http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster Skeptical Readings of Literature and History Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:40:52 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Well, MEFA results are trickling in to authors with the final list of winners forthcoming. Celebration already pervades, both of individual results and of the accomplishments of the MEFA staff in another smooth-going and fun season. Fun for most, that is. Because for every cheer and every lifted glass of ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2010/01/tis-the-season-to-be-bitter/ XXFactor has a post today about the persistent sexism in "geek culture," which this particular writer identifies as the tech industry. Now I'm not part of the tech industry--unless fumbling through the occasional SQL query in MS Access counts--but I do count myself as part of varying facets of "geek ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/10/geeks-behaving-badly/ One theory of fantasy literature that has always appealed to me is the idea that because fantasy fiction permits stories to occur at a remove from what we understand as "reality," then fantasy literature can begin to heal inequities that continue to plague the real world and, therefore, must be ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/10/lavinia-reviewed/ I am opening this post for any and all who are interested in continuing the slash discussion from LotR Genfic. This discussion has been moved offlist since the list is a gen group and the discussion was starting to touch on issues that don't necessarily belong on a family-friendly group. ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/09/open-thread-for-slash-discussion/ ***SPOILERS AHEAD!*** I am not going to shy from discussing details and outcomes of the plot when they are relevant to the points I am discussing here. So if you want to go into the movie without knowing the details of how it will turn out, get thee to the theater ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/09/9-reviewed/ Today is the 32nd anniversary of the publication of The Silmarillion. Each of us has her or his own story of coming to The Silmarillion, or to Tolkien in general. I've written my quite a few times by now and so won't repeat it here. Suffice to say that I ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/09/the-appeal-of-the-silmarillion/ Since my last post was a little on the heavier (and more controversial) side, I thought I'd post something lighter for a change. After all, even heretics like to have fun. :) I encountered this article quite by accident today on The New York Times website while reading a much ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/09/move-over-feanor/ I am preaching to the converted here, I know, but I need to indulge in a moment's rant and hope my kind readers and commenters will forgive me a post for once without footnotes. :) Saying "I don't understand the need for slash in Tolkien's world" is patently ridiculous. Tolkien's world ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/08/i-need-to-rant/ In the Arts section of DoubleX magazine this week is an article, The Death of Chick Lit, examining how the quintessential beach-reading genre might have to remake itself somewhat to accommodate its readers' realities in a world in economic recession. The author, Sarah Bilston, argues that women won't care as ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/08/inferior-writing-on-chicklit-fantasy-and-mary-sue/ It is an oft-cited fact that JRRT created his stories from the languages of Middle-earth and not the other way around. We fannish folk like this detail, but I suspect that many of us who repeat it with gusto don't think very much about what it actually means. In fact, ... http://themidhavens.net/heretic_loremaster/2009/07/authorial-intent-fan-writing-and-asterisk-reality/