Reading Fiction...

[jj]

I notice a fellow mentioned in the commentary seems to be a bit concerned by the fact he recognized a character in a fictional novel that has lots of supernatural stuff going on.

I really don't get that. It's fiction, ok, he knows that, quite clearly. I read lots of fiction novels, from Steven Brust to Tom Clancy, with stops at the Laurel Hamilton series as well as the Dresden series by Jim Butcher.

Yes, they're fiction. So? Reading fiction as fiction doesn't, as far as I know, create any real belief in the supernatural, if anything it denies a belief in the supernatural, because one sees so many different sets of "rules and regulations" over a few books and/or series.

 

[The_Fire]

You would be surprised at the amount of kids whom I've seen posting on neo-pagan boards about spells etc. from fiction such as sweep, charmed etc., firmly beliving it was the Truth and going up in a huff when the difference between fiction and fact were pointed out.
In defence of basic homo sapiens intelligence, the ability to differnciate between the two seems to grow as the individual ages.
But then again, there are those whom believe in ID......

Edit: horrible spelling.

 

[jj]

In defence of basic homo sapiens intelligence, the ability to differnciate between the two seems to grow as the individual ages.

Duno, I read most of the Heinlien (sp?), Clarke, Asimov and Doc Smith books between 7th and 9th grades, inclusive. (I read my way, literally, throuhg the one bookshelf of SF in the Jr. High School library.) I never had any doubt but that the books were just stories. Let's see, what else was there? The l'Engle books, the various Narnia books, a couple of Oz books, a fair amount of stuff that impressed me so little I don't recall it...

 

[The_Fire]

I was a big Clarke fan in that age. And I was also rather adept at seperating the two things.
All I can say is something must have gone haywire somewhere in the last 20 years if I look at these kids......
But maybe these new youngsters are some sort of evolutionary (yes, the Baaad E-word kiddies ) side shot to sapiens?

 

[Zendal Darkman]

The worst sort of fiction is when woo(*1) like stuff is placed in a popular (none sci-fi) drama and just dropped into the script as if it is an ever day occurrence. I remember watching a TV detective series which plot was kicked off by kids playing on the Ouija board and getting information from a girl who was murdered (and wanted justice ). I was waiting to see how one of the kids was linked to the murder, but it never came. Apparently we just have to accept that this can happen.

*1 Never used the term "woo" before so may be using it in the wrong context (daren't ask for the definition, for fear of scorn)

 

[TimmyBerry]

Guess young minds are easier to influence.

 

[jj]

The worst sort of fiction is when woo(*1) like stuff is placed in a popular (none sci-fi) drama and just dropped into the script as if it is an ever day occurrence.

Agreed. It's "throw up the hands and grab the remote" time then.