Man in the High Castle

What is the difference in emphasis between the terms science fiction and speculative fiction? Which is in Man in the High Castle? 

Before reading the Man in the High Castle I had never heard of the term 'speculative fiction'. I had no idea what it meant or how it was different from science fiction. But while reading the book I did some research on what this kind of 'fiction' was all about.

Before doing some research I thought why do we need yet another genre description? I mean we already have science fiction, fantasy and horror and so on. But I found that speculative fiction can encompass literature ranging from hard science to epic fantasy. It can demonstrate a whole range of different genres while keeping the storyline strange and intense. And it can also introduce alternate history. Which is main plot in Man in the High Castle.

I believe Man in the High Castle is speculative fiction because it takes a different path from usual science fiction. The story is set in an alternate history world, where Nazi Germany and Japan win WW2.

Man in the High Castle represents a rare theme where there is a 'story with a story'. The novel within the book is The Grasshopper Lies Heavy by Hawthorn Abensden. The book within a book shows an alternative universe where the Axis lost WW2 to the allies, following a sequence of events. By having two false realities the idea of false and true reality becomes inaccurate, because more than two realities exist. 

Even though Man in the High Castle is speculative fiction both genres are capable of pushing the boundaries of our imaginations. Both genres often borrow inspiration of real-life events or experiences.

References:
Dick, P. K. (2001; 1962) The Man in the High Castle. London: Penguin
N.A. The Man in the High Castle Themes. Retrieved from http://www.bookrags.com

Speculative Fiction Genre.

What is the difference in emphasis between the terms science fiction and speculative fiction? Which is The Man in the High Castle? 

The Man in the High Castle, is a an alternate history, being that it has taken genuine historical events, and posed the questions, “what if that never happened? What if the outcome had been different, or the exact opposite? What if the cause of that was something else, or was this?” etc. Alternative histories are in essence, speculative, and thus can be classified as speculative fiction. Spec. fiction can also be classed as an “umbrella term” to encase all science fiction, in the sense that most science fiction is speculative because it works on the “what if?” factor, whether it is realistic (alternate out come to a war) or seemingly unrealistic (if robots were generating a false reality in which we are all functioning in, as in the Matrix series). Examples of science fiction’s speculative nature would be: “what if time travel were possible?” and “what if humans discovered life in outer space?” and “what if robots/A.I. became as intelligent as human beings?” and so on.

Other popular genres which fall under speculative fiction are dystopian and utopian narratives, posing questions of what defines a dystopia and a utopia (each can be both or either based on POV), and “what if” certain events unfolded to lead to this world becoming a reality. Dystopia/utopia usually takes place in our world, through the means of creating an alternate history which then results in a dystopian or utopian society, though this is purely based on the POV from which the reader sees the world; The world could be the POV character’s paradise, and another character’s hell.

Dystopian narratives, more often than not, speculate an alternate or possible future, based on current or potential socio-political issue, such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, Rupert Thompson’s Divided Kingdom, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, Richard Bachman’s (Stephen King) The Running Man, and the currently popular, Susan Collin’s The Hunger Games trilogy, among many others. The general fantasy genre is to some extent speculative, though more often than not takes place in an alternate world, which is not unlike our own (populated with humans/humanoid intelligent life/characters and based on their interactions with the world and creatures around them) though certain conditions are different, such as the seasons in a Song of Fire and Ice, the fauna and flora may, more often than not, be different, like “what if dragons were real?” and the characters’ may have different cultures, beliefs and powers, such as in the world of Earthsea. By this definition, all fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history and/or future, among others, are in essence speculative.

References:

What is the difference between speculative and science fiction? (n.d.)

Retrieved from: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_speculative_and_science_fiction

Week 6: What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime?

The ‘shojo’ according to Cavallaro (2006) is a term that literally means “little female” and “is used to designate girls aged 12 or 13” (p. 11). This type of character is common among anime and appeals largely to Japanese males because they offer a dramatic shift and excitement which is not available to them in their demanding work life.

 

Its function in anime is one that depicts the transitional age between childhood and adulthood, youth and maturity, sexlessness and eroticism, powerlessness and power, inexperience and understanding, masculinity and femininity. The ‘shojo’ stories are usually light-hearted and “bathed in an atmosphere of magic and wonder” (p.11). This is a stark contrast to the protagonists of Miyazaki who fit the shojo bill in terms of their physical appearance but are more self-sufficient, brave, curious and proactive (for example San in Mononoke).

