笨Kemal的頭越來越禿了....
哈~連遠在美國的振斌和koala都趕回來參加...
越來越像的美雀-志遠二人組
瞧倆人高興的樣子~
當天很忙碌犧牲很大的聖誕老人...小痞
(聽說是猜拳猜輸的結果-_-)
新郎新娘敬酒...結果bk手上那杯是果汁, 還用手擋起來...
在臉譜當編輯的鈺祥...
みんな...
帥氣美麗的新郎新娘and伴郎伴娘
101聖誕樹...(好不容易拍了一張沒手震的)
星期日, 12月 25, 2005
The Wedding Feast on Chirstmas Eve
笨Kemal的頭越來越禿了....
哈~連遠在美國的振斌和koala都趕回來參加...
越來越像的美雀-志遠二人組
瞧倆人高興的樣子~
當天很忙碌犧牲很大的聖誕老人...小痞
(聽說是猜拳猜輸的結果-_-)
新郎新娘敬酒...結果bk手上那杯是果汁, 還用手擋起來...
在臉譜當編輯的鈺祥...
みんな...
帥氣美麗的新郎新娘and伴郎伴娘
101聖誕樹...(好不容易拍了一張沒手震的)
星期六, 12月 17, 2005
ゲド戦記
Ursula K. Le Guin的《地海》系列要拍成動畫電影了，而且還是由大名鼎鼎的吉卜力工作室負責，從宣傳海報上的那隻老龍和王子(應該是吧?)對看的場景來看，應該是要拍第三集《地海彼岸》(The Farthest Shore)。不過海報上又寫著Book 5的title:"Tales from Earthsea"，所以還不能確定拍的是哪一集的內容。
還有，這部作品不再是宮崎駿當監督，導演改由他兒子宮崎吾郎擔任，所以一反吉卜力以往保密家的做法，這次連導演的「制作日誌」和「監督日誌」都放到吉卜力的blog上來宣傳，果然是新人新氣象。
由 吉卜力來拍《地海》系列應該不會像之前被拍成影集一樣，改到連Ursula老奶奶都跳出來在自己的網頁上罵。不過有之前《ハウルの動く城》的經驗，最後 電影到底能不能表現出Ursula老奶奶的那種"道家思想"，還是會改頭換面變成一部徹頭徹尾的新作品哩，真是令人期待啊～
延伸閱讀：新‧龍貓森林 宮崎吾朗的勇氣 - 吉卜力新作介紹：ゲド戦記 / 地海傳說
還有，這部作品不再是宮崎駿當監督，導演改由他兒子宮崎吾郎擔任，所以一反吉卜力以往保密家的做法，這次連導演的「制作日誌」和「監督日誌」都放到吉卜力的blog上來宣傳，果然是新人新氣象。
由 吉卜力來拍《地海》系列應該不會像之前被拍成影集一樣，改到連Ursula老奶奶都跳出來在自己的網頁上罵。不過有之前《ハウルの動く城》的經驗，最後 電影到底能不能表現出Ursula老奶奶的那種"道家思想"，還是會改頭換面變成一部徹頭徹尾的新作品哩，真是令人期待啊～
延伸閱讀：新‧龍貓森林 宮崎吾朗的勇氣 - 吉卜力新作介紹：ゲド戦記 / 地海傳說
星期日, 12月 11, 2005
The Wedding
《How Do I Love Thee》
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
高雄地方法院
兩位「當事人」and兩位公證人...
公證人...
新郎新娘專心聽法官唱名
(還要大聲答「有」!)
夫妻交拜...
「 死生契闊，與子成說。執子之手，與子偕老。」
"Hey! We're married!"
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
高雄地方法院
兩位「當事人」and兩位公證人...
公證人...
新郎新娘專心聽法官唱名
(還要大聲答「有」!)
夫妻交拜...
「 死生契闊，與子成說。執子之手，與子偕老。」
"Hey! We're married!"
星期六, 12月 10, 2005
星期六, 11月 26, 2005
星期四, 11月 17, 2005
「閱讀」故事，與「聽」故事和「看」故事是完全兩碼子事。
就拿戲劇來說吧，在故事的進行中，或是結束以後，可預期的是故事的接收者（閱聽者）的反應必然是大眾的、均一的。（當然，我們總是會碰到在沒有笑點的時候發出笑聲的怪人。）
可是，「閱讀」故事就完全不是那麼一回事了。「閱讀」本身就是孤獨的、私人的一種行為，你不可能一本書拿著兩個人看（那就變成上課或是說書）。在閱讀的時候，你是與外界隔絕的，此時你與故事之間就建立起某種相互溝通的管道，進而漸漸地合而為一，變成另外一個世界，不是你原來存在的那個現實世界，也不是故事中的那個虛擬世界。
文字本身是殘酷無情的，是什麼就是什麼，絕對不會因為顧慮到接收者的感受而跟你來「溫良恭儉讓」那一套。
就拿戲劇來說吧，在故事的進行中，或是結束以後，可預期的是故事的接收者（閱聽者）的反應必然是大眾的、均一的。（當然，我們總是會碰到在沒有笑點的時候發出笑聲的怪人。）
可是，「閱讀」故事就完全不是那麼一回事了。「閱讀」本身就是孤獨的、私人的一種行為，你不可能一本書拿著兩個人看（那就變成上課或是說書）。在閱讀的時候，你是與外界隔絕的，此時你與故事之間就建立起某種相互溝通的管道，進而漸漸地合而為一，變成另外一個世界，不是你原來存在的那個現實世界，也不是故事中的那個虛擬世界。
文字本身是殘酷無情的，是什麼就是什麼，絕對不會因為顧慮到接收者的感受而跟你來「溫良恭儉讓」那一套。
星期六, 11月 12, 2005
「兔子餐」與「貓口令」
軍人給人的印象通常是「嚴肅、沒幽默感」，最近我發現其實不是這樣的，只不過我們通常都沒注意到罷了...
某天晚餐的時候，當天的菜色是炒青菜、生菜沙拉、紅蘿蔔絲炒豆芽豆乾，主菜則是鳳爪一隻，雖然不怎麼樣，份量還超少，每樣菜大概是３Ｘ３公分面積的大小吧，不過看在前一天加菜吃大餐的份上，大家也就算了。
正當大夥兒吃到一半的時候，只見指揮官老大（以下簡稱老大）表情嚴肅地把群部連連長找了過去，還以為他要跟連長說隔天演習的事情，結果他只斜睨了連長一眼，冷冷的說：「你這是給兔子吃的晚餐嗎？」然後就看他老大把椅子一靠，走出餐廳，留下尷尬的群部連連長站在主官桌旁邊。
此時，我看著餐盤裡吃到一半的生菜沙拉，一大片美國生菜被咬掉一半，上面的千島醬把餐盤搞的到處都是橘色的黏液，感覺自己就像隻剛被甩了一巴掌的兔子...
