As hubby was watching "Creature From the Black Lagoon" with commentary ( he loves that stuff! ), I happened to overhear a comment that struck me as pretty close to my own way of looking at the arts. Many forms of art, such as SF and F, can be employed to make social commentary palatable to the general public, even to those who watch, read, or listen purely for entertainment purposes.
Star Trek did it; Babylon 5 did it---and did it very well. Countless books and songs and even artwork have done the same, raising issues such as slavery, prejudice, sexism, and racism. So it certainly isn't without precedence that my trilogy also explores some social issues, while serving primarily as entertainment. ( I don't believe in being preachy! Turns people off---turns me off! )
But in my trilogy I bring up issues such as the nearly perpetual war between the two Erisian Empires: the Lamidians and the Thrasians---and their mutual disdain and hatred for the poor Maradinians, who are pacifists and refuse to be drawn into their on-going war. Then there's the issue of the almost universal dislike, even hatred, of Tartarians because they are "different": the color of their skin is "too pale", they look strange, they refuse to display much emotion, and they are strict in their obedience to laws and regulations---which makes them no fun at all, at least as far as the inhabitants of the rest of the known-Galaxy is concerned!
Social commentary is fine and dandy---as long as you're not being beaten over the head with it!
MRTighe
Showing posts with label prejudice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prejudice. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Moral Fiction?
After a wee bit of reflection, I went into Amazon.com and added another tag to Judgment on Tartarus' listing: "moral fiction". Now I'm not sure if there actually is such a category, but if there isn't, there should be. I read a lot of books these days that I'd never categorize as moral fiction---entertaining maybe, but certainly not "moral"!
And Judgment on Tartarus doesn't exactly fit into the category of Christian fiction. Most people looking for a book in that category probably wouldn't be satisfied with Judgment. It's not specifically "Christian" enough for those readers. I'm sure most would find the language too colorful, the message too low-key, etc.
But I believe Judgment is most certainly moral fiction. Several of its characters adhere to strict moral tenets which would be approved by most major religions: ie, honesty, chastity, love, self-sacrifice, etc. And one of the major themes is the need to overcome prejudice---to refrain from judging others on the basis of how they look or how they act. Take people as they are and look for the good in them without being blinded by prejudice. Accept differences as positive. That is something science fiction fans are really good at!
And even the names I've used for the various planets have some moral meaning: Tartarus refers to the lower depth of Hell according to Greek mythology, Cytherea is representative of Paradise ( at least on the outside ) but to others is an example of hedonism allowed to run amuck! Eris is named for the god of discord because that planet is embroiled in near-perpetual racial wars.
While Judgment is far from allegory, not specifically religious in theme, and certainly not preachy, I do believe it could be categorized as moral fiction. You won't know unless you read it.
Agree or disagree? Let me know.
MRTighe
And Judgment on Tartarus doesn't exactly fit into the category of Christian fiction. Most people looking for a book in that category probably wouldn't be satisfied with Judgment. It's not specifically "Christian" enough for those readers. I'm sure most would find the language too colorful, the message too low-key, etc.
But I believe Judgment is most certainly moral fiction. Several of its characters adhere to strict moral tenets which would be approved by most major religions: ie, honesty, chastity, love, self-sacrifice, etc. And one of the major themes is the need to overcome prejudice---to refrain from judging others on the basis of how they look or how they act. Take people as they are and look for the good in them without being blinded by prejudice. Accept differences as positive. That is something science fiction fans are really good at!
And even the names I've used for the various planets have some moral meaning: Tartarus refers to the lower depth of Hell according to Greek mythology, Cytherea is representative of Paradise ( at least on the outside ) but to others is an example of hedonism allowed to run amuck! Eris is named for the god of discord because that planet is embroiled in near-perpetual racial wars.
While Judgment is far from allegory, not specifically religious in theme, and certainly not preachy, I do believe it could be categorized as moral fiction. You won't know unless you read it.
Agree or disagree? Let me know.
MRTighe
Friday, January 21, 2011
A Question of Judgment?
Do any of you have questions about the theme/title of Judgment on Tartarus? That's been my book's title right from the rough draft. First, judgment refers to the Laws of Ahn-eld ( Tartarus ), specifically to the death-sentence which can be imposed for violating them. Judgment also refers to pre-judging others---thus the word "prejudice"---a main theme in this novel. As Captain Hughes says, "Bigotry is an age-old Terran fault we haven't outrun by going into space." Astrella holds plenty of evidence as to that fact.
But in Book 1, judgment also refers to the errors in judgment many people in the story make; specifically, Rona Scott, Captain Hughes, and even Malkis of Tartarus make some whopping errors in judgment---and they are the good guys! As they discover, recognizing and owning up to such errors ain't easy---and redressing the consequences is even harder!
That's it for now,
MRTighe
But in Book 1, judgment also refers to the errors in judgment many people in the story make; specifically, Rona Scott, Captain Hughes, and even Malkis of Tartarus make some whopping errors in judgment---and they are the good guys! As they discover, recognizing and owning up to such errors ain't easy---and redressing the consequences is even harder!
That's it for now,
MRTighe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)