MISSION: Find out why people read science fiction.
TARGET AUDIENCE: Librarians.
RESOURCE: Article from The Library Journal.
MAIN POINT #1: There is a difference between sf readers and sf fans.
MAIN POINT #2: SF is the reading material of choice for (1) satisfaction of reading goals (exploration of ideas, the affirmation of worldview and/or escape) and (2) strategic reasons (habit, using SF as a filter to make the selection task a manageable size, influencing the reader's social network, and/or domain knowledge).
MAIN POINT #3: People abandon SF reading when they read too much, becoming saturated which thereby decreases the "newness" that appealed to them in the first place.
INFO SOURCE FOR MISSION: Website at the End of the Universe.
Comments (5)
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Posted by John DeNardo at Thursday September 02, 2004 at 1:31 AM
© 2008 SF Signal
"People abandon SF reading when they read too much, becoming saturated which thereby decreases the 'newness' that appealed to them in the first place."
Huh. Well, I had written about this one in my blog as well. I got irked by the "geek" label in the first paragraph as well.
I also disagree with that "abandon SF" statement. I've been reading SF since about the third book I read past the "Dick and Jane" stage (do they still have Dick and Jane in school? I'm sure I'll find out Real Soon Now.). So that would be, 1965...hmmm...still reading SF...still fresh...still new...still spending way too much money on way too many SF books...
Posted by Fred Kiesche on Thursday September 02, 2004 at 10:22 AM at 10:22 AM
I think you misplaced a comma in MAINPOINT #2:
The comma after "network" appears to argue that SF readers choose SF in orfder to alter thier social network, i.e. "I don't have any friends so I'll join a SF club to find some". While this may be accurate in some cases, I don't think it was the image you were trying ot project.
-OC
snip from Main Point #2:
", influencing the reader's social network, and/or domain knowledge)"
Posted by Orson Card on Thursday September 02, 2004 at 12:23 PM at 12:23 PM
Orson Card?
Holy Hatrack!!!!
Posted by Fred Kiesche on Thursday September 02, 2004 at 2:32 PM at 2:32 PM