另外某天早上早點名的時候，值星官（終於不是我了，哇哈哈～）把大家帶去升旗台前，突然就看到參謀長（沒錯，又是他出來攪局...呃不...是"視察部隊"）他老人家向我們走來，此時值星官應該要喊「向右～～看！」，然後大家齊聲喊「參謀長好！」的，不過不知道那天學長是前天熬夜敖太晚以致當時還沒睡醒，亦或是天氣太冷嗓子還沒開，只聽他很虛弱的喊了一聲：「向右～～看！」（其中"右"字還破音！），然後大家用此起彼落的聲音說：「參謀長好！」，「參謀長好！」，「參謀長好！」...
等到參謀長他老人家走過去以後，指揮官老大回頭狠狠地瞪了學長一眼，又說出了一句經典名言：「你這口令是貓叫春嗎？」
喵～喵～喵～
某天晚餐的時候，當天的菜色是炒青菜、生菜沙拉、紅蘿蔔絲炒豆芽豆乾，主菜則是鳳爪一隻，雖然不怎麼樣，份量還超少，每樣菜大概是３Ｘ３公分面積的大小吧，不過看在前一天加菜吃大餐的份上，大家也就算了。
正當大夥兒吃到一半的時候，只見指揮官老大（以下簡稱老大）表情嚴肅地把群部連連長找了過去，還以為他要跟連長說隔天演習的事情，結果他只斜睨了連長一眼，冷冷的說：「你這是給兔子吃的晚餐嗎？」然後就看他老大把椅子一靠，走出餐廳，留下尷尬的群部連連長站在主官桌旁邊。
此時，我看著餐盤裡吃到一半的生菜沙拉，一大片美國生菜被咬掉一半，上面的千島醬把餐盤搞的到處都是橘色的黏液，感覺自己就像隻剛被甩了一巴掌的兔子...
另外某天早上早點名的時候，值星官（終於不是我了，哇哈哈～）把大家帶去升旗台前，突然就看到參謀長（沒錯，又是他出來攪局...呃不...是"視察部隊"）他老人家向我們走來，此時值星官應該要喊「向右～～看！」，然後大家齊聲喊「參謀長好！」的，不過不知道那天學長是前天熬夜敖太晚以致當時還沒睡醒，亦或是天氣太冷嗓子還沒開，只聽他很虛弱的喊了一聲：「向右～～看！」（其中"右"字還破音！），然後大家用此起彼落的聲音說：「參謀長好！」，「參謀長好！」，「參謀長好！」...
等到參謀長他老人家走過去以後，指揮官老大回頭狠狠地瞪了學長一眼，又說出了一句經典名言：「你這口令是貓叫春嗎？」
喵～喵～喵～
出了出了~~!!
《A Song of Ice and Fire》的第四集 A Feast for Crows終於在11/8出版了~~
說他千呼萬喚死...呃不..."千呼萬喚始出來"還真的一點也不過分，上一集A Strom of Swords早在2000年就出版，相隔五年，跟他同期的Robin阿姨都已經寫完9本了（The Farseer Trilogy：1996-1999, Live Ship Trilogy：1999-2001, The Tawny Man Trilogy：2001-2004)。我知道這種比較實在是沒有什麼意義，"穩定產量的作家"並不等於"好作家"，不過實在是因為GRRM把 Song of Ice and Fire前三集寫的太好，第三集末尾是北境長城大軍集結，準備面臨異鬼侵襲；而南方情勢由君臨的獅子，高庭的玫瑰，以及冬恩的毒蛇三分天下，中間還有三叉河流域的雙子城主準備隨時攪局，然後故事就吊在這裡，而且還一吊吊了五年！真的是讓人等的「咬碎銀牙，望眼欲穿」。
不過看到Amazon的評論，大部分都是說這本續集「人名太多，情節進展太少」，有人替他辯解因為這是一本拆成兩本的關係。（原因請見6/2的文章）感覺起來GRRM似乎也跟Robert Jordan學壞，開始拖稿了。他當初說「要在6本之內」結束掉這個系列，現在已經修正成「7本」，不知道還會不會繼續上修？
最近買的這兩本書（另一本是Robin Hobb的Shaman's Crossing）在Amazon上的評價都不好，應該說都沒有像這兩位作家之前的作品那麼好，大部分的評論都是「期望帶來的失望」，不過兩本我都還沒有看到，不知道等我看完以後會不會也有同樣的「失落感」？應該不會吧，我看書的標準很低的...:P
我想我還是等到看完以後再來說心得好了。
說他千呼萬喚死...呃不..."千呼萬喚始出來"還真的一點也不過分，上一集A Strom of Swords早在2000年就出版，相隔五年，跟他同期的Robin阿姨都已經寫完9本了（The Farseer Trilogy：1996-1999, Live Ship Trilogy：1999-2001, The Tawny Man Trilogy：2001-2004)。我知道這種比較實在是沒有什麼意義，"穩定產量的作家"並不等於"好作家"，不過實在是因為GRRM把 Song of Ice and Fire前三集寫的太好，第三集末尾是北境長城大軍集結，準備面臨異鬼侵襲；而南方情勢由君臨的獅子，高庭的玫瑰，以及冬恩的毒蛇三分天下，中間還有三叉河流域的雙子城主準備隨時攪局，然後故事就吊在這裡，而且還一吊吊了五年！真的是讓人等的「咬碎銀牙，望眼欲穿」。
不過看到Amazon的評論，大部分都是說這本續集「人名太多，情節進展太少」，有人替他辯解因為這是一本拆成兩本的關係。（原因請見6/2的文章）感覺起來GRRM似乎也跟Robert Jordan學壞，開始拖稿了。他當初說「要在6本之內」結束掉這個系列，現在已經修正成「7本」，不知道還會不會繼續上修？
最近買的這兩本書（另一本是Robin Hobb的Shaman's Crossing）在Amazon上的評價都不好，應該說都沒有像這兩位作家之前的作品那麼好，大部分的評論都是「期望帶來的失望」，不過兩本我都還沒有看到，不知道等我看完以後會不會也有同樣的「失落感」？應該不會吧，我看書的標準很低的...:P
我想我還是等到看完以後再來說心得好了。
星期六, 11月 05, 2005
上禮拜背值星，第一次站在一堆人前面喊口令，超緊張的，因為是大家都是幕僚，絕大部分是職業軍人，位階大概都是majors and captains，叫我一個小小的second lieutenant帶領著「長官們」行進，感覺真的是很彆扭。每次站到部隊前面，腦筋就一片空白，常常忘記下一動要喊啥，然後就呆在那裡，跟指揮官大眼瞪小眼。
