tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post4275956230442572076..comments2024-03-21T14:41:14.622-07:00Comments on Graphic Firing Table: Fracture LinesFDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-83219344021081881142013-04-02T20:13:09.552-07:002013-04-02T20:13:09.552-07:00Leon; good point. And, again, these guys could st...Leon; good point. And, again, these guys could still write. It's just that much more difficult for a modern reader to get past the old-school style and the upfront racism/sexism/other-isms that kind of slap you in the face.<br /><br />Don't get me started about <i>Two Black Crows in the RAF</i>...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-1178405447302325192013-04-02T12:09:35.210-07:002013-04-02T12:09:35.210-07:00Heck, even good writers like Tolkien couldn't ...Heck, even good writers like Tolkien couldn't escape their background. It's my favourite novel(s) but it's filled with the subtext of blonde-haired white people good, swarthy people bad.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-78797890940608129412013-04-01T09:07:59.724-07:002013-04-01T09:07:59.724-07:00Funny, I hadn't actually read the Baum books i...Funny, I hadn't actually read the Baum books in decades. I went to see what all the fuss was about and was reminded of how very different the styles of the first half of the 20th Century were.<br /><br />IMO the pulp writers like Baum and Burroughs are nearly unreadable to a modern. The conventions of their time seem either ridiculous or insulting; you mention Baum and the Indians; nearly all the other genre writer of the period had similar blind spots. I recall inheriting some sort of gawdawful Tarzan-knockoff from my grandmother ("Bomba the Jungle Boy" sounds familiar) and even in the Sixties I was pretty stunned by the racism; Bomba is "better" than his jungle cronies because, of course, he is White. Pretty much every red, black, yellow, or brown character in them is either craven, moronic, greedy, outright Evil, or some combination of the above.<br /><br />It's kind of a tribute to the imagination of the writers themselves that they managed to transcend the limits of their genre to the extent that their stories and characters are still viable and enjoyable today once you've knocked off the encrustation of racist bullshit...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-39377744666903237832013-03-30T06:19:29.909-07:002013-03-30T06:19:29.909-07:00Thanks, BB! I did read the Burroughs books as a t...Thanks, BB! I did read the Burroughs books as a teen. And later, almost in my 20's heard something about the Indian issue...that was one reason why I did not read Baum's books. I was, at that time, very busy explaining to a host of old ladies I did volunteer work for that the Indians protesting at the Wounded Knee site were in the right.<br /><br />Hey, everyone had to get their self-righteous priggness out SOME time...Syrbal/Labryshttp://www.herlanderwalking.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-76452074605047341292013-03-29T17:27:10.238-07:002013-03-29T17:27:10.238-07:00There's a lot of 'em.
http://en.wikipedia...There's a lot of 'em.<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oz_books<br /><br />I read them all as a little kid and they're not that bad for adults.<br /><br />The ancestors of modern SciFi and Fantasy, like Burrough's Princess of Mars and Tolkien?<br /><br />Baum himself is an interesting character. An early supporter of women's rights, and controversy over what to do with the Indians. I believe his writings on the subject were like Swift's writings on how to deal with the Irish, but the family did apologize to the Sioux nation just a few years ago, which I just found out meandering through Wikipedia.<br /><br />Here's one reason to like the movie, and Labrys, you don't need to spend money to read the first book<br /><br />http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=3273344&pageno=80<br /><br />One more link<br /><br />http://www.ozclub.org/The_International_Wizard_of_Oz_Club.html<br /><br />bbAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-81355599665406455112013-03-29T10:59:14.235-07:002013-03-29T10:59:14.235-07:00Damn it, now I am going to have to go read ALL the...Damn it, now I am going to have to go read ALL the Oz books, aren't I?Syrbal/Labryshttp://www.herlanderwalking.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-86799343122034434672013-03-29T07:33:32.662-07:002013-03-29T07:33:32.662-07:00I saw it when it opened, and I appreciated the att...I saw it when it opened, and I appreciated the attempt at a prequel.<br /><br />It's difficult to base a movie on a character who has no redeeming moral qualities, and who is the basis for the idiom about looking behind the curtain and being told not to see what you do see. The 1939 wizard tosses out some medals and high-tails it out of town, leaving the girls Glinda and Dorothy to get to the resolution.<br /><br />I do give credit to Franco and Raimi for doing the best they could with that, although it is Franco's actions that are a catalyst for Kunis' transformation. So when guys do evil, it's OK with no consequences and no need for atonement, but when gals do it, it's irrevocable?<br /><br />The Witchy is Bitchy, to the Max, just for gullibility.<br /><br />Go figure, when one turns evil, green skin, pushed up and exposed boobies and a stylish outfit are the rewards! ( Geeky note, Susan Oliver in the original pilot of the original Star Trek, eh? ) <br /><br />A couple of groaners, at the beginning with the crippled girl who later morphed into China Girl and the similarity to Star Wars. I can see Franco as Luke, and Glinda as Obi Wan. Bruce Campbell as the door sentry was a nice touch. All in all, decent, but meh.<br /><br />bbAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com