space opera

[marycatelli]

Space opera, as every reader doubtless knows, is a pejorative term often applied to a story that has an element of adventure. Over the decades, brilliant and talented new writers appear, receiving great acclaim, and each and every one of them can be expected to write at least one article stating flatly that the day of space opera is over and done, thank goodness, and that henceforth these crude tales of interplanetary nonsense will be replaced by whatever type of story that writer happens to favor — closet dramas, psychological dramas, sex dramas, etc., but by God important dramas, containing nothing but Big Thinks. Ten years late, the writer in question may or may not still be around, but the space opera can be found right where it always was, sturdily driving its dark trade in heroes.

Leigh Brackett

Comments

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

"Space Opera" seems to be the 'Literary' world's version of the car companies' station wagon - they want to kill it off, but people find it too useful to let it go. I find it no coincidence that 'crossover' SUV's are looking like... station wagons. Space Opera, to mix metaphors very badly, just keeps chugging along.

[marycatelli]

space opera is, shockingly enough, fun