We have been predisposed to accept the white male protagonist, in all his forms, from knight in shining armor to deplorable human being tolerated for his “giftedness,” no matter how overpowered, unbeatable, and superhuman he may be.
Nonfiction by Carlos Hernandez
But where is nature, the very literal bedrock of our future, in all of these imaginings? In our global culture of capitalism and consumerism, nature has been reduced to a commodity and the futures explored by our most revered storytellers maintain this status quo of leaving the land out of the future. How can we disentangle capitalism, nature, and our narcissistic vision of the future? How is the concept of progress corrupted by imperialist capitalism? And what does a future look like with nature at the fore instead of our own “standard of living”?
Cruising through western Michigan toward the lake for a family outing, under flawless spring skies and passing the odd barn or silo, a sign catches my eye, half-obscured by a huge lilac bush: Flesh Eggs.
On its surface, you’d think a show called Alone would uphold the idea that strong people do shit by themselves—but even when people are airlifted into an isolated wilderness, no individual is an island.
Tonya Liburd dives into why patois is praised in some novels and disparaged in others.
Over the next few years I would come to realize that science fiction and fantasy were uniquely festooned with such checklists, tabulations, indexes, enumerations, catalogs, and bibliographies.
Does every plot require a romantic angle? Nicole Kornher-Stace examines why so many unnecessary relationships are shoehorned into stories.
