Dangerous Visions: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Content added Content deleted
VisualWikitext
m (Mass update links)
m (revise quote template spacing)
Line 9: Line 9:
To cite just one example, from Damon Knight's afterword to "Shall the Dust Praise Thee?":
To cite just one example, from Damon Knight's afterword to "Shall the Dust Praise Thee?":


{{quote| "This story was written some years ago, and all I remember about it is that my then agent returned it with loathing, and told me I might possibly sell it to the ''[[Dirty Communists|Atheist Journal]]'' [[In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You|in Moscow]], but nowhere else."}}
{{quote|"This story was written some years ago, and all I remember about it is that my then agent returned it with loathing, and told me I might possibly sell it to the ''[[Dirty Communists|Atheist Journal]]'' [[In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You|in Moscow]], but nowhere else."}}


It also features introductions to each story by Harlan, who talks about the writer, and an afterword by the writer about the story. This gives the reader an immense feeling of the community surrounding science-fiction, and was part of why the anthology was so well-received.
It also features introductions to each story by Harlan, who talks about the writer, and an afterword by the writer about the story. This gives the reader an immense feeling of the community surrounding science-fiction, and was part of why the anthology was so well-received.
Line 28: Line 28:
** ''The Last Dangerous Visions''. See: [[Vaporware]] and [http://web.archive.org/web/20000902203835/http://sf.www.lysator.liu.se/sf_archive/sf-texts/Ansible/Last_Deadloss_Visions,Chris_Priest this essay.]
** ''The Last Dangerous Visions''. See: [[Vaporware]] and [http://web.archive.org/web/20000902203835/http://sf.www.lysator.liu.se/sf_archive/sf-texts/Ansible/Last_Deadloss_Visions,Chris_Priest this essay.]
** Ellison, from "Introduction: Year 2002":
** Ellison, from "Introduction: Year 2002":
{{quote| "[[Isaac Asimov|Isaac]]...was too [[Out-of-Character Moment|uncharacteristically]] and idiotically humble to write a ''story'' for [[Dangerous Visions|the book]], on the wholly bogus grounds that he was a geezer, couldn't write "the new thing," and didn't want to embarrass himself."}}
{{quote|"[[Isaac Asimov|Isaac]]...was too [[Out-of-Character Moment|uncharacteristically]] and idiotically humble to write a ''story'' for [[Dangerous Visions|the book]], on the wholly bogus grounds that he was a geezer, couldn't write "the new thing," and didn't want to embarrass himself."}}




Line 38: Line 38:
** [[Finger Wag]]: Done to {{spoiler|GOD}}.
** [[Finger Wag]]: Done to {{spoiler|GOD}}.
** [[A God I Am]]: ''Literally''.
** [[A God I Am]]: ''Literally''.
{{quote| ''"But--" Words were useless, but the bitterness inside him forced the words to come from him. "But why? I am God!"''<br />
{{quote|''"But--" Words were useless, but the bitterness inside him forced the words to come from him. "But why? I am God!"''
''For a moment, something akin to sadness and pity was in the eyes of the Usurper. Then it passed and the answer came. "I know. But I am Man. Come!"'' }}
''For a moment, something akin to sadness and pity was in the eyes of the Usurper. Then it passed and the answer came. "I know. But I am Man. Come!"'' }}
** [[Humans Are Bastards]]
** [[Humans Are Bastards]]
Line 50: Line 50:
** [[Person of Mass Destruction]]: Cassiday.
** [[Person of Mass Destruction]]: Cassiday.
** [[Shout-Out]]: The title is one to a line from ''[[King Lear]]'':
** [[Shout-Out]]: The title is one to a line from ''[[King Lear]]'':
{{quote| ''[[Jerkass Gods|As flies to wanton boys]], are we to the gods--''<br />
{{quote|''[[Jerkass Gods|As flies to wanton boys]], are we to the gods--''<br />
''[[For the Evulz|they kill us for their sport]].'' }}
''[[For the Evulz|they kill us for their sport]].'' }}


Line 83: Line 83:


* '''"The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World" by [[Harlan Ellison]]'''
* '''"The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World" by [[Harlan Ellison]]'''
{{quote| Harlan's story is a sequel to "A Toy for Juliette". So [[Hilarity Ensues|Bloch writes the profile of Harlan preceding the story...]]}}
{{quote|Harlan's story is a sequel to "A Toy for Juliette". So [[Hilarity Ensues|Bloch writes the profile of Harlan preceding the story...]]}}


** [[And I Must Scream]]: Not the [[Trope Namer]], but it ''is'' Harlan, after all...
** [[And I Must Scream]]: Not the [[Trope Namer]], but it ''is'' Harlan, after all...
Line 122: Line 122:


* '''"Lord Randy, My Son" by Joe L. Hensley'''
* '''"Lord Randy, My Son" by Joe L. Hensley'''
{{quote| Harlan's introduction to Joe L. Hensley is one giant rollicking ride of [[Hilarity Ensues|undistilled hilarity]].}}
{{quote|Harlan's introduction to Joe L. Hensley is one giant rollicking ride of [[Hilarity Ensues|undistilled hilarity]].}}
** [[Creepy Child]]
** [[Creepy Child]]
** [[Enfant Terrible]]
** [[Enfant Terrible]]
Line 163: Line 163:
** [[Historical In-Joke|Biblical In-Joke]]
** [[Historical In-Joke|Biblical In-Joke]]
** [[Noodle Incident]]: From Harlan's introduction:
** [[Noodle Incident]]: From Harlan's introduction:
{{quote| "[Jonathan Brand] was lying there propped on his elbows, a blade of grass in his mouth, watching half a dozen of the older, more sophistocated giants of the science fiction field dousing each other with beer from quart bottles on the lawn of Damon Knight's home.<br />
{{quote|"[Jonathan Brand] was lying there propped on his elbows, a blade of grass in his mouth, watching half a dozen of the older, more sophistocated giants of the science fiction field dousing each other with beer from quart bottles on the lawn of Damon Knight's home.
"Kindness forbids my explaining why Jim Blish, Ted Thomas, Damon and Gordy Dickson were cavorting in such an unseemly manner..." }}
"Kindness forbids my explaining why Jim Blish, Ted Thomas, Damon and Gordy Dickson were cavorting in such an unseemly manner..." }}


Line 177: Line 177:
** [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Android Jesus]]
** [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|Android Jesus]]
** [[Deus Est Machina]]: In a [[Sympathy for the Devil]] moment, the man branded with the title-name gives the following monologue to A-46:
** [[Deus Est Machina]]: In a [[Sympathy for the Devil]] moment, the man branded with the title-name gives the following monologue to A-46:
{{quote| "We've been slaves to our tools since the first caveman made the first knife to help him get his supper. After that there was no going back, and we built till our machines were ten million times more powerful than ourselves. We gave ourselves cars when we might have learned to run; we made airplanes when we might have grown wings; and then the inevitable. We made a machine our God."}}
{{quote|"We've been slaves to our tools since the first caveman made the first knife to help him get his supper. After that there was no going back, and we built till our machines were ten million times more powerful than ourselves. We gave ourselves cars when we might have learned to run; we made airplanes when we might have grown wings; and then the inevitable. We made a machine our God."}}
** [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]
** [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]
** [[Finding Judas]]: [[Don't Explain the Joke|Not even gonna touch this one...]]
** [[Finding Judas]]: [[Don't Explain the Joke|Not even gonna touch this one...]]

Revision as of 08:36, 7 August 2014
"What you hold in your hands is more than a book. If we are lucky, it is a revolution."
—From "Introduction: Thirty-Two Soothsayers" (1967), Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison doesn't think small. The fact that the above page-quote--the first paragraph of his original introduction to the book--is, if anything, an understatement, says a helluva lot.


For those of you who came into the movie late, I'll bring you up to speed: in the 1960s, Harlan Ellison had the idea of putting together a science-fiction anthology. But not just any ordinary anthology--his mad scheme was to collect stories from the best writers in the field. And not just ANY stories--he wanted stories that were, well, too dangerous to get printed anywhere else.

To cite just one example, from Damon Knight's afterword to "Shall the Dust Praise Thee?":

"This story was written some years ago, and all I remember about it is that my then agent returned it with loathing, and told me I might possibly sell it to the Atheist Journal in Moscow, but nowhere else."

It also features introductions to each story by Harlan, who talks about the writer, and an afterword by the writer about the story. This gives the reader an immense feeling of the community surrounding science-fiction, and was part of why the anthology was so well-received.

Dangerous Visions (1967) won a truckload of awards, and Harlan got a special citation at the 26th World SF Convention for editing "the most significant and controversial SF book published in 1967". And it's gone on to be perhaps the most influential science-fiction anthology of all time.

It had a sequel anthology, Again, Dangerous Visions (1971), and there were and sometimes apparently are plans for The Last Dangerous Visions, but... well, Harlan doesn't like to talk about it (though Christopher Priest is happy to).

Tropes Associated with the Anthology Itself:

"Isaac...was too uncharacteristically and idiotically humble to write a story for the book, on the wholly bogus grounds that he was a geezer, couldn't write "the new thing," and didn't want to embarrass himself."


Tropes found in the Stories in Dangerous Visions:

The tropes found in each story (as well as in the introductions and afterwords) are listed under the story in question.

"But--" Words were useless, but the bitterness inside him forced the words to come from him. "But why? I am God!"
For a moment, something akin to sadness and pity was in the eyes of the Usurper. Then it passed and the answer came. "I know. But I am Man. Come!"

As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods--

they kill us for their sport.

Harlan's story is a sequel to "A Toy for Juliette". So Bloch writes the profile of Harlan preceding the story...

  • "Lord Randy, My Son" by Joe L. Hensley

Harlan's introduction to Joe L. Hensley is one giant rollicking ride of undistilled hilarity.

  • A Pair of Bunch: "Incident in Moderan" and "The Escaping" by David R. Bunch
  • "The Doll-House" by James Cross

"[Jonathan Brand] was lying there propped on his elbows, a blade of grass in his mouth, watching half a dozen of the older, more sophistocated giants of the science fiction field dousing each other with beer from quart bottles on the lawn of Damon Knight's home.
"Kindness forbids my explaining why Jim Blish, Ted Thomas, Damon and Gordy Dickson were cavorting in such an unseemly manner..."

"We've been slaves to our tools since the first caveman made the first knife to help him get his supper. After that there was no going back, and we built till our machines were ten million times more powerful than ourselves. We gave ourselves cars when we might have learned to run; we made airplanes when we might have grown wings; and then the inevitable. We made a machine our God."

Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Dangerous_Visions?oldid=1063353"