還有左右不分，常常忘記自己的方向和部隊的方向要反過來，結果要「向左轉」就唸成「向右轉」。有次更慘，行進時要向參謀長(major general，肩膀上掛星星的那種大官)行部隊禮，應該「向左看」，結果念成「向右看」，隔天參謀長就在朝會的時候，就批哩啪拉唸了二十分鐘，說要加強基本教練，不要當軍官還不會喊口令－「那你軍官是幹什麼吃的！」－他是這樣說的。
那時真想挖個洞把自己埋起來算了！
小小政戰官兼新聞官兼翻譯公差
還有左右不分，常常忘記自己的方向和部隊的方向要反過來，結果要「向左轉」就唸成「向右轉」。有次更慘，行進時要向參謀長(major general，肩膀上掛星星的那種大官)行部隊禮，應該「向左看」，結果念成「向右看」，隔天參謀長就在朝會的時候，就批哩啪拉唸了二十分鐘，說要加強基本教練，不要當軍官還不會喊口令－「那你軍官是幹什麼吃的！」－他是這樣說的。
那時真想挖個洞把自己埋起來算了！
小小政戰官兼新聞官兼翻譯公差
星期五, 11月 04, 2005
青春， 啊青春
講師／蔡宜容(英國瑞汀大學兒童文學碩士)
時間：星期五 7:00pm--9:00pm
你我他，這些閱讀青少年小說的成人們，埋首文本之際,眼角餘光可曾瞥見名為青春的殘像，兀自在誰的墳上跳舞！這次要從青春的本質，追索小說的脈洛；反之亦然。
11/11(五) 殘酷二三事：
文本中的少年與老人 (變身、罐裝季節、盛夏獅王、威尼斯之死、櫻木抽芽時、想你)
11/18(五) 悲劇二三事：
暴烈與不可復得 (牯嶺街少年殺人事件、We need to talk about Kevin、換取的孩子、 菲利普普曼之黑暗原素三部曲)
11/25(五) 虛無二三事：
知其然，不知其所以然 (六年級大逃亡 (沒勁)、戀戀風塵、情書、青春電幻物語、池袋西口公園)
12/02(五)不可告人二三事：
在孤獨與等待之間 (其實我不想說、小王子、在我墳上起舞、塊肉餘生記、局外人)
星期日, 10月 23, 2005
星期六, 10月 08, 2005
星期六, 10月 01, 2005
貓
Z從台北流浪動物之家認養回來的四隻仔貓，已經死掉３隻，目前只剩下右上圖那隻，狀況好像也不是很樂觀，聽說是病毒感染。Z還跟我抱怨，台北流浪動物之家根本就是動物傳染病的大本營，收來的動物就關在一起，不做檢疫，當然也就沒有隔離；去那裡認養動物的人把動物領回去之後，沒多久就死掉，讓這些有愛心的人很都難過。
上禮拜在嶺口，有個排長撿到四隻出生沒多久的小貓，找來一個大塑膠垃圾桶，裡面鋪了幾條毛巾，就這樣養著了。幾個大男生，沒人有過養貓的經驗，所以只好「土法煉鋼」，把每天早餐的豆漿牛奶留一點起來，分成三餐餵給小貓吃。可是這四隻貓實在是太小了，連自己去舔裝在碟子裡的牛奶的能力都沒有，後來不知道是 誰生出來一隻20cc的針筒，把牛奶裝在裡面，再把小貓抱在手上，一滴滴的餵給小貓吃。
起先小貓不知道是怕生還是怎樣，十分的不領情，硬是不肯乖乖的讓排長餵，還曾經想用利爪和牙齒攻擊，讓餵進去的豆漿牛奶有一大半都漏了出來。這樣折騰了幾天，小貓們越來越瘦，連站都站不穩了，更別說走路了，把他們抱出來放在地板上的時候，他們也只能歪歪倒倒地爬一爬。或許是知道連自己的母親都不要他們了，也有可能是餓到沒有選擇也沒有力氣掙扎了，後來排長在餵的時候，都十分的乖巧，把餵進去的豆漿牛奶一滴不剩的吃完了。
禮拜三要撥交到七五群之前，還跑去看他們一眼，看起來狀況比較好了，雖然還是很瘦，走路也還是歪歪扭扭的，不過至少抱出來以後可以自己爬到草地那裡去曬太陽了。
回來以後聽到Z講到她抱回來的四隻小貓死掉三隻的事，就想起嶺口這四隻小貓來。
不知道他們現在怎麼了？
PS:不可以用人吃的牛奶餵貓，貓會營養不良還會拉肚子，這是Z聽到我們的「土法煉鋼餵貓法」，訓了我一頓後告訴我的。
Z從台北流浪動物之家認養回來的四隻仔貓，已經死掉３隻，目前只剩下右上圖那隻，狀況好像也不是很樂觀，聽說是病毒感染。Z還跟我抱怨，台北流浪動物之家根本就是動物傳染病的大本營，收來的動物就關在一起，不做檢疫，當然也就沒有隔離；去那裡認養動物的人把動物領回去之後，沒多久就死掉，讓這些有愛心的人很都難過。
上禮拜在嶺口，有個排長撿到四隻出生沒多久的小貓，找來一個大塑膠垃圾桶，裡面鋪了幾條毛巾，就這樣養著了。幾個大男生，沒人有過養貓的經驗，所以只好「土法煉鋼」，把每天早餐的豆漿牛奶留一點起來，分成三餐餵給小貓吃。可是這四隻貓實在是太小了，連自己去舔裝在碟子裡的牛奶的能力都沒有，後來不知道是 誰生出來一隻20cc的針筒，把牛奶裝在裡面，再把小貓抱在手上，一滴滴的餵給小貓吃。
起先小貓不知道是怕生還是怎樣，十分的不領情，硬是不肯乖乖的讓排長餵，還曾經想用利爪和牙齒攻擊，讓餵進去的豆漿牛奶有一大半都漏了出來。這樣折騰了幾天，小貓們越來越瘦，連站都站不穩了，更別說走路了，把他們抱出來放在地板上的時候，他們也只能歪歪倒倒地爬一爬。或許是知道連自己的母親都不要他們了，也有可能是餓到沒有選擇也沒有力氣掙扎了，後來排長在餵的時候，都十分的乖巧，把餵進去的豆漿牛奶一滴不剩的吃完了。
禮拜三要撥交到七五群之前，還跑去看他們一眼，看起來狀況比較好了，雖然還是很瘦，走路也還是歪歪扭扭的，不過至少抱出來以後可以自己爬到草地那裡去曬太陽了。
回來以後聽到Z講到她抱回來的四隻小貓死掉三隻的事，就想起嶺口這四隻小貓來。
不知道他們現在怎麼了？
PS:不可以用人吃的牛奶餵貓，貓會營養不良還會拉肚子，這是Z聽到我們的「土法煉鋼餵貓法」，訓了我一頓後告訴我的。
星期五, 9月 23, 2005
星期五, 9月 16, 2005
星期四, 9月 15, 2005
星期三, 9月 14, 2005
1. Blogging for fun ,for yourself, at least at beginning
2. don't force yourself to blog just for periodically update.
