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Fantasite, v. 2, issue 3, whole no. 9, August-September 1942
Page 9
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THE FANTASITE....................................................9 be popular--if it is optimistic enough. Optimism will be the keynote of all fantasy, even more than it is today. I do not say such a trend is desirable, but that isthe way I see fantasy headed. Perhaps I am mistaken; I hope I am. Fantasy may grow up as it gains friends. It may seem that the more fans it wins, the less it will have to rely on sensationalism. But, looking at the situation from the frontierless aspect, this supposition doesn't appear correct. However, pulp fantasy will improve as the years pass, and there is plenty of room for improvement. Today's fantasy "classics" are not immortal literature by any stretch of the imagination. "Classics" in this case is purely a convenient term--it doesn't fit in the strictest interpretation. In any event, the tendency to sneer at some of these works is unwarranted. After all, magazine fantasy is in its earliest bloom; let sixteen more years pass, and who knows what masterpieces may have flowered? Can the pulps ever produce great immortal fantasy? The job of writing for the magazines is not conducive to the creation of good literature. Small wordrates make steady production and speed essential, and it is much quicker to use cliches than to dream up original phrases, much simpler to use obvious variations on stock plots than painstakingly to evolve subtle innovations. But it would seem that a pulp magazine will print the Great Science Fiction Novel if it is ever going to appear. I doubt that it will appear--at least originally--in book form. Fantasy between hard covers is no more advanced than the fantasy in magazines. The reason is simple: book fantasy is usually based on plots that are less original than those in the pulps. There are many exceptions, but it is generally true that an author writing a book fantasy is satisfied to embellish a creaky plot with fine writing. Even Amazing comes out regularly with more original plots than many of the literati have been able to evolve. It isn't that they are incapable of conjuring up new plots; they just aren't aware of what strides pulp fantasy has made, and they don't have that foundation to build on. The obvious crying need here is to communicate these innovations to the book authors. When pulp fantasy musters a truly important slab of readers, then perhaps book fantasy will be forced to improve. A public familiar with the advanced plots seen in magazines would demand better stories from the literary writers. Until this occurs, literary fantasy will lag behind. Its main appeal will continue to be the novelty the subject holds for the average reader. This means that sensationalism will continue to be manifested in order to draw as many uninitiated readers as possible. If book fantasy has any point of superiority, it will be the more skillful treatment of the plot. On the other hand, pulp fantasy--blessed by its own clique of fans--will not labor under such a handicap. So it rests with the magazines to give us the great fantasy classics. Whatever influences are brought upon it, pulp fantasy probably for some time to come will print the outstanding stories of the field. Disregarding all such speculation, it is certain that as long as Man has an imagination there will be fantasy--which is to say that there will be fantasy as long as the species exists. Perhaps a year after out beginning scene takes place, the character will drop into the drugstore and be dazzled by a growing array of science-fiction and fantasy-fiction magazines on the newsracks. Then he will realize that fantasy had not been murdered, but was only slumbering. Indestructible, it had been regenerated and was, in fact, more sturdy than ever. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean W. Boggs, the author of the above article, was drafted into the array on July 5th, and we have not yet heard what his present address is.
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THE FANTASITE....................................................9 be popular--if it is optimistic enough. Optimism will be the keynote of all fantasy, even more than it is today. I do not say such a trend is desirable, but that isthe way I see fantasy headed. Perhaps I am mistaken; I hope I am. Fantasy may grow up as it gains friends. It may seem that the more fans it wins, the less it will have to rely on sensationalism. But, looking at the situation from the frontierless aspect, this supposition doesn't appear correct. However, pulp fantasy will improve as the years pass, and there is plenty of room for improvement. Today's fantasy "classics" are not immortal literature by any stretch of the imagination. "Classics" in this case is purely a convenient term--it doesn't fit in the strictest interpretation. In any event, the tendency to sneer at some of these works is unwarranted. After all, magazine fantasy is in its earliest bloom; let sixteen more years pass, and who knows what masterpieces may have flowered? Can the pulps ever produce great immortal fantasy? The job of writing for the magazines is not conducive to the creation of good literature. Small wordrates make steady production and speed essential, and it is much quicker to use cliches than to dream up original phrases, much simpler to use obvious variations on stock plots than painstakingly to evolve subtle innovations. But it would seem that a pulp magazine will print the Great Science Fiction Novel if it is ever going to appear. I doubt that it will appear--at least originally--in book form. Fantasy between hard covers is no more advanced than the fantasy in magazines. The reason is simple: book fantasy is usually based on plots that are less original than those in the pulps. There are many exceptions, but it is generally true that an author writing a book fantasy is satisfied to embellish a creaky plot with fine writing. Even Amazing comes out regularly with more original plots than many of the literati have been able to evolve. It isn't that they are incapable of conjuring up new plots; they just aren't aware of what strides pulp fantasy has made, and they don't have that foundation to build on. The obvious crying need here is to communicate these innovations to the book authors. When pulp fantasy musters a truly important slab of readers, then perhaps book fantasy will be forced to improve. A public familiar with the advanced plots seen in magazines would demand better stories from the literary writers. Until this occurs, literary fantasy will lag behind. Its main appeal will continue to be the novelty the subject holds for the average reader. This means that sensationalism will continue to be manifested in order to draw as many uninitiated readers as possible. If book fantasy has any point of superiority, it will be the more skillful treatment of the plot. On the other hand, pulp fantasy--blessed by its own clique of fans--will not labor under such a handicap. So it rests with the magazines to give us the great fantasy classics. Whatever influences are brought upon it, pulp fantasy probably for some time to come will print the outstanding stories of the field. Disregarding all such speculation, it is certain that as long as Man has an imagination there will be fantasy--which is to say that there will be fantasy as long as the species exists. Perhaps a year after out beginning scene takes place, the character will drop into the drugstore and be dazzled by a growing array of science-fiction and fantasy-fiction magazines on the newsracks. Then he will realize that fantasy had not been murdered, but was only slumbering. Indestructible, it had been regenerated and was, in fact, more sturdy than ever. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean W. Boggs, the author of the above article, was drafted into the array on July 5th, and we have not yet heard what his present address is.
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