“In a post-war Britain of collapsing moral, economic and imperial certainties, the closeness of absurdity to terror — surreal humour collapses fear and relief into comedy — was perhaps less appealing. British kids’ books of the era tend more to non-fiction, such as the classic Ladybird books, or child-scale adventures with happy endings such as Enid Blyton’s Famous Five.”
NO, the post WWII was the highest moment of British Children’s fantasy. C S Lewis 1950s and the Narnia series. Tolkien, 1937 – 1950 releases for his amazing works, Alan Garners Amazing books, 1960, John Masefield (between the wars) Nesbit was still a powerhouse post WWII (but goes back 50 years) Tove Jasson and Moomentrolls, just post WWII, and on; and then USA and UK the 1950 inedible burst of Science Fiction, it was amazing…
If you were a child and were not given wonderful fantasy to read it was not for lack of the best children’s books ever written, because they were everywhere post WWII, it must have been lack of imagination in who ever supplied you with children’s books.
“Already in 2017, commentators were documenting the phenomenon of disturbing YouTube video content created and uploaded by AI. That is, content entirely generated by machines” This is Horrific! Like a demon in the machine, this is very disturbing. At least the writers I mentioned were exceptionally moral and good examples (Pullman and his Ilk I did not like, but many did, I find him creepy) I do suspect AI will take a morality, will fall on the good -> evil scale to one side. I worry it will be inherently evil underneath though, as evil always disguises its self, and is very crafty, and works on human weakness, and strives to grow.
CG
Christopher Gelber
2 years ago
Nicely-written and fascinating piece. Mary is fast becoming a go-to writer for me.
PK
Prashant Kotak
2 years ago
Very nice piece.
A bunch of very thought provoking articles on UnHerd today, well done.
AB
Arild Brock
2 years ago
DISTINCTIONS AND DESTINY
In the authoritarian Eastern European states before 1989 the purpose of the governments’ manipulation with information, including censorship, was not to lie, but to destroy the distinction between true and false – according to the late Roger Scruton.
I see a variety of distinctions under threat, the distinction between normal and “non-normal” being one. Similar distinctions could be the one between real and unreal and the distinction between inside and outside (say of an organisation, or a community).
The distinction between true and false would of course be a basic one. Just as basic, or even more basic, would be the distinction between good and evil – ethical and unethical.
But isn’t the distinction between man and woman also basic – or the distinction between feminine and masculine? How do those relate to the distinction between adult and child? Are there adult human beings beyond adult women and adult men? Is the purpose of raising transgenderism to the position of “normal” to destroy sex? Does the idea of “multi gender” extend sex or does it destroy sex?
Obviously distinctions are interconnected. Some people are optimistically taking it for granted that “reality” will ultimately assert itself and stop nonsense. This may be tenable for purely technical matters like electricity and water supply. But the distinction between good and evil I guess is purely human. It is a social/cultural distinction, but it rests upon “human nature”. Features of the latter must be a matter of true and false.
We have to defend those distinctions, or renew them, but before they vanish.
Last edited 2 years ago by Arild Brock
DG
Dan Gleeballs
2 years ago
I’m never quite sure, but I think royalty ‘abdicates’. To renounce or reject or refuse to take part – is ‘abnegate’. I think.
Good article. The white rabbit popped up in the first Matrix film as well. What a powerful image to be so well understood.
Well, I think to abnegate means to deny, so I think I prefer abdicate.
Still it’s nice to know that people round here have heard of the word!
PR
Terry Needham
2 years ago
“We have to wonder what dreams they’ll pursue when they reach adulthood.”
Reality will reassert itself as it always does. Whether the process will feel comfortable for them is a different matter.
Edit: Telegraph article in this morning’s paper: “Blackout warning: Drivers must charge electric cars off-peak to avoid overstretching National Grid” Yup, Mr. Reality strikes.
Maybe reality will assert itself. Maybe. But I remember when many ridiculed the commitment to far-left causes espoused by uni students all over the Western world in the 1980s and 1990s as they pursued what seemed like absurd degrees by saying: don’t worry, reality will assert itself when they have to find jobs in the real world. Well, there turned out to be plenty of jobs for indoctrinated far-left hysterics in the public sector, NGOs, charities, academia, the media and throughout the private sector via their HR and CSR departments. It all looks so obvious now, but wasn’t to anyone back then.
I remember thinking reality would set in for those students also, but as you point out, it didn’t happen and now we’re being inundated with leftist nonsense.
The problem is so many traditional jobs were shipped overseas, or made obsolete by technology, leaving an army of university educated people in search of employment. New jobs were created in the grievance industry to accommodate them.
Yes. Many kids who would have wound up in a factory making jeans or putting caps on bottles went to uni, were told how fabulous they were and were sent out to put right all those heathens.
Quite. And if everyone is charging a car off peak, when will peak demand be?