3. don't limit your blog to min. or max. length.
4. don't blog just for audience.
5. don't be afraid of opposite comments.
6. Blogging is to share your thought, your opinion, not your "me too".
7. Blogging tools and interfaces are for convenience, not for "Wow! so fascenating!" The same as your site layout.
8. If you don't want someone reading your blog, never put it on.(Even he/she don't know you have a blog)
9. Try to remember why you are blogging.
10. forget the first 9 rules. use the 10th instead: BLOG FOR YOURSELF!
===================================================================
「部落格十誡」
把這個十誡貼上來當真，好像也犯了第十條，哈哈。
2. don't force yourself to blog just for periodically update.
3. don't limit your blog to min. or max. length.
4. don't blog just for audience.
5. don't be afraid of opposite comments.
6. Blogging is to share your thought, your opinion, not your "me too".
7. Blogging tools and interfaces are for convenience, not for "Wow! so fascenating!" The same as your site layout.
8. If you don't want someone reading your blog, never put it on.(Even he/she don't know you have a blog)
9. Try to remember why you are blogging.
10. forget the first 9 rules. use the 10th instead: BLOG FOR YOURSELF!
===================================================================
「部落格十誡」
把這個十誡貼上來當真，好像也犯了第十條，哈哈。
星期三, 9月 07, 2005
小時候喜歡把東西拆開來再裝起來, 小至整人箱, 大至壁掛型鬧鐘, 都曾經慘遭"毒手". 大部分倒是還可以裝得回去, 不過裝不回去的時候常常被我媽用上海話罵:"把嘎筋!"我聽不懂, 不過猜想大概就是"手很賤的小孩"的意思吧?
長大以後就比較少了, 一方面是怕麻煩, 一方面是看在"$$"的份上, 不敢亂拆.
最多把電腦機殼拆開來摸摸搞搞, 最近連拆機殼都懶了, 壞掉就丟著, 等到受不了的話就拿錢去買新的, 省時省力省腦筋, 可是就是不省錢.
但是昨天不知道發什麼神經, 就因為他讀不到某些光碟, 竟然把當初10K買回來的PS2給分解了.
有圖為證, 所謂開腸剖肚也不過如此吧.
弄弄搞搞, 心裡忐忑不安, 10K耶, 現在沒有收入, 也不能去買新的了, 拆壞了就真的是沒了.
心一橫, 壞了就算了, 正好把玩PS2時間拿來專心唸點東西.
就這樣, 弄到半夜3點才睡覺.
星期二, 9月 06, 2005
星期三, 8月 31, 2005
有關《電車男》的豆知識
從OTAKU談起
Otaku (おたく)的漢字是「御宅」，本來是日文中「你」，「閣下」的稱謂語。後來慢慢地變成指稱沉迷於漫畫，動畫，電動(Anime，Comic，and Game，以下合稱ACG)的人之間的互稱。在80年代，由於Otaku的大肆活躍，創造出了日本動畫的黃金時期。GAINAX(推出《王立宇宙軍》，《新世紀福音戰士Evangelion》，《彼氏彼女的事情》等有名動畫的公司，惡名昭彰(？)的庵野秀明導演就是從這家公司出來的，不過這是另外一個故事，以後有機會再說。)推出了一部描寫Otaku的動畫，其中對於這些ACG迷的生態有十分詳細的描寫，也因此Otaku一詞漸漸的變成指涉這一群瘋狂愛好ACG的人，不過在此時Otaku一詞還沒有太多負面意涵。
但是現在日本對於Otaku的印象是十分負面的，一般聽到Otaku，大概在腦中就會自動浮現「身材臃腫」(因為缺乏運動)，然後「房間堆滿了動漫相關產品」，「不擅與非ACG迷交際」，簡單來說就是帶有某種程度的自閉傾向，患有「二次元禁斷症」的怪人一族。為什麼Otaku會從單純指稱「ACG愛好者」的語詞，變成這種「人人喊打」的族群呢？這就要從有名的「宮崎勤事件」談起。
「宮崎勤事件」與火之七日間 (from 《動漫2000》)
1988 年8月至12月之間，在日本崎玉縣陸續發生了三宗4到7歲女童失蹤案，並發現其中一名被害人的屍體。翌年2月，一名署名「今田勇子」的嫌犯將骸骨寄到死者家中並附上作案聲明；6月，東京一名5歲女童失蹤，後來發現時已被分屍。兇手的行兇手段真的只能用「滅絕人性」來形容，並引起日本警政當局的重視。後來經過佈線追查之後，於7月逮捕了當時23歲的凶嫌宮崎勤。警方在他的住處收集證據時，意外地搜到許多動漫畫相關資料，以及大量描寫變態的漫畫、同人誌及A片，還有他與誘拐女童拍下的變態錄影帶。而他也坦承殺害4名女童並將其分屍。後來經精神鑒定，證實宮崎勤有分裂性多重人格的傾向。
