.
>Even when I do like a particular story of hers it doesn't seem to
>linger, and I can't blame it on her writing being particularly opaque
>or anything like that. I think 'Fire Watch' is the only one of hers
>that sticks to me. (Of course, consider all the writers who don't get
>even that far in my brain.)
If you like Fire Watch, you may like Blackout and the other half of
this book, with time travelers having troubles in the Blitz.
Howard Brazee
Heydt) wrote:
>As I understand it, Willis's mother died when she was twelve.
>Understandable, if she's been struggling to work out the problem
>of death ever since. Note that one of her *other* major themes
>is failure to communicate. Hard to communicate with the dead,
>unless you have a better Ouija board than I've ever seen.
But her book about hospital, death, and the Titanic had some funny
scenes in the hospital. Doomsday Book didn't have humor though.
Dorothy J Heydt
Howard Brazee <how...@brazee.net> wrote:
>On Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:02:03 GMT, djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J
>Heydt) wrote:
>
>>As I understand it, Willis's mother died when she was twelve.
>>Understandable, if she's been struggling to work out the problem
>>of death ever since. Note that one of her *other* major themes
>>is failure to communicate. Hard to communicate with the dead,
>>unless you have a better Ouija board than I've ever seen.
>
>But her book about hospital, death, and the Titanic had some funny
>scenes in the hospital. Doomsday Book didn't have humor though.
Well, it had some situational comedy, sort of. E.g., the guy who
was continually complaining that they were running out of, or had
run out of, whatever it was at the moment. And the medieval lady
who *insisted* that a building project be done by deadline, and
the builder trying in vain to convince her that it couldn't be.
Bill Snyder
Heydt) wrote:
>In article <h26vs59ditnfve97m...@4ax.com>,
>Howard Brazee <how...@brazee.net> wrote:
>>On Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:02:03 GMT, djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J
>>Heydt) wrote:
>>
>>>As I understand it, Willis's mother died when she was twelve.
>>>Understandable, if she's been struggling to work out the problem
>>>of death ever since. Note that one of her *other* major themes
>>>is failure to communicate. Hard to communicate with the dead,
>>>unless you have a better Ouija board than I've ever seen.
>>
>>But her book about hospital, death, and the Titanic had some funny
>>scenes in the hospital. Doomsday Book didn't have humor though.
>
>Well, it had some situational comedy, sort of. E.g., the guy who
>was continually complaining that they were running out of, or had
>run out of, whatever it was at the moment. And the medieval lady
>who *insisted* that a building project be done by deadline, and
>the builder trying in vain to convince her that it couldn't be.
I believe you're thinking of _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ for the
second one.
--
Bill Snyder [This space unintentionally left blank]
Dorothy J Heydt
Dorothy J Heydt <djh...@kithrup.com> wrote:
>In article <h26vs59ditnfve97m...@4ax.com>,
>Howard Brazee <how...@brazee.net> wrote:
>>
>>But her book about hospital, death, and the Titanic had some funny
>>scenes in the hospital. Doomsday Book didn't have humor though.
>
>Well, it had some situational comedy, sort of. E.g., the guy who
>was continually complaining that they were running out of, or had
>run out of, whatever it was at the moment. And the medieval lady
>who *insisted* that a building project be done by deadline, and
>the builder trying in vain to convince her that it couldn't be.
Oops, I take that back: that lady is from _To Say Nothing of the
Dog_. Which has not only quite a lot of humor in it, but many
many clever references to classical mystery stories.
art...@yahoo.com
Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede?
The Stars My Destination?
Andrew Plotkin
I know that story, and it's been a YASID around here in years past.
And Google says... Theodore Sturgeon, "It Was Nothing -- Really".
--Z
--
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."
*
Christopher Henrich
Greg Goss <go...@gossg.org> wrote:
> > [1] Not just me, actually. The only science fiction farce that
> >Wikipedia grants is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I don't
> >think that's got anything like the strong line of action that I think
> >is needed.
>
> Perhaps some of the Retief? There are some elements of farce in
> Zelazny's "Doorways in the Sand" (that my hindbrain keeps insisting on
> as a Tak Hallus / Robinett, since I hate Zelazny.) It's been too long
> since I've read any real Robinett.
