tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post8053200804000612538..comments2024-03-28T08:02:30.691-04:00Comments on The League of Extraordinary Writers: Whither Utopia?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11431700962951592287noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-27112838776052240442010-06-23T10:57:44.483-04:002010-06-23T10:57:44.483-04:00I didn't know that his new series was a young ...I didn't know that his new series was a young adult one. I read and loved all of the Hominid books. I would agree that they are as close to a utopian book as you will find. <br /><br />I just think that any utopian book would be boring. I mean seriously who wants to read about a bunch of happy people? What made the Hominid series so great was the tension between their universe and our own. If the whole series had been about set in their universe I would have probably been bored out of my mind.MySharonAnnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13108439112946490897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-43503498732456203142010-06-16T03:38:15.613-04:002010-06-16T03:38:15.613-04:00Both Clarke's Childhood's End and Bear'...Both Clarke's <i>Childhood's End</i> and Bear's <i>Blood Music</i> deal with the creation of utopias. However, in both cases the process is apocalyptic.<br /><br />Both novels express the idea that in attaining utopia we must leave our humanity behind - that we are simply too limited in our current form.<br /><br />The realization that an imagined utopia is a false utopia or dystopia in books like Zemyentin's <i>We</i> always pivots on a movement towards humanity. Generally, the main character must come to embrace emotion or individuality or some other quintessentially human trait.<br /><br />So I guess the only difference between a "real" utopia and a "false" utopia is whether or not the author can find a way to view the loss of our humanity optimistically.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-15212859636491180962010-06-12T18:06:47.476-04:002010-06-12T18:06:47.476-04:00They're are no utopias because they don't ...They're are no utopias because they don't exist. One person's heaven is another person's hell. Not every single person is going to fit the "ideal" of a Utopian society. They're always going to be mis-fits, screw ups, failures, rebels, or people who just don't believe in the party line.<br /><br />There are plenty of <i>dystopias</i> in fiction because there are plenty of dystopic "civilizations" in real life (past and present). eg. North Korea, Somalia, Congo, Darfur etc etc.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05303655821066807677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-49045879555412335512010-06-11T20:21:37.544-04:002010-06-11T20:21:37.544-04:00Hi Deva. I think sci-fi like Babylon 5--which I ad...Hi Deva. I think sci-fi like Babylon 5--which I adored--and Star Wars falls under the sub-genre of space opera. And, I don't mean that in a derogatory way. That's what it's called. It's stories about space travel, adventure, and larger than life characters in the far flung human empire of the future.Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16587645299751603897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-68248741183806487532010-06-11T19:34:32.528-04:002010-06-11T19:34:32.528-04:00I can't think of anything I'd call a Utopi...I can't think of anything I'd call a Utopia, since as others have said, that implies a certain lack of conflict. But tv and movies, at least, are full of scifi stories that I am not sure I would classify as either utopia or dystopia. Frex, what would you call Babylon 5, or or Farscape, or Star Wars for that matter? In all of those there are individual societies that have dystopian elements, but I'd say overall the mood is more one of "adventure in space." Personally I'd love to see more of that in YA/MG fiction (though I do also enjoy dystopias!).<br /><br />Good topic!Deva Faganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18258363660299633982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-6228471026267787422010-06-10T22:22:11.470-04:002010-06-10T22:22:11.470-04:00Interesting. I just revamped the website. Come and...Interesting. I just revamped the website. Come and visit: http://kateevangelistarandr.blogspot.com/Kate Evangelistahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13329658806888882504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-73728458319247730822010-06-10T14:58:15.840-04:002010-06-10T14:58:15.840-04:00Alyssa, I think a Steampunk post is in may near fu...Alyssa, I think a Steampunk post is in may near future. <br /><br />Thanks for the Wake scoop, Sandra.<br /><br />Bix, are you still stocking your bird flu pantry? Maybe I should share our apocalypse (bird flu, 2012, hurricane) supply list(s)...Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16587645299751603897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-76758771375179521832010-06-10T13:49:56.423-04:002010-06-10T13:49:56.423-04:00I prefer dystopia. But I think only for pretend. W...I prefer dystopia. But I think only for pretend. When I thought the bird flu was going to make dystopia real I started praying for utopia. I will have to read Hominids. It could change my mind.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00475048698864549099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-85126642220368796962010-06-10T13:39:29.837-04:002010-06-10T13:39:29.837-04:00Thanks for these posts. The whole dystopian, utopi...Thanks for these posts. The whole dystopian, utopian, steampunk genres used to get me confused but you guys help immensely! <br /><br />Perfect worlds? Definitely suspect because it's subjective and depends on who's making the call of what perfect is.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11560451179700425576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-50504056480850936232010-06-10T13:36:43.624-04:002010-06-10T13:36:43.624-04:00I thought C.S. Lewis made the planet in his book P...I thought C.S. Lewis made the planet in his book Perelandra a pretty good Utopia (for me anyways). He kept the tension going by having the evil from our planet trying to overtake it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11271149538259398956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-40641421978661712762010-06-10T13:08:51.992-04:002010-06-10T13:08:51.992-04:00I've read Wake (it was shelved in the regular ...I've read Wake (it was shelved in the regular SF/Fantasy section at B&N, not YA), and it's definitely not a Utopia. It's more of a near-future setting.Sandra Ulbrich Almazanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15365908651235829765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-80997807859300294862010-06-10T11:37:31.995-04:002010-06-10T11:37:31.995-04:00No conflict from perfection. I like that, Lisa. Fr...No conflict from perfection. I like that, Lisa. From a storytelling perspective, you do need something to create dramatic tension. But, I also thinking, though, maybe we just don't believe in Utopia anymore. Or it's highly suspect to us. We look for its faults.Angiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16587645299751603897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-84089558315739963952010-06-10T11:27:50.799-04:002010-06-10T11:27:50.799-04:00Interesting, but I think you already hit the nail ...Interesting, but I think you already hit the nail on the head - there's little conflict to be derived from perfection. Unless it isn't so perfect after all, in which case it isn't really a Utopia.Lisa Gail Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03648323153868702165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-38539105873972683192010-06-10T10:06:05.786-04:002010-06-10T10:06:05.786-04:00I have Hominids on my shelf but have yet to read i...I have Hominids on my shelf but have yet to read it. <br /><br />I can't think of any other examples of utopian fiction...<br /><br />I will have to check the goodreads. :)Hannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16915603693944523761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-78195860832320424852010-06-10T10:01:32.113-04:002010-06-10T10:01:32.113-04:00I don't know of any. If society is perfect, wh...I don't know of any. If society is perfect, what is there to write about? So you'd have to introduce a threat from outside or someone malformed from inside who can't stand how boring and nice it all is. Might actually be fun to do that!Tricia J. O'Brienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05993110400088806252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468546013884694910.post-87605542903983340132010-06-10T09:04:36.463-04:002010-06-10T09:04:36.463-04:00Hominids sounds so interesting! I've been mean...Hominids sounds so interesting! I've been meaning to read Flash Forward (since I enjoyed the TV show) so I'll have to add both to my list. I think you're right, though, utopia probably is difficult to write about since we like to stories about conflict.Anna Staniszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09316883819771607655noreply@blogger.com