本案在當時曾經喧騰一時，而Otaku一詞由此開始曝光化與禁忌化，本來Otaku是ACG迷們的共同稱呼，但是自此事件後，這個字眼變成帶有高度負面意味的辭彙。如今一般日本人觀念中的Otaku是把「生活裏除了ACG還是ACG」的過度狂熱愛好者跟「對某些特定事物的愛好極端偏執，而且老把自己關在家裏不與人接觸」畫上等號的。由於一般動漫畫愛好者以及從事同人誌活動的人雖然為數不少，但不一定都是Otaku，卻因「宮崎勤事件」受到波及而被傳媒貼上標簽，使得形象敗壞到谷底。這雖然是以偏概全的結論，不過也由此可以知道媒體的破壞力，說是「欲加之罪，何患無詞」也不過份。之後日本又因此而發生了「遊人事件」，「有害圖書追討運動」，所以日本漫畫界將此一時期稱為「火之七日間」，後來日本的漫畫家們也紛紛發出了不平之鳴。
所以，即使是日本這種對於「職人」，「達人」這種「對於某項事物非常專精的人」非常尊重的社會，對於Otaku一族反而非常的鄙視，認為Otaku不事生產，只能當米蟲。想當然的，Otaku們在這種外在環境下，再加上自己整天盯著電腦螢幕，幻想裡面的女角跑出來或是自己跑進去(這種幻想，日本漫畫家桂正和曾經將之畫成「電腦少女」)，想在現實世界裡找到「彼女」自然是十分困難，而宅男們的最終夢想也就自然而然的是能在現實世界裡找到另一半，不要整天只能對著電腦螢幕喊：「萌え～」。
從２ch到電視
在2004年3月14日晚上，由一位22歲的毒(獨身)男在日本最有名的２ch揭示板的留言開始，創造了一連串的奇蹟。這位22歲毒男由於自身的「宅男」個性，對於與女性交往一竅不通，所以上網求助於眾網友，要如何與「艾瑪士(Hermes，エルメス)小姐」交往。數月之後竟然奇蹟式地破除了上述的「宅男魔咒」，成功地與「艾瑪士」小姐成為一對。
這 個故事轟動了整個２ch揭示板，自然也轟動了整個日本網路界。而在2004年10月，日本新潮社將電車男與眾網友在２ch揭示板關於這件事的所有留言集結成書出版，書名就叫《電車男》，短短3天就狂賣了12萬本，隨即竄上日本Amazon暢銷書首位。由於書的內容是電車男與眾網友的「集體創作」，出版社 將作者名打上「中野獨人」(なかのひとり)，有人認為這是「中之一人」的意思，也有人認為這就是電車男的本名。自此以後，全日本都知道了《電車男》的故事了。
由於《電車男》的話題性與故事性，導演村上正典(日劇《白色巨塔》，《在世界中心呼喊愛情》的導演)決定將之拍成電影。女主角「艾瑪士」小姐，由於電車男 曾經形容過她長的像中谷美紀，所以就真的找來中谷美紀擔任女主角。男主角則找來《在世界中心呼喊愛情》的山田孝之演出22歲，帶有「宅氣」的電車男。演出 之後，票房成績十分亮眼，不過有人抱怨山田孝之長的實在太帥了，跟原著中(或是一般人印象中)的「宅男」印象－畏縮，土里土氣，沒有存在感－不太符合，所以富士電視台在拍《電車男》日劇的時候，特地將搞笑藝人伊藤淳史選為男主角，而女主角則是找來新一代的廣告小天后－伊東美咲－演出。這樣的安排更是加大了男主角電車男與女主角「艾瑪士」小姐在視覺上的反差。目前日劇是演到第八話，預計再三週就會完結。
有人把當初在２ch揭示板上的所有相關留言通通整理出來，有興趣的人可以去看一看。
從OTAKU談起
Otaku (おたく)的漢字是「御宅」，本來是日文中「你」，「閣下」的稱謂語。後來慢慢地變成指稱沉迷於漫畫，動畫，電動(Anime，Comic，and Game，以下合稱ACG)的人之間的互稱。在80年代，由於Otaku的大肆活躍，創造出了日本動畫的黃金時期。GAINAX(推出《王立宇宙軍》，《新世紀福音戰士Evangelion》，《彼氏彼女的事情》等有名動畫的公司，惡名昭彰(？)的庵野秀明導演就是從這家公司出來的，不過這是另外一個故事，以後有機會再說。)推出了一部描寫Otaku的動畫，其中對於這些ACG迷的生態有十分詳細的描寫，也因此Otaku一詞漸漸的變成指涉這一群瘋狂愛好ACG的人，不過在此時Otaku一詞還沒有太多負面意涵。
但是現在日本對於Otaku的印象是十分負面的，一般聽到Otaku，大概在腦中就會自動浮現「身材臃腫」(因為缺乏運動)，然後「房間堆滿了動漫相關產品」，「不擅與非ACG迷交際」，簡單來說就是帶有某種程度的自閉傾向，患有「二次元禁斷症」的怪人一族。為什麼Otaku會從單純指稱「ACG愛好者」的語詞，變成這種「人人喊打」的族群呢？這就要從有名的「宮崎勤事件」談起。
「宮崎勤事件」與火之七日間 (from 《動漫2000》)
1988 年8月至12月之間，在日本崎玉縣陸續發生了三宗4到7歲女童失蹤案，並發現其中一名被害人的屍體。翌年2月，一名署名「今田勇子」的嫌犯將骸骨寄到死者家中並附上作案聲明；6月，東京一名5歲女童失蹤，後來發現時已被分屍。兇手的行兇手段真的只能用「滅絕人性」來形容，並引起日本警政當局的重視。後來經過佈線追查之後，於7月逮捕了當時23歲的凶嫌宮崎勤。警方在他的住處收集證據時，意外地搜到許多動漫畫相關資料，以及大量描寫變態的漫畫、同人誌及A片，還有他與誘拐女童拍下的變態錄影帶。而他也坦承殺害4名女童並將其分屍。後來經精神鑒定，證實宮崎勤有分裂性多重人格的傾向。
本案在當時曾經喧騰一時，而Otaku一詞由此開始曝光化與禁忌化，本來Otaku是ACG迷們的共同稱呼，但是自此事件後，這個字眼變成帶有高度負面意味的辭彙。如今一般日本人觀念中的Otaku是把「生活裏除了ACG還是ACG」的過度狂熱愛好者跟「對某些特定事物的愛好極端偏執，而且老把自己關在家裏不與人接觸」畫上等號的。由於一般動漫畫愛好者以及從事同人誌活動的人雖然為數不少，但不一定都是Otaku，卻因「宮崎勤事件」受到波及而被傳媒貼上標簽，使得形象敗壞到谷底。這雖然是以偏概全的結論，不過也由此可以知道媒體的破壞力，說是「欲加之罪，何患無詞」也不過份。之後日本又因此而發生了「遊人事件」，「有害圖書追討運動」，所以日本漫畫界將此一時期稱為「火之七日間」，後來日本的漫畫家們也紛紛發出了不平之鳴。
所以，即使是日本這種對於「職人」，「達人」這種「對於某項事物非常專精的人」非常尊重的社會，對於Otaku一族反而非常的鄙視，認為Otaku不事生產，只能當米蟲。想當然的，Otaku們在這種外在環境下，再加上自己整天盯著電腦螢幕，幻想裡面的女角跑出來或是自己跑進去(這種幻想，日本漫畫家桂正和曾經將之畫成「電腦少女」)，想在現實世界裡找到「彼女」自然是十分困難，而宅男們的最終夢想也就自然而然的是能在現實世界裡找到另一半，不要整天只能對著電腦螢幕喊：「萌え～」。