>
> The Flying Sorcerers (Niven/Gerrold) has some elements of it.
The Hoka stories of Poul Anderson and Gordon R. Dickson. (Also on topic
for the thread about collaborative writing) _Star Prince Charlie_ is in
this series. Note the chapter titles.
--
Christopher J. Henrich
chen...@monmouth.com
http://www.mathinteract.com
"A bad analogy is like a leaky screwdriver." -- Boon
Mike Schilling
That's the definition of a force field in Asimov's Not Final: leave the
intermolecular forces, but get rid of the molecules.
It's also, more or less, the Cantor set.
Mike Schilling
> In article <L196y...@kithrup.com>,
> Dorothy J Heydt <djh...@kithrup.com> wrote:
>> In article <h26vs59ditnfve97m...@4ax.com>,
>> Howard Brazee <how...@brazee.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> But her book about hospital, death, and the Titanic had some funny
>>> scenes in the hospital. Doomsday Book didn't have humor though.
>>
>> Well, it had some situational comedy, sort of. E.g., the guy who
>> was continually complaining that they were running out of, or had
>> run out of, whatever it was at the moment. And the medieval lady
>> who *insisted* that a building project be done by deadline, and
>> the builder trying in vain to convince her that it couldn't be.
>
> Oops, I take that back: that lady is from _To Say Nothing of the
> Dog_. Which has not only quite a lot of humor in it, but many
> many clever references to classical mystery stories.
And to Wodehouse. The main characters stay at a country house as imposters,
and the smartest one there is the butler.
Elaine Thompson
wrote:
Probably 'It Was Nothing, Really' which IIRC is by Sturgeon but I've
got a daughter breathing down my neck for access to this machine so I
won't look it up.
--
Elaine Thompson <Ela...@KEThompson.org>
David Goldfarb
MajorOz <Maj...@centurytel.net> wrote:
>perforations leading to an invisible shield.
Theodore Sturgeon: "It Was Nothing -- Really!".
--
David Goldfarb |"In the fifties, people responded well to
gold...@ocf.berkeley.edu | authoritative disembodied voices."
gold...@csua.berkeley.edu | -- MST3K
MajorOz
> In article <4909f205-46f3-4f52-93f9-027508b4d...@g30g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>,
>
> MajorOz <Majo...@centurytel.net> wrote:
> >Then Asimov's (IIRC) two shorts:
> > 2. The one about never being able to tear paper at the
> >perforations leading to an invisible shield.
>
> Theodore Sturgeon: "It Was Nothing -- Really!".
>
> --
> David Goldfarb |"In the fifties, people responded well to
> goldf...@csua.berkeley.edu | -- MST3K
Thanx to all who led me to the titles my snapped synapses have
misplaced.
If parody counts, there is my favorite: _Bored Of The Rings_.
[ Love the Land of People With Medium Sized Teeth ]
cheers
oz
trag
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:36:01 GMT, djhe...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J
>
> Heydt) wrote:
> >> 2. The one about never being able to tear paper at the
> >>perforations leading to an invisible shield.
>
> >I don't know that one; probably have never read it.
>
> There was a joke about putting perforations on an airplane wing -
> because "toilet paper *never* tears at the perforations".
>
> Except it usually tears at the perforations.
Digressing on the topic of perforations and toilet paper. I put on a
new roll this morning only to discover that it is now 4" wide instead
of 4.5" wide. And this is Northern brand, not some public bathroom
brand. What's up with that? Have all the companies gone to narrow
tissue in some ridiculous misguided attempt to "be green" by making
excretion dangerous and inconvenient? Or is it just Northern, and
therefore time to change brands?
Brian M. Scott
wrote in
<news:58513d97-d52b-4ac1...@c21g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>
in rec.arts.sf.written:
[...]
> Digressing on the topic of perforations and toilet paper.
> I put on a new roll this morning only to discover that it
> is now 4" wide instead of 4.5" wide. And this is
> Northern brand, not some public bathroom brand. What's
> up with that? Have all the companies gone to narrow
> tissue in some ridiculous misguided attempt to "be green"
> by making excretion dangerous and inconvenient? Or is it
> just Northern, and therefore time to change brands?
