Comments on: The low-brow and high-brow of fantasy books… and movies. http://blog.efdanehy.com/2008/10/22/the-low-brow-and-high-brow-of-fantasy-books/ wherein she discusses such things as writing, fantasy literature & criticism, & nerdy popular culture (using much parenthetical commentary & tangential ramblings). Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:35:21 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: billkurfman http://blog.efdanehy.com/2008/10/22/the-low-brow-and-high-brow-of-fantasy-books/comment-page-1/#comment-108 billkurfman Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:40:48 +0000 http://fairytalehero.wordpress.com/?p=302#comment-108 I find it funny that in fantasy and Sci Fi, genres meant to entertain, we are so incredibly critical of them. I think the fact that the stories deal with such fantastic setting makes us more critical. We have already suspended our belief to accept that magic is real or humans and alien travel between the stars together. When we start to be confronted by plot inconsistencies or bad characterization we get upset. The fantastic settings can make the story more enjoyable, but only if we believe in the characters. We have to accept these people into our minds, our hearts and our souls. We have to root for these people when they fight, cheer for them when they succeed and mourn when they fail. Nothing can ruin a good story faster than when a character we know and love does something we know they shouldn’t do. We are supposed to emotionally bond with these people. We know them well and are offended when they do things we know they wouldn’t do. That’s what makes us put down books, turn off the TV, or walk out of movie theaters. William R Kurfman Lost In Antiquity http://www.eloquentbooks.com/LostInAntiquity.html I find it funny that in fantasy and Sci Fi, genres meant to entertain, we are so incredibly critical of them. I think the fact that the stories deal with such fantastic setting makes us more critical. We have already suspended our belief to accept that magic is real or humans and alien travel between the stars together. When we start to be confronted by plot inconsistencies or bad characterization we get upset.
The fantastic settings can make the story more enjoyable, but only if we believe in the characters. We have to accept these people into our minds, our hearts and our souls. We have to root for these people when they fight, cheer for them when they succeed and mourn when they fail.
Nothing can ruin a good story faster than when a character we know and love does something we know they shouldn’t do. We are supposed to emotionally bond with these people. We know them well and are offended when they do things we know they wouldn’t do.
That’s what makes us put down books, turn off the TV, or walk out of movie theaters.

William R Kurfman
Lost In Antiquity
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/LostInAntiquity.html

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