從２ch到電視
在2004年3月14日晚上，由一位22歲的毒(獨身)男在日本最有名的２ch揭示板的留言開始，創造了一連串的奇蹟。這位22歲毒男由於自身的「宅男」個性，對於與女性交往一竅不通，所以上網求助於眾網友，要如何與「艾瑪士(Hermes，エルメス)小姐」交往。數月之後竟然奇蹟式地破除了上述的「宅男魔咒」，成功地與「艾瑪士」小姐成為一對。
這 個故事轟動了整個２ch揭示板，自然也轟動了整個日本網路界。而在2004年10月，日本新潮社將電車男與眾網友在２ch揭示板關於這件事的所有留言集結成書出版，書名就叫《電車男》，短短3天就狂賣了12萬本，隨即竄上日本Amazon暢銷書首位。由於書的內容是電車男與眾網友的「集體創作」，出版社 將作者名打上「中野獨人」(なかのひとり)，有人認為這是「中之一人」的意思，也有人認為這就是電車男的本名。自此以後，全日本都知道了《電車男》的故事了。
由於《電車男》的話題性與故事性，導演村上正典(日劇《白色巨塔》，《在世界中心呼喊愛情》的導演)決定將之拍成電影。女主角「艾瑪士」小姐，由於電車男 曾經形容過她長的像中谷美紀，所以就真的找來中谷美紀擔任女主角。男主角則找來《在世界中心呼喊愛情》的山田孝之演出22歲，帶有「宅氣」的電車男。演出 之後，票房成績十分亮眼，不過有人抱怨山田孝之長的實在太帥了，跟原著中(或是一般人印象中)的「宅男」印象－畏縮，土里土氣，沒有存在感－不太符合，所以富士電視台在拍《電車男》日劇的時候，特地將搞笑藝人伊藤淳史選為男主角，而女主角則是找來新一代的廣告小天后－伊東美咲－演出。這樣的安排更是加大了男主角電車男與女主角「艾瑪士」小姐在視覺上的反差。目前日劇是演到第八話，預計再三週就會完結。
有人把當初在２ch揭示板上的所有相關留言通通整理出來，有興趣的人可以去看一看。
星期二, 8月 30, 2005
電車男
－100万人が見守るの恋，一個「灰王子」找到公主的故事。
很早以前就聽說過《電車男》的故事，也知道大概就是一個宅男創造奇蹟找到女朋友的故事，不過一直要等到去看了電影才真的看完整個故事。
看到電車男的出場造型就嚇了一跳：長髮，襯衫，夾克，長褲，褲腳打折，球鞋，這種土里土氣的打扮完全就是我20歲之前的那種矬樣啊啊啊啊～～～(雖然現在也沒好到哪去....○|￣|＿)
然後看到「艾瑪士」小姐差點與電車君走散之後，對他說：「ちゃんと掴んでますから」(我會好好地拉住你的)。天啊，多少男人期待暗戀的對象跟他說的一句話啊。後來看到大家給電車男打氣：「おれたちついてから」(因為有我們陪著你)，哇～真是超感動～
電車男經由眾網友的教導，從土里土氣的「宅男」身分脫離出來，也虧得「艾瑪士」小姐的耐心等待，等待電車男從醜小鴨變成美麗的天鵝，最後結局自然是 「happilier ever after」啦。片尾最後還有日劇的電車男(伊藤淳史)和艾瑪士小姐(伊東美咲)出來客串，而在日劇第一集，電車男要解救艾瑪士小姐免於怪叔叔騷擾，最後也是由「上代電車男」(穿西裝打領帶的山田孝之，整個帥到不行...@@")出來把怪叔叔架走，也算是某種形式的「傳承」吧？
よし！次は俺の出番だ！！
－100万人が見守るの恋，一個「灰王子」找到公主的故事。
很早以前就聽說過《電車男》的故事，也知道大概就是一個宅男創造奇蹟找到女朋友的故事，不過一直要等到去看了電影才真的看完整個故事。
看到電車男的出場造型就嚇了一跳：長髮，襯衫，夾克，長褲，褲腳打折，球鞋，這種土里土氣的打扮完全就是我20歲之前的那種矬樣啊啊啊啊～～～(雖然現在也沒好到哪去....○|￣|＿)
然後看到「艾瑪士」小姐差點與電車君走散之後，對他說：「ちゃんと掴んでますから」(我會好好地拉住你的)。天啊，多少男人期待暗戀的對象跟他說的一句話啊。後來看到大家給電車男打氣：「おれたちついてから」(因為有我們陪著你)，哇～真是超感動～
電車男經由眾網友的教導，從土里土氣的「宅男」身分脫離出來，也虧得「艾瑪士」小姐的耐心等待，等待電車男從醜小鴨變成美麗的天鵝，最後結局自然是 「happilier ever after」啦。片尾最後還有日劇的電車男(伊藤淳史)和艾瑪士小姐(伊東美咲)出來客串，而在日劇第一集，電車男要解救艾瑪士小姐免於怪叔叔騷擾，最後也是由「上代電車男」(穿西裝打領帶的山田孝之，整個帥到不行...@@")出來把怪叔叔架走，也算是某種形式的「傳承」吧？
よし！次は俺の出番だ！！
星期五, 8月 26, 2005
Google Talk
http://www.google.com/talk/
風格簡單，省資源，不佔記憶體，聽說通話品質比得上Skype，目前還不能用它來傳檔案，
附帶有Gmail新信通知的功能，比原本的Gmail notifier速度更快。
對話記錄在關掉對話框以後還會在，不能像miranda一樣可以合併整合MSN/Yahoo/ICQ等帳號，
不過miranda倒是可以把Google Talk整合進去。
看樣子Google Talk要幹掉MSN messenger的意圖很明顯，
不知道Google會不會取代M$成為IT界下一代的邪惡帝國？
http://www.google.com/talk/
風格簡單，省資源，不佔記憶體，聽說通話品質比得上Skype，目前還不能用它來傳檔案，
附帶有Gmail新信通知的功能，比原本的Gmail notifier速度更快。
對話記錄在關掉對話框以後還會在，不能像miranda一樣可以合併整合MSN/Yahoo/ICQ等帳號，
不過miranda倒是可以把Google Talk整合進去。
看樣子Google Talk要幹掉MSN messenger的意圖很明顯，
不知道Google會不會取代M$成為IT界下一代的邪惡帝國？
星期日, 8月 21, 2005
Books in waiting
- A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4), by George R. R. Martin, November 2005
- Shaman's Crossing (Soldier Son Trilogy, Book 1), by Robin Hobb, September 2005