RT
Roger Tilbury
2 years ago
Mum took me to see AiW soon after its release when I was 3. Apparently when Alice’s neck started to extend I started to scream and she had to leave the cinema. She eventually forgave me 🙂
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“In a post-war Britain of collapsing moral, economic and imperial certainties, the closeness of absurdity to terror — surreal humour collapses fear and relief into comedy — was perhaps less appealing. British kids’ books of the era tend more to non-fiction, such as the classic Ladybird books, or child-scale adventures with happy endings such as Enid Blyton’s Famous Five.”
NO, the post WWII was the highest moment of British Children’s fantasy. C S Lewis 1950s and the Narnia series. Tolkien, 1937 – 1950 releases for his amazing works, Alan Garners Amazing books, 1960, John Masefield (between the wars) Nesbit was still a powerhouse post WWII (but goes back 50 years) Tove Jasson and Moomentrolls, just post WWII, and on; and then USA and UK the 1950 inedible burst of Science Fiction, it was amazing…
If you were a child and were not given wonderful fantasy to read it was not for lack of the best children’s books ever written, because they were everywhere post WWII, it must have been lack of imagination in who ever supplied you with children’s books.
“Already in 2017, commentators were documenting the phenomenon of disturbing YouTube video content created and uploaded by AI. That is, content entirely generated by machines” This is Horrific! Like a demon in the machine, this is very disturbing. At least the writers I mentioned were exceptionally moral and good examples (Pullman and his Ilk I did not like, but many did, I find him creepy) I do suspect AI will take a morality, will fall on the good -> evil scale to one side. I worry it will be inherently evil underneath though, as evil always disguises its self, and is very crafty, and works on human weakness, and strives to grow.
Nicely-written and fascinating piece. Mary is fast becoming a go-to writer for me.
Very nice piece.
A bunch of very thought provoking articles on UnHerd today, well done.
DISTINCTIONS AND DESTINY
In the authoritarian Eastern European states before 1989 the purpose of the governments’ manipulation with information, including censorship, was not to lie, but to destroy the distinction between true and false – according to the late Roger Scruton.
I see a variety of distinctions under threat, the distinction between normal and “non-normal” being one. Similar distinctions could be the one between real and unreal and the distinction between inside and outside (say of an organisation, or a community).
The distinction between true and false would of course be a basic one. Just as basic, or even more basic, would be the distinction between good and evil – ethical and unethical.
But isn’t the distinction between man and woman also basic – or the distinction between feminine and masculine? How do those relate to the distinction between adult and child? Are there adult human beings beyond adult women and adult men? Is the purpose of raising transgenderism to the position of “normal” to destroy sex? Does the idea of “multi gender” extend sex or does it destroy sex?
Obviously distinctions are interconnected. Some people are optimistically taking it for granted that “reality” will ultimately assert itself and stop nonsense. This may be tenable for purely technical matters like electricity and water supply. But the distinction between good and evil I guess is purely human. It is a social/cultural distinction, but it rests upon “human nature”. Features of the latter must be a matter of true and false.
We have to defend those distinctions, or renew them, but before they vanish.
I’m never quite sure, but I think royalty ‘abdicates’. To renounce or reject or refuse to take part – is ‘abnegate’. I think.
Good article. The white rabbit popped up in the first Matrix film as well. What a powerful image to be so well understood.
Well, I think to abnegate means to deny, so I think I prefer abdicate.
Still it’s nice to know that people round here have heard of the word!
“We have to wonder what dreams they’ll pursue when they reach adulthood.”
Reality will reassert itself as it always does. Whether the process will feel comfortable for them is a different matter.
Edit: Telegraph article in this morning’s paper: “Blackout warning: Drivers must charge electric cars off-peak to avoid overstretching National Grid” Yup, Mr. Reality strikes.
Maybe reality will assert itself. Maybe. But I remember when many ridiculed the commitment to far-left causes espoused by uni students all over the Western world in the 1980s and 1990s as they pursued what seemed like absurd degrees by saying: don’t worry, reality will assert itself when they have to find jobs in the real world. Well, there turned out to be plenty of jobs for indoctrinated far-left hysterics in the public sector, NGOs, charities, academia, the media and throughout the private sector via their HR and CSR departments. It all looks so obvious now, but wasn’t to anyone back then.
I remember thinking reality would set in for those students also, but as you point out, it didn’t happen and now we’re being inundated with leftist nonsense.
The problem is so many traditional jobs were shipped overseas, or made obsolete by technology, leaving an army of university educated people in search of employment. New jobs were created in the grievance industry to accommodate them.
Yes. Many kids who would have wound up in a factory making jeans or putting caps on bottles went to uni, were told how fabulous they were and were sent out to put right all those heathens.
Quite. And if everyone is charging a car off peak, when will peak demand be?
Mum took me to see AiW soon after its release when I was 3. Apparently when Alice’s neck started to extend I started to scream and she had to leave the cinema. She eventually forgave me 🙂