Comments on: Bruce Sterling: “People don’t pay attention to novels”

By: Tom Marcinko

Tom Marcinko — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:59:57 +0000

I’d completely forgotten The Jungle — thanks.

Of course there’s this wingnut meme — “Going Galt,” thanks to the author of Atlas Shrugged.

I forget which European socialist said that most of these so-called indispensable people would be better viewed as candidates for Douglas Adams’s “B” Ark.

Not to pile on Bruce Sterling, but didn’t a friend and collaborator of his coin some word in some novel … a word we now use so often that we don’t even notice it anymore? (“Cyberspace,” that is. : )

By: efnord

efnord — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:36:56 +0000

Tom: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair certainly had lasting social impact, if not of the sort that Sinclair was aiming for….

By: Tom Marcinko

Tom Marcinko — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:45:24 +0000

It does seem as though Harry and Twilight have at least given every pundit (and, er, blogger) an opportunity to go on automatic pilot for at least a couple of column-inches.

Arguably, a novel hasn’t had a great deal of short-term political or social impact since Uncle Tom’s Cabin or Dickens. OTOH, maybe novels have pretty long fuses. Look at all the early rocket scientists who were inspired by Wells and Verne.

(Novels possibly replaced by all the many Star Trek viewers who became inventors and NASA engineers … hmmm … I may be making Bruce’s point for him.)

By: Paul Raven

Paul Raven — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:42:20 +0000

Do you want to explain these changes in public discourse that HP, Eragon and Twilight have wrought, SMD? I'm not seeing your point there, I'm afraid, but I'm sure you have one.

By: Screen Sleuth

Screen Sleuth — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:05:45 +0000

Print as a medium is falling, and this shouldn’t surprise anyone.