Kris Reads Horror, Fantasy, And Sci-Fi

I walked into this class thinking that I was going to read and analyze a bunch of stories from my favorite genres. I wanted to learn more about these genres, and expand my visual library and vocabulary for it. And I did, but I learned so much more than that. It’s fascinating to hear other people’s interpretations of story, and what experiences they had that led them to draw those conclusions. I didn’t expect to learn as much history in the genre as I did (in hindsight, a foolish expectation not to have), and how interesting the origins of these genres are. While I’m aware that early classes are the banes of many college students’ existence, this was a class I was more than excited to wake up early for. I absolutely adored the Neil Gaiman talk (unsurprising, since he’s my favorite author) and I was grateful to be exposed to movies I otherwise would have not seen without exposure in class. I can assure you that when I went to work in the labs on homework, I would finish whatever m

The distinction between writing in genre versus writing that is literary but contains elements of genre is a discussion that has surprisingly come up in several classes I’ve taken. For me, personally, I have never thought of it as an important distinction to make. While I do believe that there is sufficient evidence to show that one can be made, I just never thought of it as a big deal. I think the book I read for this week, 1984, is a good jumping off point for a discussion about this question. If a distinction absolutely had to be made, then I think 1984 would be an example of a work using science-fiction (specifically futuristic dystopian) elements to better get across the themes of the book. However, it is definitely possible to tell the themes of the story in another way; the dangers of totalitarianism, the use of language as mind control, and the overall idea of independence and identity have all been told in different ways. But with the setting and characters Orwell has given us

“Fragments of a Hologram Rose” is an interesting cyberpunk story, as the structure itself seems to reflect the main theme of it: memory, and its fragmented nature. The structure of the story weaves in and out between Parker’s memories and his current state in the present Dystopian America, trying to get his sensory tapes to work. In this story, the structure and world are more of the highlight than Parker, who is really just a lens to see the world through. As readers, we understand clearly why the people in this society would want something like ASP tapes; in a society as chaotic as described, escapism into memories or the memories of someone else makes perfect sense. Since memories, especially good ones, are often idealized and exaggerated, why not travel somewhere like that? However, it’s as real as a hologram is: not at all. Characters like Parker rely so heavily on the memory tapes that they have no real way to connect with the world around them. When things go bad, like they co