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Spacewarp, v. 3, issue 4, July 1948
Page 14
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After introductory remarks by Ned McKeown, Robert Block took over. This famous writer istall, with swept-back medium-brown hair and glasses. According to my notes, he wore a yellow necktie. According to my memory he also wore other clothes. Will someone who was present please confirm this? Bob's talk concerned the psychological reasons for writing and reading stf. I won't go into details, because the full text of this and all other convention speeches will appear in the TORCON MEMORY BOOK, of which I suggest you beg, borrow, steal, or perhaps even buy a copy. But here is a rough summary of Bloch's remarks: Stfreaders make of science a father-substitute, that is, something which has all the answers and can be depended upon as a wise, enduring, and benevolent refuge. Most writers are trying to take the place of their own parents as a source of criticism, and are defending their subconscious fantasies and pressures. When stfen say they are interested in science, they are rationalizing their real motives. Science in stf is presented as infallible, the answer to all problems. In real life, science is more commercial than altruistic. The prime appeal of stf is that it glorifies the individual. This basic psychology and motivation is healthy and constructive. A great proportion of all literature throughout the ages has contained elements of fantasy, and has often been shunned by critics at the time of its appearance. But the readers go right on reading. The most important aspect of fanactivity is the cooperation between fans. There are baseball fans, football fans, all sorts of fans, but it is not fair to say the former are extroverts and the stfen are introverts. The former merely have more public opportunity to display their extroversion. A gathering such as this is one of the healthiest aspects of fandom. You come here today not to save the world, but to have a good time. All of you are your own justification for being. Next on the agenda was messages from the publishers -- Eshbach of Fantasy Press, James A. Williams of Prime Press, Korshak of Shasta, Ack pinchhitting for Fantasy Publishing Co, Abe Childs of New Collectors (who are now tentatively known as Hydra Press), Moskowitz of Avalon, and Maitland of New Era Publishers -- all giving the latest info on what is available and forthcoming from their various publishing houses. This concluded the afternoon session: Saturday evening, the program began with a movie tracing the history of atomic physics from Dalton to Einstein and beyond. It was highly technical, but fascinating to all who like the scientific side of stf. Following the film, George O. Smith attempted to discuss interplanetary communication for the illumination of fandom. He soon became embroiled with several people who couldn't see why people on two planets separated by a ten-minute transmission lag would have difficulty in carrying on a conversation. Until he fled from the auditorium an hour later Smith was surrounded by a three-deep circle of fen firing a barrage of technical questions somewhat in the manner of detectives giving a suspect the third degree. Sunday afternoon was devoted to the auction of originals and was capably presided over by Erle M. Korshak. The auction set a new record by netting over four hundred dollars to help defray TORCON expenses. The ((Now try page 21)) 14
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After introductory remarks by Ned McKeown, Robert Block took over. This famous writer istall, with swept-back medium-brown hair and glasses. According to my notes, he wore a yellow necktie. According to my memory he also wore other clothes. Will someone who was present please confirm this? Bob's talk concerned the psychological reasons for writing and reading stf. I won't go into details, because the full text of this and all other convention speeches will appear in the TORCON MEMORY BOOK, of which I suggest you beg, borrow, steal, or perhaps even buy a copy. But here is a rough summary of Bloch's remarks: Stfreaders make of science a father-substitute, that is, something which has all the answers and can be depended upon as a wise, enduring, and benevolent refuge. Most writers are trying to take the place of their own parents as a source of criticism, and are defending their subconscious fantasies and pressures. When stfen say they are interested in science, they are rationalizing their real motives. Science in stf is presented as infallible, the answer to all problems. In real life, science is more commercial than altruistic. The prime appeal of stf is that it glorifies the individual. This basic psychology and motivation is healthy and constructive. A great proportion of all literature throughout the ages has contained elements of fantasy, and has often been shunned by critics at the time of its appearance. But the readers go right on reading. The most important aspect of fanactivity is the cooperation between fans. There are baseball fans, football fans, all sorts of fans, but it is not fair to say the former are extroverts and the stfen are introverts. The former merely have more public opportunity to display their extroversion. A gathering such as this is one of the healthiest aspects of fandom. You come here today not to save the world, but to have a good time. All of you are your own justification for being. Next on the agenda was messages from the publishers -- Eshbach of Fantasy Press, James A. Williams of Prime Press, Korshak of Shasta, Ack pinchhitting for Fantasy Publishing Co, Abe Childs of New Collectors (who are now tentatively known as Hydra Press), Moskowitz of Avalon, and Maitland of New Era Publishers -- all giving the latest info on what is available and forthcoming from their various publishing houses. This concluded the afternoon session: Saturday evening, the program began with a movie tracing the history of atomic physics from Dalton to Einstein and beyond. It was highly technical, but fascinating to all who like the scientific side of stf. Following the film, George O. Smith attempted to discuss interplanetary communication for the illumination of fandom. He soon became embroiled with several people who couldn't see why people on two planets separated by a ten-minute transmission lag would have difficulty in carrying on a conversation. Until he fled from the auditorium an hour later Smith was surrounded by a three-deep circle of fen firing a barrage of technical questions somewhat in the manner of detectives giving a suspect the third degree. Sunday afternoon was devoted to the auction of originals and was capably presided over by Erle M. Korshak. The auction set a new record by netting over four hundred dollars to help defray TORCON expenses. The ((Now try page 21)) 14
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