Doorways into science and science fiction reading - #RA2015
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Rather than consider the appeal characteristics of a book, Nancy Pearl suggested exploring the reader's doorways into their own reading, the why they enjoy reading a particular title. These doorways are character, setting, story, and language. This presentation, for the 2015 Readers Advisory seminar at the State Library of NSW: The Librarian's Guide to the Galaxy, considers this with particular emphasis on science fiction and science-based reading.
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Doorways into science and science fiction reading - #RA2015
- 30. @CatyJ
Editor's Notes
- Good morning all, it is lovely to see so many of you here today for this year’s Readers Advisory seminar: The Librarian’s Guide to the Galaxy
- Science fiction is a broad genre that covers all manner of scenarios, primarily built around the use and application of technology. It is fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. But Science Fiction is not only about alien worlds and planets beyond our own galaxy, key to this genre are questions of technology and development, the use of robots and machines to build better worlds, better futures, better things. Though often an underlying, permeating, element of this is also the question of “should we?”. Who here reads Science Fiction? (raise hands/stand up) Who here is an avid science fiction reader? To you I offer this disclaimer, and apologise in advance – there is no way I can cover the broad swathe of science fiction titles and authors that are out there in the time I have here this morning, and I dare say there are titles and authors that you would suggest that I don’t even touch on so please forgive me but do feel free to share your suggestions with me later on, or better still share them yourself on the Readers Advisory wiki…
- This page is ready and waiting for your suggestions, please join the wiki if you haven’t already and ask to be a writer so you can edit the page and add your suggestions. The more contributors, the better the more knowledge we share, the better service we provide. http://readersadvisory.wikifoundry.com/page/Sci+Fi Now, on to business.
- Quite a while ago, Nancy Pearl introduced us to the idea of using four doorways to describe how people engage with their reading, rather than using standard appeal characteristics of the item to try and make those connections (pacing, characterisation, plot, setting or tone, and style). Instead consider the doorways of character, setting, story, and language to describe why a person enjoyed reading a particular title... And wants to read more in order to keep experiencing that enjoyment. Some readers may have one doorway, others may have a few. Four people may read the very same title at the very same time but each may enjoy that title from a completely different doorway’s perspective. There is no hard and fast rule. There is no right or wrong way. The point of using these doorways in Readers Advisory is to focus on the reader and what they want and what they enjoy.
- Now, how can these doorways relate to science fiction and science based reading…???
- Character – here the reader wants to find out more about one or more of the characters, usually the protagonist. They are wholly engaged in the story because of that character. They like the way the character is written, they almost feel that the character is real.
- … and it is the character who drives the action and the story. In science fiction, there are many titles and authors to chose from whose strength is in the characters on the page.
- Readers care about these characters, they care how they fight, how they escape, how they grow. Indeed, any one faced with the question: “oh, but I don’t read science fiction”, would be well served to suggest John Scalzi’s “Zoe’s Tale” where it is purely incidental that the action takes place on an alien planet, this title is all about Zoe and her growth as a person. I could possibly go one step further and say anyone faced with the statement “science fiction is dry and boring” could suggest any of Scalzi’s works which are highly irreverent, extremely humorous, and cleverly written, with The Android’s Dream and Redshirts as clear examples of this.
- Non Fiction character doorways are a little easier to locate with biographies being a great starting point: Chris Hadfield’s An Astronaut’s guide to life on Earth … let’s also consider biographies of the actors who have played the sci fi characters readers love – William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Wil Wheaton, Patrick Stewart, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves, David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, …. I will not go on…
- For Setting the location is very important: the where and the when, and the idea of place, are important to the reader who wants to explore more of this imagined world, who wants to find out more about its history, its peoples, its geography.
- These are titles which build worlds; that tie the reader to the story and to the characters, which see the extension of the experience. I could make a really broad, highly contestable statement along the lines of “any title which is part of a much larger series, or which build worlds the reader is inspired by, is an easy place to start” for the setting doorway. I would add here Patrick Tilley’s classic “Amtrak Wars”, where feudal Japan is reworked within a futuristic America-like setting.
- non fiction examples could include workshop manuals for fictitious machines like the USS Enterprise and the Millennium Falcon as well as real machines like the Lunar and Mars Rovers, the numerous space shuttles that have ventured out into the darkness and the International Space Station itself. Other setting examples include anything about space, about the planets we know of, suns, moons, what life might be like ‘out there’…
- My favourite example of the setting doorway is Chris Hadfield’s “You Are Here” where the images of Earth, from the perspective of space, is wholly engaging.