- The Wizard (The Wizard Knight, Book 2) (Paperback) by Gene Wolfe, October 2005
- Tenderness (Paperback), by Robert Cormier
- The Chocolate War (Readers Circle) (Paperback), by Robert Cormier
星期四, 8月 11, 2005
Harry Potter 6完食
如果這篇的目的是為了表示哀悼某人的死亡的話，其實標題不應該用紅色的。
終於，在這個悶熱的午後，躺在床上把Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince給看完了。雖然在買來第一天還沒翻開書就給炸到是誰死掉，不過看了兩個禮拜還是把它給看完了。
在看這一集的時候，一直沒有感到太大的驚奇，也就是說，沒有被作者嚇到，然後拍掌叫好的那種的感覺。雖然是先知道校長大人會掛點，不過我想就算事先不知情，我的感覺還會是一樣的。
其實在看到一半的時候就發現到這個問題了，總覺得書裡面欠了點什麼東西？後來仔細想一想，才發現到，原來是故事中沒有太過黑暗深沉的東西，不會讓人有停下來思考的地方，看過去就看過去了，不，有時候甚至是看過去了都不知道。不過這也代表了J.K.Rowling成功的地方，情節描述流暢，讓人不自覺就掉到裡面去，這也是為什麼Harry Potter可以成為一個page-turner的最大原因。或許是書本的定位不同吧，同樣是英國作家，也是寫YA(young adult)小說的Robert Cormier，如果是他來寫Harry Potter這個無父無母，從小被欺壓的小孩的成長故事的話，大概會把Harry Potter寫成那種為了求生存，到處耍心機，做壞事，然後陷在自己罪惡感裡無法自拔的那種死小孩吧？等等，好像年輕的Tom Riddle(Lord Voldemort)就是這樣耶...
做為系列作的倒數第二集，Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince其實算是盡到他的責任了。為了最後決戰的到來，設定了主角必須要經由收集聖器這種冒險過程才能打倒大魔王。還有，作者狠心地把橫亙在主角Harry Potter和大魔頭Lord Voldemort中間會礙事（喂喂！）的角色給一一拔除了，Harry的雙親，教父Sirius Black，甚至是校長大人，他們之中任何一人還活著的話，絕對不會給Harry有單獨面對大魔王的機會的。書裡面也盡量的解釋為什麼Tom Riddle會成為Lord Voldemort，還有藉由大魔王的步步進逼，增加了Harry幹掉大魔王的「正當性」。
喔，對了，在這 一集裡面Harry Potter變的比較成熟一點了，不再像上一集一樣，動不動就熱血過頭，橫衝直撞，然後遇到不爽的事就到處yell來yell去，十足的青春期躁鬱男生樣。也因為這樣，我想他的胃病宿疾也好像緩解了不少，至少在這一集裡面，我沒有發現到Harry動不動就感覺到"stomach lurched"...
來做一點結局大預測好了：
Harry Potter收集完四聖器，並解開封印毀壞大魔王四個分身，最後遇上大魔王真身，經過一番纏鬥依然不敵，雙面諜Snape衝出來幫Harry擋下致命一 撃，也證實校長大人沒有看錯人，Snape還是鳳凰騎士團裡的一員，只是奉命臥底在Lord Voldemort之處。之前動手宰了校長大人也是遵照Dumbledore的命令，為了要取信於大魔王而不得不走的一步棋，其實Hagrid在這集裡偷聽到的只有爭執的下半段，上半場Snape就跟Dumbledore抱怨：「你說三年，三年之後又三年，總共九年啦，大佬！我幹臥底都已經幹到不知道自己是好人還是壞人了！」最後Snape還是選擇當好人，也算是幫他心愛的Lily Evans(Harry的媽媽)留下最後的血脈。
但是Lord Voldemort依然一步步地走向Harry Potter，Harry的魔杖突然射出一道強光，原來是Harry想到校長跟他說過的：「"愛"(請加重音並尾音拉長，謝謝)，是你跟Voldemort唯一不同的地方，也是你最有力的武器。」
Harry因此而領悟到了Love Power 120%，發出史上未有的咒語－LoveLove無限大，然後Lord Voldemort被這一撃強光包圍之後，大喊：「No! It can't be...I AM the Chosen One...Arraaaah!!」然後Lord Voldemort隨著強光而消逝了。
就這樣，Harry Potter解救了魔法世界...
如果JKR真的這樣寫，我就把一到七集撕掉然後吃下去！
如果這篇的目的是為了表示哀悼某人的死亡的話，其實標題不應該用紅色的。
終於，在這個悶熱的午後，躺在床上把Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince給看完了。雖然在買來第一天還沒翻開書就給炸到是誰死掉，不過看了兩個禮拜還是把它給看完了。
在看這一集的時候，一直沒有感到太大的驚奇，也就是說，沒有被作者嚇到，然後拍掌叫好的那種的感覺。雖然是先知道校長大人會掛點，不過我想就算事先不知情，我的感覺還會是一樣的。
其實在看到一半的時候就發現到這個問題了，總覺得書裡面欠了點什麼東西？後來仔細想一想，才發現到，原來是故事中沒有太過黑暗深沉的東西，不會讓人有停下來思考的地方，看過去就看過去了，不，有時候甚至是看過去了都不知道。不過這也代表了J.K.Rowling成功的地方，情節描述流暢，讓人不自覺就掉到裡面去，這也是為什麼Harry Potter可以成為一個page-turner的最大原因。或許是書本的定位不同吧，同樣是英國作家，也是寫YA(young adult)小說的Robert Cormier，如果是他來寫Harry Potter這個無父無母，從小被欺壓的小孩的成長故事的話，大概會把Harry Potter寫成那種為了求生存，到處耍心機，做壞事，然後陷在自己罪惡感裡無法自拔的那種死小孩吧？等等，好像年輕的Tom Riddle(Lord Voldemort)就是這樣耶...