 

Refernces:

Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp.5-13). London: McFarland & Company.

Week 6: Anime and Manga, the Japanese Way

On completion of the viewing of Princess Mononoke, by Miyazaki, my initial impression on this animated movie were that it was fantasy bordering on the ridiculous, incredulous and quite frankly boring.  My apologies.  I just wasn't getting that out of this world feeling.  I felt the scenes were disjointed, I kept losing the thread and nothing seemed to flow.  The storyline seemed muddy, and it seemed to zig zag  from one event to another with no storyline curve as I know it.  I found it hard to connect with the characters.  The way they were drawn or designed just didn't hit a note with me.  The wolf characters seemed indistinguishable from one another, the depiction of the Deer God I felt was not convincing enough for the importance of the spiritual role he played, and Yakul seemed to have a lead role at the start of the movie as Ashitaka's firm friend, but turns out to be a convenient form of transport to get Ashitaka around the forest.  It just wasn't complying with my knowledge of consistency (Attebery, 1980) and didn't match the framework of a storyline as I know it, nor my knowledge of how a storyline should sit in Vogler's three Act structure.

"Japanese comics (manga) and their spin-offs in the domain of Japanese animation (anime) do not abide by the criteria of the typically Western narrative structure with its three-act format leading from the delineation of characters and situations through a series of conflicts and complications to a denouement." (Cavallaro, 2006).

Upon reading the material associated with the field of manga and anime, I can see the movie in a new light and realize that my naivety and expectation of the story of Mononoke over-rode my knowledge of the topic of anime.   The concept of anime can be classed as almost unique to Japan, although that could be disputed by Lent (2000) who quotes pioneer animators such as "James Wang of Taiwan, Payut Ngaokrachang of Thailand, Tezuka of Japan and Shin Don Hun of Korea" as being the Disney creators of their respective countries.

The role of the genre of anime is to be taken seriously.  In Miyazaki's instance, there is not only an intention to entertain his audience with the storyline of the animated movie, but also to send an overriding eco-message to his audience.   "Miyazaki's movies do not indulge in mere nostalgia for they frankly intimate that nature's forceful independence is unlikely ever to be restored" and there is a distinct hope attached to them for humans to "achieve non-aggressive cohabitation and even cordial cooperation with the natural environment." (Cavallaro, 2006).

Cavallaro (2006) cites that "manga tend to unfold over several years and therefore experience often substantial reorientations.  Animated series and features based upon them target audiences intimately acquainted with their narrative content."  This helps to explain my confusion as, as a Western viewer, the concept of a storyline that doesn't really wind up with a nice neat bow (denouement) is completely foreign to me.





References:

Attebury, B. (1980). Locating fantasy. In the fantasy tradition in American literature: from Irving to Le Guinn.  (pp. 2-9). Bloomington: Indiana U P.

Cavallero, D. (2006). Introduction. The anime art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp. 5-13). London: McFarland & Company

Lent, J.A. (2000). Animation in Asia: appropriation, reinterpretation, and adoption or adaptation. Retrieved 21 June, 2006, from AnimeRsearch.com

Week Six: According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?

The culture that anime is associated with at the moment is a “popular” culture throughout Japan. However this may change due to the artistic form that anime has taken on especially in Japan (Lent, 2000). Anime in Japan has become an increasingly major icon in the global cultural economy and one scholar has gone as far as saying that Anime and Japans “chief cultural export”. Anime has extended to be recognised on an international level and Asian countries such as Taiwan and Korea have had an increase in the amount of people watching anime (Lent 2000). Due to the franchises that have been established through popular anime series, merchandise is now sold and creates more profit for anime series. This also creates brand image around the anime movie or series, this recognition has helped to launch the genres success internationally. Time magazine also published an article on Pokémon and anime in general in Time magazine, which added to international recognition and shows the increase of recognition that anime as a genre is gaining.

However animated films are far more popular in Japan than they are in western societies and in 1997 Princess Mononoke became the highest grossing film of all time in Japan, and still holds this title today (Lent 2000). Anime in Japan is know as being a mainstream pop culture and is accepted by the younger generation of Japanese viewers as a cultural staple. The anime culture targets not only children but also all age groups. For example Pokémon targets younger children while young adults can enjoy films such as Akira and Princess Mononoke.

