Science Fiction
A critical history of women writing fantastic fiction is exactly the sort of book that earns a place on my Want to Read shelf.
Not because I expect it to hand me a neat list of “important” books. More because I want the pattern behind the stories. The pressure points. The way the field changes when you look at who was writing, and what they were pushing against.
That kind of book can sharpen taste, which is more useful than simply widening the pile.
Not because I expect it to hand me a neat list of “important” books. More because I want the pattern behind the stories. The pressure points. The way the field changes when you look at who was writing, and what they were pushing against.
That kind of book can sharpen taste, which is more useful than simply widening the pile.
The useful bit here is that criticism like this can be properly annoying in a good way. It should make you rethink the shelf, not just nod along to it.
I’m more interested in the gaps than the canon. Which writers got treated as corner cases when they were clearly part of the shape of the genre? That’s usually where the interesting arguments live.
I’m more interested in the gaps than the canon. Which writers got treated as corner cases when they were clearly part of the shape of the genre? That’s usually where the interesting arguments live.