http://bookworm-beauty.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] bookworm-beauty.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2011-11-03 12:52 am
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Tropes and Scope [Class 9, Period 3]

Today, class met in a normal classroom, though Belle had brought a great deal of children's building materials, as well as art supplies, scrap paper and bits of metal and pipe cleaners, and random bits of cloth.

"Speculative fiction," she began, smiling at the class once they'd assembled, "is often called science fiction or realistic fantasy these days. It deals in the question of 'What if?' What if our legs were backwards? What if there was no need to sleep? What if we conquered space travel, and could visit the stars?" Careful, Belle, your old timeyness is showing. "Science fiction, in particular, focuses on invention. Isaac Asimov said there are three types of science fiction -- gadget, adventure, and social. In a 'gadget' story, the focus is on an invention itself, and how it shapes the world. An 'adventure' story uses the invention as a dramatic prop -- a means to propel the action. And a 'social' story focuses on how the presence of the invention affects people's lives."

She selected a jar of Play-Doh, pulling it out to play with. "Your task today is to invent something that you think could change this world, and then share how you could make a gadget, adventure, or social story revolve around it. For example, if I wanted to make a robot that could fold all my laundry for me, I could write a story just about the robot itself, about how the robot folds all my laundry incorrectly and sends me on a quest for dresses, or what people do with the time that they'd use folding their clothes before and the impact that spare time might have on society." She grinned, then made an ushering motion. "Get to work, now."

Re: Sign In [Tropes 9]

[identity profile] inaskinnyway.livejournal.com 2011-11-03 12:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Susan Sto Helit

Re: Sign In [Tropes 9]

[identity profile] cursedconman.livejournal.com 2011-11-03 04:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Cassel Sharpe

Re: Sign In [Tropes 9]

[identity profile] whateverknight.livejournal.com 2011-11-03 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Squall Leonhart
life_inshadow: ([neu]  what's that?)

Re: Sign In [Tropes 9]

[personal profile] life_inshadow 2011-11-03 10:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Tara Maclay

Re: Sign In [Tropes 9]

[identity profile] richieryan.livejournal.com 2011-11-04 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
Richie Ryan
selfhelphero: ([com] i'm kind of the bomb)

Re: Sign In [Tropes 9]

[personal profile] selfhelphero 2011-11-04 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
Billy Kaplan