+Elizabeth Bear discusses the inevitable datedness of fiction and the attitudes / assumptions of the author — and what one can try and do about it.
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One of the great lies of science fiction is the idea that we are writing for the future. The truth is that we are writing for today, and moreover, that we can’t help but become quaint. Hell, the best …
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I have this problem a lot when I'm reading old science fiction. It's hard not to let the attitudes toward women get in the way of enjoying the story. The higher the quality of the writing, though, the more I tend to excuse it.
Agreed. Sometimes it does really grate, though. Ditto (to a lesser extent, it seems) regarding minorities, though perhaps that's because minorities simply don't show up all that often in Golden Age SF.
It's been interesting, in a parallel vein, watching the early James Bond movies with my daughter. "No, that is not the sort of behavior you should accept from men …"