"...we've fallen into the habit of reading and critiquing books solely for their themes and messages, or what we think are their themes and messages, rather than reading them as explorations of all the infinite ways that one can be human." 12:40 this really struck a chord for me
She touched on a contradiction at the heart of modern fantasy. Part of its appeal is escapism, for sure. But because art is never made from a vacuum, it cannot be fully seperate from real life or from real human experiences. The fantasy author and blogger Brian De Leonard once said that if you want pure escapism, it is better to play tetris.
R.F Kuang perfectly captured my unspoken thoughts on the over-emphasis of readers on the themes in novels in contributing to the value of literature in contemporary society!
I was so happy that this lecture was available online. Rebecca was a brilliant speaker, and I learned and considered new things from her talk. Questions were also very interesting. I'm reading Babel at the moment and it's wonderful.
This afternoon I have a book discussion at the local library of Yellowface, R.F. Kuang's popular novel. To learn a bit more about the book, in addition to reading it, naturally, I watched a few You Tube video reviews. Some were very positive while others less so. I was wondering to myself while listening to the reviews if Ms. Kuang listen to them much like June Hayward aka Juniper Song, did in the book. I guess that's the life of every author, no matter how successful. The best to all of you and good reading.
Love this! I read The Poppy War because someone said it did something quite new (in their experience) regarding violence & the cost of war within fantasy but came out thinking that a certain character was both monstrouous and also felt that it was interesting & somewhat relatable that their journey started on wanting to find their own worth & defend what was important to them. I got why Rin did what she did and was just thankful this wasn't a book and me in her shoes. It took me a long time to read & I have multiple learning disabilities but it felt more like through a horrific & terrifying scenario I felt like I grew a little, learnt a little & developed a little. I'm not sure if I've explained it well but Ms Kuang's work resonated in a way I wasn't expecting and I'm very thankful for her work.
the little tidbit on "show vs. tell" absolutely blew my mind out of the W A T E R Rebecca is such a valuable force on this world. she's going to take us into the heart of this millennium, until it's finally beating again. let's go.
as a person with a disability, i think it's time to put my voice in the hat, of writers who challenge the status quo of white/straight/cis/ablebodied/etc.............. 🤔
Really appreciate this lecture. Very inspired by Rebecca’s eloquence and accomplishment. I appreciate what she is doing, even if it’s intellectually driven and quite obviously calculated, perhaps overly so to some. I think she is breaking new ground and inspiring me as a non-white immigrant and woman and I appreciate that immensely.
Thank you for this wonderful lecture. Learning how you gathered your information for the books, even while studying and gaining your degree is quite impressive. You time management must be incredible. I find for myself going ONE way or ANOTHER, but the balancing of the BOTH incredibly difficult. Your thoughtful words about your experience as a writer was truly insightful and appreciated. I've read your Poppy War series twice and am looking forward to reading Babel...and your romance book that takes place in hell (so interesting). Congratulations on your engagement. May the two of you continue to inspire each other both in your relationship and in your careers. Again, thank you for this lecture.
Thank you, Ms. Kuang, for having the courage to criticize the publishing world's current obsession with identity and labels, and for pointing out the myopic reading this leads to. Your critique puts me in mind of how Jeanette Winterson observed in Art Objects (I'm paraphrasing from memory) that publishing work or reviewing it favorably merely because the writer is gay or the work is about homosexual experience ultimately does a disservice to the writer and to literature. The one novel I've written so far features characters across the range of sexuality and centers a love story between a lesbian woman and a bisexual woman. The novel is a far-future, post-Singularity dystopia about digital disembodiment. The idea that readers are primed to take it as instead being about homosexuality, with some readers embracing it and others reviling it for that when all I've done is allow characters to be who they are and love whom they choose, is disheartening. The idea that, because of this priming, some agents and editors are assessing the manuscript simply for its strength as "representation" and missing its point entirely is not only disheartening but infuriating. For the sake of writers like me who write with diversity but not *about* diversity (and also hate the use of the word "diversity" in book marketing), I hope the publishing world takes heed of your criticism and course-corrects to engage readers with what we're really writing about. Also, your book Babel sounds fascinating and I look forward to reading it. Also, congrats on your engagement!
Ironic that she speaks against bigotry and hate when her book Babel promotes these exact things. I’m deeply concerned young people or anybody who is reading her books that are covert propaganda clearing leaning in a certain direction
exactly. remember HER type of bigotry/hate (the leftist kind) is OK and is to be tolerated. Leftists are allowed to be bigoted, it's only if you're conservative then it's not ok
@@billyalarie929 just look at her acceptance speech for the 2020 Hugo Awards and you’ll see what I mean. Also, you don’t have to be a passive aggressive dick.
