Comments on: What I Here Propound Is True: How Science Fiction was POEned

By: Steampunk Poe « S. J. Chambers

Steampunk Poe « S. J. Chambers — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:03:14 +0000

[...] What I Here Propound is True: How Science Fiction was POEned, Fantasy magazine. Which by the way, check out their very spooky new header illustration. [...]

By: Joey Bulland

Joey Bulland — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:37:09 +0000

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By: S.J.

S.J. — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:17:11 +0000

Hi M.,

I see your point.

Perhaps I should of presented a step in-between Poe’s fooling and where we are now. I still think sci-fi writing during Poe’s time was based on its “hoax-ability.” Even Frankenstein was thought real for a brief time. But that’s because the society did not have a universal general knowledge of science. Now in 2009, we all have a similar basis of scientific understanding, so it is hard to be fooled and we have to be seduced like you say.

Thank you for your comment and for reading!
S.J.

By: M. Northstar

M. Northstar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:40:02 +0000

A very good article, but I have a quibble with your conclusion. Even as I was reading, I was reflecting that the attempt to fool the reader into confusing fact and fiction was itself a very old and obsolete conceit. Modern Science Fiction does not try to “fool the reader into believing” so much as “seduce the reader into believing”. There is a reason that the concept of Willing Suspension of Disbelief is strongly associated with speculative fiction, even though it properly belongs to all fiction and all media.

By: S.J.

S.J. — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:59:39 +0000

Thank you. I am glad you liked it.

By: nicole caputo

nicole caputo — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:00:40 +0000

I’m happy to say I haven’t read a more informative and focused piece on Poe’s “hoaxdom.” The writing professors of the world would do well to follow your example. . .