The first job of the myth maker is to shrink the universe. The shrinkage occurs along all dimensions: time, space and mind. You see this everywhere. Immortal vampires and wizards are, at most, a few thousand years old: younger than many real trees. Grand science fiction star empires seldom span a single galaxy in a universe of hundreds … Continue reading There will never be a Literature of Reality
Tag: literature
The Myth of Sisyphus: Camus’s Absurd Prototype
In 1942, with World II raging, readers of The Myth of Sisyphus could easily identify with Camus's absurd man. Not only is man absurd he has reduced his entire world to absurdity. Now, seventy-plus years later, Sisyphus readers are more likely to politely yawn and wonder what the fuss is about. Camus's themes are not … Continue reading The Myth of Sisyphus: Camus’s Absurd Prototype
King Hobbit Kong
The pre-Hobbit hum was not harmonious. It started with the interminable legal battle over who would direct the Hobbit and how to split any spoils. After Peter Jackson's cinematic Lord of the Rings triumph people assumed he would be The Hobbit guy but an envious and embittered clique of Tolkien's heirs felt the weren't getting … Continue reading King Hobbit Kong