Language in Fantasy (Worldcon Panel)

[ellenkushner]

Yes, I am cleaning out/up my open web pages (see under: "You want to do something with this so don't close it or you'll forget") . . . here's another one:

I was on a terrific panel on Diction in Fantasy at Montreal Worldcon in Sept. 09 with Guy Kay, David Anthony Durham, Pat Rothfuss & Mark Gascoigne (no, I wasn't the Token Girl. The panel did not in fact have any girls assigned to it. I was having tea with Guy in the Green Room, and said I wished I'd been put on that panel as it is exactly the sort of thing I like to talk about, and Guy - as moderator - said, "Well come on, then!" So I did). I just discovered that a kindly man* took notes, and posted the gist of what was a very interesting conversation - the kind you always hope a panel will be, but so seldom actually is. I credit Guy as Best Moderator Ever, and the other panelists for all-around brilliance. We really got a chance to chew on some big ideas.

Here's the link.

*Niall Harrison of the editorial staff of Vector, the critical journal of the British Science Fiction Association, on the Vector Blog. Thank you, Niall!

Comments

[just-ann-now.livejournal.com]

That's very interesting, because I was thinking just yesterday about how very accessible your language is, without any of the fantasy jargon that we encounter (and have to plow our way through) sometimes. In particular, I was thinking of the word "fuck", and how it doesn't appear in any of the Riverside tales except one, "The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death", where Alec uses it specifically to shock and humiliate their visitor. I was also thinking of how gloriously you wrote Richard and Alec's lovemaking, so simple and elegant.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and Delia, by the way!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And happy V-Day to you & yours, Ann dear.

Yeah, it's funny how Alec's a bit of a prude about language. He really doesn't swear in everyday life. I wonder, if I were writing an 18-yr-old today, if he would? But I certainly had a foul enough mouth myself when I was writing Swordspoint, so it's not like I didn't know. It's just the way he is. He doesn't think people should talk about bodies. It embarrasses him.

[cartazon.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing this. I think it is a skillful use of language that makes my favorite authors my favorites. It's something about understanding how to use diction to elevate a story from the everyday world into the fantastic one, without giving into "epic speak" (as one of my critique partners likes to call it). It's a fine line to walk, and so easy to get off track.

Wish I could have attended that panel!

[ljgeoff.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this. I wish I could have seen that panel, too. Very cool topic.

Exactly!

[hakumeiun.livejournal.com]

"Another way of thinking about it: I’m writing for you in translation."

This is exactly how I explain my own work. When a person reads my fantasy, s/he should be transported into a foreign place--full of strange ideas and images, events and perceptions--that will be internalized until it is no longer foreign. I think, when reading SF/F, readers should become ex-patriots. Personal opinion, but that's what I think.
I utilized the same technique when I was translating foreign literature into English, and it worked out very, very well.

I've rambled. I'm sorry. I was just so excited to read that statement, I had to come over here and tell you right away ^_^
I need to go finish reading those panel notes, now...