Anime products are popular in countries such as Korea, Taiwan and South East Asia, in particular the animated series ‘Doraemon’ became popular in Thailand in the early 1990’s and became a franchise across Asia, which included video games, toys and life sized models. Although anime does appeal to different cultures on an international scale it is still the most popular in Japan. I find this interesting as I only ever enjoyed watching Pokémon when I was younger and wouldn’t choose to watch anime now that I am older. However in Japan many different age groups watch anime and anime is made for different target audiences. Pokemon and Doreamon were targeted towards younger viewers and Japan also offers films and programmes for young adults and older viewers. This is interesting as it is rare to find anime for young adults and older audiences in New Zealand.

Reference:

Lent, J. A. (2000). Animation in Asia: appropriation, reinterpretation, and adoption or adaptation. Retrieved 21 June, 2006, from AnimeResearch.com

Week 4: How is science fiction different from fantasy?

In Le Guin's article Plausibility Revisited; wha Hoppen and what didn't, it talks about plausibility and how it validates fiction by creating for itself an accurate and honest observation of the world outside of the book. Le Guin describes that the "correspondence of the real world and fictional world defines characteristic of realism, which it’s not a defining character of fiction". In stating this Le Guin suggests that plausibility and the intuition of reality gives readers a pretense of a factual report. In doing so the genre of science fiction branches out as part of realism. Science-fiction is able to pretend that the future is part of the present or past as it lies in the unknown so it is able to be a basis of the science fiction genre. 

This is much different compared to fantasy where its fictionality is far more direct than realism and science. This is because fantasy draws on a secondary creation without an agreement to pretend that the story happened or would happen. It takes readers into unknown territory where the world outside of the book is more imaginative and requires readers to be immersed in a fantasy journey, where the characters are fictional as well as the surroundings. For example in A wizard of Earthsea is a story that portrays the idea of magic in a village occupied by ordinary people. The theme of magic is constantly represented through Ged and his hunger to use the power of magic for both good and evil. He does so when he attends the ‘magic school’ on Roke where he exercises his magic in order to prove a point. In doing so he unleashes a shadow monster which becomes a danger to not only Ged’s life but to those he surrounds himself with. He constantly finds himself fighting against the shadow, a representation of the shadow within himself, that of guilt. Le Guin does this through magic to show that the realities of life are also able to be portrayed through fictional characters and settings and does not need to rely on the idea of realism to portray life lessons within the story. She allows readers to identify the allegory within the story of wizard of earthsea, and we in turn are able to see that fantasy can play a major role in interpreting the realities of life through a number of fictional characters and settings.

In contrast realism inserts invented characters into the real world surrounded by real people and real situations. I think that Le Guin is trying to draw comparisons in that science fiction is able to draw reflections to the world outside and is able to draw links between the readers and reality. On the other hand fantasy draws in readers into another world where they are not able to comprehend its surroundings nor is it able to give an idea of what might happen. This is because fantasy uses our most divine and human capacity, which is the imagination.

References

Le Guin, U. K. (2005). Plausibility revisited: Wha hoppen and what didn’t. Retrieved August 23, 2012, from http://www.ursulakleguin.com/PlausibilityRevisited.html

Le Guin, U. K. (2012). A wizard of Earthsea Retrieved August 24, 2012, from  http://www.shmoop.com/wizard-of-earthsea/summary.html

 

Shojo Archetype in Anime.

What is the ‘shojo’ and how does it often function in anime? 

The ‘Shojo,’ refers to a “little female,” and is a Japanese character archetype. These characters are usually pre-teen, but the age gap varies, and is generally agreed upon to be a girl who has not yet reached the age of 20, and thus maturity; school-aged females. It is common for these characters to appear pre-pubescent, regardless of age, innocent, flat-chested, and still a child in the body of a young woman (if the character is indeed a teenager). Shojo narratives are common in manga and anime, from my experience, and perhaps somewhat limited viewing, but almost every text of this genre I can think of contains a shojo character of some kind, whether it be a minor character or the main protagonist.

Functionally the shojo works to represent a coming of age and rites of passage; the transition from innocence to understanding and adulthood. San in Mononoke is a shojo character in her physical appearance, and stature, though she bares the fierce nature of a grown woman such as Lady Eboshi, and of the wolves who raised her. She represents a different kind of innocence, and nativity to the human civilization and it’s relationship with the forest, just as Lady Eboshi embodies the ignorance of man.




References:

Cavallaro, D. (2006). Introduction. In The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki (pp.5-13).
London: McFarland & Company.