It's Northern, but I shouldn't be surprised if others
followed suit: the company told Consumer Reports that it was
done to prevent a price hike.
Brian
David DeLaney
>I also found the first couple to be fine. After that, not so much. Perhaps
>not too surprisingly, the third book on had a "co-author" who seemed to miss
>the point of the Phule character to a degree.
... Okay, I have to go tweak my book list - I had thought Heck only came in
with the fourth one, but after minor Internet Research you're correct.
Dave
--
\/David DeLaney posting from d...@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://www.vic.com/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ & Magic / I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.
Michael Stemper
>On Apr 21, 6:51 pm, Howard Brazee <how...@brazee.net> wrote:
>> There was a joke about putting perforations on an airplane wing -
>> because "toilet paper *never* tears at the perforations".
>>
>> Except it usually tears at the perforations.
>
>Digressing on the topic of perforations and toilet paper. I put on a
>new roll this morning only to discover that it is now 4" wide instead
>of 4.5" wide.
Well, I think that pretty much all of the TP makers cut the length from
4.5" to 4" about a decade back. At least this change makes it square again.
--
Michael F. Stemper
#include <Standard_Disclaimer>
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
P. Taine
wrote:
Not prevent, disguise. Getting less for the same cost is the same as paying
more for what you used to get.
Brian M. Scott
<us...@domaine.invalid> wrote in
<news:9p71t55fc30rdd9lh...@4ax.com> in
rec.arts.sf.written:
> On Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:04:58 -0400, "Brian M. Scott" <b.s...@csuohio.edu>
> wrote:
>>On Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:51:50 -0700 (PDT), trag <tr...@io.com>
>>wrote in
>><news:58513d97-d52b-4ac1...@c21g2000yqk.googlegroups.com>
>>in rec.arts.sf.written:
>>[...]
>>> Digressing on the topic of perforations and toilet paper.
>>> I put on a new roll this morning only to discover that it
>>> is now 4" wide instead of 4.5" wide. And this is
>>> Northern brand, not some public bathroom brand. What's
>>> up with that? Have all the companies gone to narrow
>>> tissue in some ridiculous misguided attempt to "be green"
>>> by making excretion dangerous and inconvenient? Or is it
>>> just Northern, and therefore time to change brands?
>> It's Northern, but I shouldn't be surprised if others
>> followed suit: the company told Consumer Reports that it
>> was done to prevent a price hike.
> Not prevent, disguise.
As phrased, your says that CR inaccurately reported what it
was told; presumably what you mean is that what it was told
was inaccurate. I've little doubt that CR reported
accurately what the company spokesman said.
> Getting less for the same cost is the same as paying more
> for what you used to get.
In this case both words are justifiable. You're quite
correct that one now pays more for the same quantity of
toilet paper; however, it is also true that the purchase
price of a roll was not increased. It's worth
distinguishing between an increase in unit price and a
decrease in the quantity (or quality) of a unit, even if the
distinction is sometimes used in order to put the best face
on matters.
Brian
trag
> On Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:51:50 -0700 (PDT), trag <t...@io.com>
Ah, thanks. Time to change brands and send a nasty-gram to Northern
then.
It wouldn't be so bad if they had put, in very large letters, "New and
Reduced" somewhere on the label. But who reads the dimensions before
taking home the same old package they've always bought?
Howard Brazee
>Digressing on the topic of perforations and toilet paper. I put on a
>new roll this morning only to discover that it is now 4" wide instead
>of 4.5" wide. And this is Northern brand, not some public bathroom
>brand. What's up with that? Have all the companies gone to narrow
>tissue in some ridiculous misguided attempt to "be green" by making
>excretion dangerous and inconvenient? Or is it just Northern, and
>therefore time to change brands?
I don't know, but at work, the toilet paper doesn't stay on the
holders. At home, I have no problem. I figure they're too cheap
at work.
Anthony Nance
We discovereed a similar thing last summer with ice cream - prices
held steady, but the packages became smaller than the had-been-standard
half gallon size.
Tony
netcat
how...@brazee.net says...
