02-06-2015, 11:45 AM
What I find interesting is that today's books and movies recycle so much content (e.g. Buffy and Angel are just a modern take on Van Helsing and Dracula).
Of course, most of these themes come from (very) old writings about philosophy (e.g. platonisms with a small 'p'). These books and movies explain those philosophical ideas by incorporating mysticism, religion, fables, etc. thereby creating an alternative or parallel universe to provide a mirror to reality. This mirror is always created with some diverse apparatus to allow the viewer/reader to see into this alternate dimension.
I recommend the short story Garden of Forking Paths (by Jorges Luis Borges) if you can find a good translation for it as he wrote it in Spanish. It was published as part of a compilation of fictional short stories in 1941. He has written a few other stories that adopt this theme of parallel existence or other dimensions with intersecting pathways. Many modern authors and filmmakers have studied his works, and I like to pull up something from 1930-1960 every once in a while because the world changed so drastically and so did our way of thinking.
I am also reminded of a movie scene in Mr. Holland's Opus where Mr. Holland asks his class if they like Bach. Except for the one brown noser in the class, no one responds because they like Rock n Roll. Mr. Holland says he thinks they already like Bach and plays a piece of music the students (mis)identify as The Toys' "Lovers Concerto." Mr. Holland says WRONG, it was Bach's "Minuet in G," which was borrowed by The Toys.
Basically...my point is urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, etc. are all new(er) words for themes and plot devices, which have been around for thousands of years. Just ask Plato, the Sophists, Homer, etc. You can also find this use in the Bible, the Puranas, and Mythology (Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse....). Most plot themes have been borrowed, which is why I'd like to see writers today ADD something to the genre instead of just recycle the old....or at least recycle it well.
Of course, I'm not a writer...I'm a metalsmith so I think I will go melt or weld something now.
P.S. I do thank you all for these discussions because, when I want to read or watch something new, I actually log on to see what you guys have read/seen and what you thought of it. My fellow Grimmsters are often my book and show reviewers.
Of course, most of these themes come from (very) old writings about philosophy (e.g. platonisms with a small 'p'). These books and movies explain those philosophical ideas by incorporating mysticism, religion, fables, etc. thereby creating an alternative or parallel universe to provide a mirror to reality. This mirror is always created with some diverse apparatus to allow the viewer/reader to see into this alternate dimension.
I recommend the short story Garden of Forking Paths (by Jorges Luis Borges) if you can find a good translation for it as he wrote it in Spanish. It was published as part of a compilation of fictional short stories in 1941. He has written a few other stories that adopt this theme of parallel existence or other dimensions with intersecting pathways. Many modern authors and filmmakers have studied his works, and I like to pull up something from 1930-1960 every once in a while because the world changed so drastically and so did our way of thinking.
I am also reminded of a movie scene in Mr. Holland's Opus where Mr. Holland asks his class if they like Bach. Except for the one brown noser in the class, no one responds because they like Rock n Roll. Mr. Holland says he thinks they already like Bach and plays a piece of music the students (mis)identify as The Toys' "Lovers Concerto." Mr. Holland says WRONG, it was Bach's "Minuet in G," which was borrowed by The Toys.
Basically...my point is urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers, etc. are all new(er) words for themes and plot devices, which have been around for thousands of years. Just ask Plato, the Sophists, Homer, etc. You can also find this use in the Bible, the Puranas, and Mythology (Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse....). Most plot themes have been borrowed, which is why I'd like to see writers today ADD something to the genre instead of just recycle the old....or at least recycle it well.
Of course, I'm not a writer...I'm a metalsmith so I think I will go melt or weld something now.
P.S. I do thank you all for these discussions because, when I want to read or watch something new, I actually log on to see what you guys have read/seen and what you thought of it. My fellow Grimmsters are often my book and show reviewers.
"Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today." ~Mark Twain