2008 Woodie Awards
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Why Speculate?
Cameron Summers
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Entertainment
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I know what you're thinking: "What is an article on fantasy and science fiction doing in the student newspaper at a Jesuit University?" You might think that there is no logical reason, but if you think about it, the connection is not simply possible, but intuitive.
This column--Somewhere Over the Rainbow--was first conceived by Brother Glenn Kerfoot, S.J., in 2003, and his line of thinking was thus: Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Faith are all connected in that they require "Creative Imagination."
Creative Imagination, Brother Glenn said, was the capacity for an individual to conceive of something better than the current situation, which is something that someone with the time (which is next to none at all), the capacity (which we all possess), and the audacity to envision something better than what currently exists.
It is a key element of Jesuit spirituality that God is constantly at work in everyone's lives, and sometimes it takes imagination to see God at work; knowing where to look and what to look for is a capacity of this Creative Imagination. According to the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, considering other people, places, and perspectives--a task of the imagination--is essential to one's spiritual growth.
But the importance of the imagination isn't applicable to faith alone; one could easily support the thesis that all great human achievements were faculties of the Creative Imagination. Without imagining something better than what is, absolutely no progress is possible.
Even Albert Einstein, one of the--if not the--foremost scientific minds of the 20th century, wrote in a note to the men examining his brain after he passed on: "I do not consider myself especially smarter than any other human, but I do have a particularly vivid imagination."
Speculative Fiction, by its very nature is grounded deep in the heart of the Creative Imagination. By reading a work of science fiction or fantasy, one can exercise this capacity for imagining a world different from the one in which we live our day-to-day lives. Even the most surreal, abstract story can be used to exercise one's ability to conceive of something better.
This column will serve as a guide to Speculative Fiction in different media, though it will center on Literature, it will also broaden its scope from when Brother Glenn wrote it, possibly covering speculative fiction in Television, Movies, and Video Games.
In all honesty, this is not because there is a dearth of excellent speculative fiction in print alone, but because B.G. was simply so thorough in his writing that there aren't very many obvious examples left out there to be covered in the column. The corpus of Speculative Fiction is an ever-expanding treasure trove of ideas (both good and bad; I intend to review what I subjectively determine to be "good"), though, so I'm sure we'll come up with something worth examining.
So, starting in the next issue, expect to see reviews appearing in this space, covering all manner of speculative fiction.
This column--Somewhere Over the Rainbow--was first conceived by Brother Glenn Kerfoot, S.J., in 2003, and his line of thinking was thus: Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Faith are all connected in that they require "Creative Imagination."
Creative Imagination, Brother Glenn said, was the capacity for an individual to conceive of something better than the current situation, which is something that someone with the time (which is next to none at all), the capacity (which we all possess), and the audacity to envision something better than what currently exists.
It is a key element of Jesuit spirituality that God is constantly at work in everyone's lives, and sometimes it takes imagination to see God at work; knowing where to look and what to look for is a capacity of this Creative Imagination. According to the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, considering other people, places, and perspectives--a task of the imagination--is essential to one's spiritual growth.
But the importance of the imagination isn't applicable to faith alone; one could easily support the thesis that all great human achievements were faculties of the Creative Imagination. Without imagining something better than what is, absolutely no progress is possible.
Even Albert Einstein, one of the--if not the--foremost scientific minds of the 20th century, wrote in a note to the men examining his brain after he passed on: "I do not consider myself especially smarter than any other human, but I do have a particularly vivid imagination."
Speculative Fiction, by its very nature is grounded deep in the heart of the Creative Imagination. By reading a work of science fiction or fantasy, one can exercise this capacity for imagining a world different from the one in which we live our day-to-day lives. Even the most surreal, abstract story can be used to exercise one's ability to conceive of something better.
This column will serve as a guide to Speculative Fiction in different media, though it will center on Literature, it will also broaden its scope from when Brother Glenn wrote it, possibly covering speculative fiction in Television, Movies, and Video Games.
In all honesty, this is not because there is a dearth of excellent speculative fiction in print alone, but because B.G. was simply so thorough in his writing that there aren't very many obvious examples left out there to be covered in the column. The corpus of Speculative Fiction is an ever-expanding treasure trove of ideas (both good and bad; I intend to review what I subjectively determine to be "good"), though, so I'm sure we'll come up with something worth examining.
So, starting in the next issue, expect to see reviews appearing in this space, covering all manner of speculative fiction.
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