>
> On Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:02:03 GMT, djh...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J
> Heydt) wrote:
>
> >As I understand it, Willis's mother died when she was twelve.
> >Understandable, if she's been struggling to work out the problem
> >of death ever since. Note that one of her *other* major themes
> >is failure to communicate. Hard to communicate with the dead,
> >unless you have a better Ouija board than I've ever seen.
>
> But her book about hospital, death, and the Titanic had some funny
> scenes in the hospital. Doomsday Book didn't have humor though.
I dunno, I've heard people say the future parts were supposedly funny.
To me they were just irritating to the point of mostly skipping them.
rgds,
netcat
Jack Bohn
>How is it that nobody has yet mentioned Connie Willis? "Blued Moon"
>and "Spice Pogrom" comes to mind, and "All Seated on the Ground".
A definitional problem? I read an introduction where she
described these as "screwball" comedies; not sure how they
intersect the set of "farce."
>The future sections of _Doomsday Book_ are also rather farcical.
Weren't some of the characters in the past sections of
"Firewatch" a bit farcical? Or just British eccentric?
I consider her funniest story to be "Even the Queen", but more a
comedy of manners?
The story I like best is "And Come from Miles Around" which is
more low-key humor.
The adventures of Ferdinand Feghoot, and other short-shorts of
the type that end in a horrendous pun are probably not complex
enough to be farcical. Spider Robinson sometimes pulls another
pun out of a pun in his Callahan tales, but that's mostly
decoration on the standard sf problem story.
Thinking of Murray Leinster lately, I've got to mention
"Attention Saint Patrick" on the theory that anything running
into a parade has got to be farcical gold.
--
-Jack
William December Starr
Jack Bohn <jack...@bright.net> said:
> Weren't some of the characters in the past sections of
> "Firewatch" a bit farcical? Or just British eccentric?
> I consider her funniest story to be "Even the Queen",
Ack, thpppth. Or possibly Thtbbft.
Was it James Nicoll who once referred to "The non-Euclidean
horror that is Connie Willis' sense of humor?"
-- wds
Jack Bohn
>In article <si61v5puic13pvclj...@4ax.com>,
>Jack Bohn <jack...@bright.net> said:
>
>> Weren't some of the characters in the past sections of
>> "Firewatch" a bit farcical? Or just British eccentric?
>> I consider her funniest story to be "Even the Queen",
>
>Ack, thpppth. Or possibly Thtbbft.
Aw, c'mon. The caricatured character there isn't as bad as the
ones in "Ado," and the others mercilessly mock her.
>Was it James Nicoll who once referred to "The non-Euclidean
>horror that is Connie Willis' sense of humor?"
Quite possibly. I remember something like that in a thread,
here.
--
-Jack
William December Starr
Jack Bohn <jack...@bright.net> said:
> William December Starr wrote:
>> Jack Bohn <jack...@bright.net> said:
>>
>>> Weren't some of the characters in the past sections of
>>> "Firewatch" a bit farcical? Or just British eccentric?
>>> I consider her funniest story to be "Even the Queen",
>>
>> Ack, thpppth. Or possibly Thtbbft.
>
> Aw, c'mon. The caricatured character there isn't as bad as
> the ones in "Ado," and the others mercilessly mock her.
I don't know what "Ado" you're referring to. (The Shakespeare
play?) I do know that "Even the Queen" was utterly lacking in
humor, point, and reason for existing.
-- wds
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Starr) wrote:
"Ado" is a Willis story about censorship. It's mildly amusing but
about twice as long as it needs to be for what it accomplishes.
--
My webpage is at http://www.watt-evans.com
I'm selling my comic collection -- see http://www.watt-evans.com/comics.html
I'm serializing a novel at http://www.watt-evans.com/realmsoflight0.html
Sean O'Hara
Starr proclaimed...
>
> >
> I don't know what "Ado" you're referring to. (The Shakespeare
> play?) I do know that "Even the Queen" was utterly lacking in
> humor, point, and reason for existing.
>
If by "Even the Queen," you mean "The Collected Works of Connie
Willis," then I agree.
Cryptoengineer
It's hard to believe that no one has brought up the lifework of Ron
Goulart and Robert Sheckley.
pt