- Obviously through the Story doorway, the progression of events from start to finish is what engages the reader. The reader wants to know what happens next. He or she wants to know how the story ends. They require closure… and will scream with frustration upon realising they have to wait for the next book in the series to get that closure!
- So what does happen next? How does the story end? The story doorway is often about the action – action, action, action – think Matthew Reilly in a sci-fi context and you’ve got the idea
- You might be thinking “how can there be any non fiction examples of the story doorway, but I actually think this one is pretty easy … Consider that information about stuff as being the quintessential story of that stuff, coffee table books that tell of the beauty of the physical world, the story of space and time… the history of scientific exploration and discovery… On a side note, I’m really looking forward to Dr Lott’s presentation later this afternoon for more science-based reading ideas.
- And finally, Language – bonus points to who can tell me 1. what this script means? (chevron address of Earth), and 2. what science fiction is it from? (Stargate). The language doorway is when the reader’s enjoyment comes from the writing, the way the words are put together on the page, the cleverness, powerfulness, emotiveness of the language used, the way particular words are crafted, and the sheer poetry of it all. In some instances these titles are literary award winners, in others the intricate level of descriptiveness is what holds the reader’s attention. Do not assume that readers whose doorway is language will only read literary fiction, you could not be more wrong. And just so we’re clear, this is my doorway.
- For any language nerd there is a whole swathe of classic science fiction titles which nicely fit this bill. As well as those above, there is also: Dune / Frank Herbert The Day of the Triffids / John Wyndham War of the Worlds / H. G. Wells The Time Machine / Jules Verne Of these examples though, Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (a trilogy in 6 parts) and C. S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength purposefully play upon the very ideas and foundations of language – and therein lies their brilliance. I will stress that classic sci fi is not the only place you will find a language doorway into reading… There are some excellent modern authors with titles to excite the linguaphile. Did I mention John Scalzi previously?
- Okay, I’m having some fun here But seriously, titles which explore the language of science, explaining terms and theories are perfect for this doorway.
- No discussion of science fiction would be complete without a brief diversion to Steampunk… Here science and history merge to create new realities, with all four doorways well represented: setting (or time period), character (especially ones already well known in history who are cleverly rewritten), story (where history itself is reworked to include new outcomes and new futures), And finally language (where the language and phrasing of the period is revisited) And for the curious, my doorway into Steampunk … is setting.
- I’ll leave you with this thoughtful info graphic of the relationship between genres …. Specifically in the top right corner the way science fiction emerges from speculative fiction but evolves and develops in so many ways and in so many subgenres as it does. I would expand this image so you could clearly read the connection I’ve mentioned except the image badly pixelates and loses substance.
- So perhaps this makes far more sense… where you can see Sci-Fi neatly wedged in the bottom right corner between Fantasy and Adventure, on the verge of human drama and across the seas from fan fiction, school essays, and MP’s expenses… Amy has already introduced the Novelist database into today’s seminar and I would remind everyone to make use of its excellent resources for helping with your science fiction suggestions. Of note is the way Novelist breaks science and science fiction into age groups and then categories within those age groups. Some of the headings Novelist uses include: dystopias, alternate histories, science fantasy, military science fiction, space opera, non-dystopian science fiction, aliens and outer space, SteamPunk, time travel, animal planet, controversies, environmental awareness, discovery and invention, extreme science, and the ever popular made into movies.
- Which is of course a nice segue into reminding you about the gamut of game, movie and television based science and science fiction reading readily available on your library shelves – Halo, Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Mythbusters… once you start to think about it I’m sure you’ll realise you have quite a lot.
- Finally, back to our Doorways… Character Setting Story Language What is your doorway? And always, always consider which ones your readers may enter their reading experience through…?
- Had you there didn’t I? Let’s take a slight detour… We’ve got our doorways, we’ve got some titles and authors and ideas… but what do we do with all of that? How do we make all this work for our clients?
- You might have some genre lists displayed around your library? And if you don’t you should probably make some up, a quick glance at the Readers Advisory wiki (or even the GoodReads website) will give you some excellent authors to select from
- But without a doubt, the best source of information – in your library – is your catalogue And as Readers Advisors YOU are responsible for ensuring that your OPAC is as good as YOU can make it…
- And if your subject headings, if your cataloguing, is messy then do something about it to tidy it up. Your library customer is not going to know what the difference is between one science fiction subject heading and the next so it’s up to you to make sure that every science fiction title in your collection has a science fiction subject heading… your clients are depending on you
- I cannot stress the importance of having as excellent a catalogue as possible – it really is the public face of your library once your patrons get past the home page of the library website. They expect the information to be accurate, up to date, relevant, and searchable. Make it so.
- Thank you. Any questions?