Science Fiction

Confession: I like science fiction, and fantasy. Or at least I like it much more than i openly admit. I have become fascinated by mythology, fairy tales, and postmodern fiction, and what exemplifies this better than science fiction. I suppose ti was inevitable with a mother and brother who loved it. I can remember being read C.S. Lewis before I was 6. By the time I was 12 I was forced to read Tolkien. Barbie Dolls weren't allowed in my house(all I had was one of Marie Osmond, and one called Sindy), but star wars action figures were. I revolted from some of that which I was exposed to as a child. I claimed to hate most science fiction. It was a power struggle between me and my brother. Were we going to watch Star Trek, or Brady Bunch? Remington Steele, or Buck Rogers. Battle Star Galatica, or scarecrow and Mrs. King. I dressed up as Princess Leia for Halloween when I was about 8. I loved it. My mom made me a little white satin dress, that I still have, and just thought was the most beautiful thing ever. I really did feel like a princess. I saw all the 80's science fiction stuff as a child. Logan's Run, Tron, Dune, Weird Science, War Games, and of course the Star Trek movies, and Star Wars. I thought my brother was such a nerd. His little space club that he formed with he and his friends. Being a member of the astronomy club, and having his telescope. Dressing up as Captain Kirk for Halloween, or as an Astronaut. Now as I get older, I am truly fascinated by these stories. It is a combination of our postmodern society and some of our most primitive cultures, and interesting mythologies. It is mythology. fictional mythology dealing with the questions of modern man. I taught a class at IU called "Encounters with the Other"....for one part of the class I taught science fiction. Urusula LeGuin, Orson Scott Card, Dark City, Metropolis....The Day the Earth stood Still...A.I.....truly...there are three types of lit I find fascinating....they are fairy tales, and myth, postmodern fiction (aka Calvino, Robert Coover) and science fiction. They aren't necessarily what i would CHOOSE to read on an afternoon of mindless enjoyment, but they ARE what I find fascinating. They seem so simple, and yet are like the proverbial onion with layers and layers to be peeled. They tell us so much about our world, and so much about ourselves. And now I see it through the eyes of my nephew. The excitement he finds over imaginary space ships, and imaginary worlds. And through the eyes of my students. A slight oddness in those boys which I have come to recognize and hold dear. Thanks to my brother, my education, and my students for this appreciation.

I was in the middle of my first hour teaching about German, and
one of my kids raised his hand and he said, "Ms. Little, are you a jedi?"
And without hesitation I said, "yes."
So then he said "where's your lightsaber?"
And I said, "They told me if I wanted to be a teacher here I had to leave my
weapons at home."
So then another kid asked, "Are you on the dark side, or the light side?"
And another kid yelled out, "she has to be on the dark side"
and I said, "Yes, I am darth vaders rarely talked about second wife"
and then without skipping a beat, I went back to my lesson and we talked about
German again for the rest of the time.:):)