thought experiment

[katster]

grr, parents, making me miss my one morning pleasure. So yeah, Mal, that's why I wasn't around. It wasn't because I was procrastinating on my paper, it was because I was getting donuts for my *mother*. :P

But besides that, here's the ponderance I've got for y'all to ponder. Let's pick the hypothethical. You're asked to teach a course on science fiction. Which books and short stories would you have your class read? Bonus points for why. :)

Comments

[koyote.livejournal.com]

okay, let's start with some classic authors who have had impact, either in broader society, or within the field very specifically.

start with Asimov, Bradbury, Leiber, Dick, Zelazny, Zimmer-Bradley, Drake, Flint, Niven-Pournelle... uhm, none of this is good for 'one week studying a short story' type of stuff. Term paper stuff, sure. PK Dick may be the most cinematized SF author of all time, Asimov shaped fendom to a startling degree, N&P brought a lot of the very material and cynical side of scientism to the masses, Marion virtually created half of modern fantasy (as well as a large part of the feminist fantasy movement, and had a lot of fights with other feminists), Flint is bringing participatory fandom to a really amazing new level, Drake has spawned at least as much military SF as Heinlein...

Well. Individual novels.

Friday- the search for humanity. (yes, most people claim it's just about having gratuitous sex, but have you really read it with an eye to the central question?)

Starship Troopers, (which is REALLY different from the movie version) - exploring government, citizenship, duty, and the idea of an objective moral philosophical science being possible. (is it? really?) It is also generally accepted as *the* genesis of modern military SF

Octavia Butler's parable series (parable of the sower and parable of the talents) - it is almost a 'current events' tie in, but read it and judge for yourself.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr's Reichian short "Unready to Wear" I think is the title. the 'amphibian' story.

Harlan Ellison is a very important, though personally often disagreeable person, but that's part of what makes him important. I think "A boy and his dog" is pretty important, and easy to use as you can do story and film :)


Not even 30% of my list, but enough to get me flamed soundly!