From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!SSteinberg.SoftArts@MIT-MULTICS Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Title: Harper's article. Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.233 Posted: Wed Dec 29 05:36:00 1982 Received: Sat Jan 1 04:00:01 1983 I have my own theories about who likes what KIND of SF flavored literature and why but I should point out that Harper's is into presenting this kind of article. A two part cover story titled "Panic Among the Philistines" points out the general bankruptcy and alienation of modern authors of MAINSTREAM fiction. A lot of John Updike fans were really upset but I couldn't help agreeing. Another article expounded the view that environmentalists are all spoiled upper middle class brats who are trying to keep the working class in line by limiting the exploitation of natural resources. Since I fit right in this pocket I was rather offended. This iconoclastic approach has been rather prominent ever since Harper's managed to squeak past its last cash crunch and apparently has kept the magazine solvent. One approach might be to treat Harper's as a magazine of Speculative Fiction (or just plain speculation) in which authors try changing or extrapolating accepted wisdom. Modern literature is not particularly good, rather it is awful. The environmental movement is a neo-feudalistic force. If you toss in a grain of salt the slander is often a lot easier to take. sas