tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5165118504093345923.post5579125818752300011..comments2023-03-22T03:46:05.342-07:00Comments on One Finger Typing: Activist fiction: it's about engagement, not about The IssueSteve Masoverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03387484207819808962noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5165118504093345923.post-89787032480855657962015-10-23T13:24:50.111-07:002015-10-23T13:24:50.111-07:00Thanks, Kate! Your point about mystery readers rin...Thanks, Kate! Your point about mystery readers rings true to me, and I'd certainly defer to your better-informed understanding of the genre. But what I wrote about activist fiction is awfully close to what you called out: to <i>engage</i> is an active verb; and to <i>influence</i> is about pursuing change. Engaging in influence seems a lot like pursuing change to me; though I can accept that my formulation would be stronger (and more descriptive) if the <i>and often</i> qualifier were omitted.Steve Masoverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03387484207819808962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5165118504093345923.post-345588781218918762015-10-23T13:14:01.078-07:002015-10-23T13:14:01.078-07:00Hi, Steve, thanks for the shout out for Murder Und...Hi, Steve, thanks for the shout out for Murder Under the Bridge. I have two quibbles with this very thought-provoking post: (1) I don't think you can say something is activist simply because it "engage(s) with the world from a point of view that seeks to understand (and often influence) its political dimensions." To be "activist" requires that its protagonists are _actively_ doing something to pursue the change they are seeking. Your parenthetical "often influence" is, in my opinion, too much of a hedge on that critical dimension.<br />(2) Mystery readers are not, in my experience or perception, primary drawn to the genre because we like to read about crime. Part of the appeal is the challenge of solving a puzzle that you reference in your first paragraph. But the people I know who read mysteries are drawn to them partly because they often have social issues at their core. "Crime fiction" is often tied up with issues of power and its abuses in a way that appeals to political people.katinsfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07339149658415546104noreply@blogger.com