Author Topic: Strange Days  (Read 9076 times)

Aaronvlek

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on: May 28, 2015, 01:15:29 AM
i know this has nothing to do with Podcastle, but it has a lot to do with fantasy, Sci-Fi, and horror. The Other Change of Hobbit, an absolutely iconic bookstore that opened in Berkeley, CA 38 years ago today gas been out of business for a year ago but still struggling and visible on social media. They were living money and had to start taking subscriptions and still went under. In Berkeley. What does this say about the high art of storytelling? Is it that it's all free now and the glut and mediocrity of the market means nobody will psych for the good stuff? Is there no "good stuff" anymore?" Is there a market for stories that fall outside the YA market? Why aren't genre books being published that do more than entertain, amuse, and distract? What is being produced today that will speak to readers in fifty years or that will become timeless.  I mourn the loss of the Other Change of Hobbit because these kinds of stores have always been hubs of culture and the exchange of ideas, not just places to buy things that can now be purchased without ever leaving our keyboards. Just an old fart prattling here but somebody has to salute at times like this.



Talia

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Reply #1 on: May 28, 2015, 01:39:51 PM
i know this has nothing to do with Podcastle, but it has a lot to do with fantasy, Sci-Fi, and horror. The Other Change of Hobbit, an absolutely iconic bookstore that opened in Berkeley, CA 38 years ago today gas been out of business for a year ago but still struggling and visible on social media. They were living money and had to start taking subscriptions and still went under. In Berkeley. What does this say about the high art of storytelling? Is it that it's all free now and the glut and mediocrity of the market means nobody will psych for the good stuff? Is there no "good stuff" anymore?" Is there a market for stories that fall outside the YA market? Why aren't genre books being published that do more than entertain, amuse, and distract? What is being produced today that will speak to readers in fifty years or that will become timeless.  I mourn the loss of the Other Change of Hobbit because these kinds of stores have always been hubs of culture and the exchange of ideas, not just places to buy things that can now be purchased without ever leaving our keyboards. Just an old fart prattling here but somebody has to salute at times like this.

There's plenty of good genre fiction still being produced. It's merely the medium that's shifting. Some smaller bookstores are managing to hang on, but it involves a shift in how they operate and what they offer (and depends on where they're located I imagine). And yes, there is plenty of market for non-YA fiction. An example of a genre author who's doing pretty decently in the non-YA field would be John Scalzi, who just signed a pretty hefty book deal, although most of his stuff you might reasonably argue is more fun than thought provoking.

The exchange of culture you reference now largely takes place online, in forums and other places of discussion. It just makes it easier to come in contact with a broader swath of people, I suppose.

But yeah. The field is changing in form, but not in substance - not at all, IMHO.



Aaronvlek

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Reply #2 on: May 28, 2015, 01:49:47 PM
You're right about culture in the online space. It truly has revolutionized communication and the depth of communication available to broad cross sections of people who would otherwise never cross paths in "real" life. And it's a real hoot to hunt them out and find where they congregate. 



Enos Fay

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Reply #3 on: February 04, 2021, 08:50:29 AM
It is true that before understanding the story of any movie we need to understand the culture of the country from where the movie is produced. You can read grademiners review online for information to write essay after watching movies as I watch Bollywood movies because I know their culture and they show it in their movies.