The Wisdom of Isaac Asimov

[jana-ch.livejournal.com]

The Wisdom of Isaac Asimov

A few days ago was Isaac Asimov’s 99th birthday. (Rather, his official birthday. He knew he was born between Oct 4, 1919 and Jan 2, 1920, and since he hated the idea of being old, he took the latest date possible as his birthday.) One of the comments on a blog I was reading that day about the Good Doctor was the following:

“Story that Isaac told: Isaac sat in on a class where the professor was teaching about one of his stories.  He approached the professor after the class and said, ‘That story doesn’t mean that at all. I should know. I wrote it.’  And the professor looked at him and said, ‘So?’

And at that moment, Isaac said, he realized that the professor was right.  No matter what the author intended, what the reader got out of it was what was really there.”

If only JKR had his wisdom. I suggest that the official motto of DTCL should be the following:

Saith Isaac Asimov: No matter what the author intends, what the reader gets out of the story is what is really there.

P.S. Don’t stop commenting on sunnyskywalker’s thread below just because I’ve started a new one. The intricacies of the Fidelius Charm are entirely worth a thorough thrashing out.

Comments

[madderbrad.livejournal.com]

I have nothing to say except I agree, I agree, I AGREE! So tired of Rowling's post publication preaching to instruct everyone on how we're supposed to interpret her work. Don't see it her way? "They should go back and re-read", as I recall. Pfeh.

Some of the longest running discussions/arguments I ever had in the fandom were those with pro-Jo disciples who just couldn't shake lose their "BECAUSE JO SAID SO" brainwashing. Incredible and very sad to witness.

We should raise what we think was the worst of Rowling's real-world disinformation. My choice is her instant knee-jerk SJW reaction upon the selection of Noma Dumezweni for the role of Hermione in the Cursed Child play; her tweet to please her leftist mates on Twitter, yes my series was so 'progressive' REALLY:

Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione.

So much untruth. Hermione's hair was never described as 'frizzy' (as was Dumezweni's hair at the time), only 'bushy', totally different. Her skin colour was described clearly as non-black more than 50 times. Quotes were pointed out to Rowling, who could only say that she had "a great deal of difficulty with" ... that's because you were flat out wrong, Rowling. But you didn't have the moral integrity to acknowledge same.

[sunnyskywalker]

I like that! I second the motto.

[snapes-witch.livejournal.com]

Wow! JKR says we should re-read the books? She who has admitted never re-reading them!!

BTW thanks so much for making this American 'libtard' welcome to the discussion with all the SJW and left bashing.