做為系列作的倒數第二集，Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince其實算是盡到他的責任了。為了最後決戰的到來，設定了主角必須要經由收集聖器這種冒險過程才能打倒大魔王。還有，作者狠心地把橫亙在主角Harry Potter和大魔頭Lord Voldemort中間會礙事（喂喂！）的角色給一一拔除了，Harry的雙親，教父Sirius Black，甚至是校長大人，他們之中任何一人還活著的話，絕對不會給Harry有單獨面對大魔王的機會的。書裡面也盡量的解釋為什麼Tom Riddle會成為Lord Voldemort，還有藉由大魔王的步步進逼，增加了Harry幹掉大魔王的「正當性」。
喔，對了，在這 一集裡面Harry Potter變的比較成熟一點了，不再像上一集一樣，動不動就熱血過頭，橫衝直撞，然後遇到不爽的事就到處yell來yell去，十足的青春期躁鬱男生樣。也因為這樣，我想他的胃病宿疾也好像緩解了不少，至少在這一集裡面，我沒有發現到Harry動不動就感覺到"stomach lurched"...
來做一點結局大預測好了：
Harry Potter收集完四聖器，並解開封印毀壞大魔王四個分身，最後遇上大魔王真身，經過一番纏鬥依然不敵，雙面諜Snape衝出來幫Harry擋下致命一 撃，也證實校長大人沒有看錯人，Snape還是鳳凰騎士團裡的一員，只是奉命臥底在Lord Voldemort之處。之前動手宰了校長大人也是遵照Dumbledore的命令，為了要取信於大魔王而不得不走的一步棋，其實Hagrid在這集裡偷聽到的只有爭執的下半段，上半場Snape就跟Dumbledore抱怨：「你說三年，三年之後又三年，總共九年啦，大佬！我幹臥底都已經幹到不知道自己是好人還是壞人了！」最後Snape還是選擇當好人，也算是幫他心愛的Lily Evans(Harry的媽媽)留下最後的血脈。
但是Lord Voldemort依然一步步地走向Harry Potter，Harry的魔杖突然射出一道強光，原來是Harry想到校長跟他說過的：「"愛"(請加重音並尾音拉長，謝謝)，是你跟Voldemort唯一不同的地方，也是你最有力的武器。」
Harry因此而領悟到了Love Power 120%，發出史上未有的咒語－LoveLove無限大，然後Lord Voldemort被這一撃強光包圍之後，大喊：「No! It can't be...I AM the Chosen One...Arraaaah!!」然後Lord Voldemort隨著強光而消逝了。
就這樣，Harry Potter解救了魔法世界...
如果JKR真的這樣寫，我就把一到七集撕掉然後吃下去！
星期三, 8月 03, 2005
星期二, 8月 02, 2005
星期四, 7月 28, 2005
The Rag and Bone Shop
I must lie down where all the ladders start,
In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart.
－W. B. Yeats
七歲的Alicia被謀殺了，而12歲的Jason是Alicia最後見面的人－除了兇手之外。
警方找來一位從來沒有失敗過的訊問官(interrogator)，Trent，來"偵訊"Jason。
當他們兩人面對面時，Trent希望，或是確信，"真相"就會大白，這就是"偵訊"的目的：
找出真相，不是嗎？不過真相是什麼呢？而真相背後的真實又是...？
這篇故事，書名是借用愛爾蘭詩人葉慈(W. B. Yeats)的詩"The Circus Animals' Desertion"的最後兩句「我必得躺在所有梯子起始之處，在心中污穢的破布與骨頭的店舖。」這首詩於1938年寫出，收錄在1939年的選輯《最後的詩》中。葉慈在這裡感傷失去靈感的悲哀，認為他以前能夠寫出好詩的靈感都因年老而不受控制並離他遠去。(弔詭的是，葉慈在這首好詩中感嘆他已經寫不出好詩。)最後他體認到唯有正視自己內心的所有感覺，不論他們有多麼骯髒污穢，才有可能追回那已經逝去的靈感來源。
訊問官Trent在書中引用這兩句詩，說明自己的工作就是去挖掘犯人心中最骯髒齷齪的地方，如同聽取罪人告解的神父一般。不過不同的是神父給予罪人的是赦免(absolution)，讓罪人無罪的(innocently)走出教堂；而訊問官唯一能給的則是起訴罪犯，交由法官來審判。Trent在職業生涯上的成績是"全勝無敗"，只要他出馬，不管是再難纏再嘴硬的罪犯，必定會一步步走入Trent所設好的心理陷阱中，最後則是俯首認罪，將犯案過程一一吐實，不管原因或過程有多麼醜惡不堪...
如同另一部浦澤直樹(Naoki Urasawa)的漫畫"Monster"中的倫克警官一樣，未嚐一敗的Trent一開始接到案子的時候，就認為Jason有罪，是殺害Alicia的 兇手。所以所有的心理邏輯推演和陷阱，都只有一個目的：讓Jason承認他殺害了Alicia。一邊利誘，一邊用成人的權威(authority)，將Jason一步步的逼入死角，讓Jason自己都產生困惑："我否認"就等於"不道德"，即使Jason真的沒有做這件事。
Robert Cormier擅長在他的青少年小說中探討"權力的濫用"，"局外人(the outsider)"，以及成年人對於年輕的"懷鄉情緒(nostalgia)"等等議題。他的小說裡面最常出現的情境常常是主角自問：「如果不是這樣的話...」("What if....")他自己也承認，很多時候他想起小時候或是某個場景的時候也會自問"What if..."，而往往如此，他的靈感就源源不絕的跑出來。他不會顧慮到他寫的是"青少年小說"，而將他的故事披上粉紅色的外衣，所以他的故事基調往往是黑暗而又迷人的。
要是故事是全然的"真實"，那就不成為故事了，那應該叫做"新聞"。(雖然我們的"新聞"一點也不真實)，Robert Cormier就是不假修飾的寫出真實的情境，讓你完全進入他所設定好的場景，然後再加上幻想(fantasy)的元素，讓你驚呼："怎麼會這樣？！"我想就是因為Robert Cormier的故事是如此的"fascinatingly improbable"，所以才如此的吸引人吧。
"The Rag and Bone Shop"是Robert Cormier在1999年寫好而到2001年才出版，但是2000年他就去世了；也就是說他並沒有活著看到這本書出版，而這本小說也就是他最後的一部作品。巧合的是，在說出這兩句葉慈的詩句之後，這個案件也成為訊問官Trent最後的一個案件。而葉慈的"The Circus Animals' Desertion"是在1938年寫完，收錄在1939年出版的《最後的詩》選輯中，也是葉慈的最後一部作品。我在想，Robert Cormier選擇以葉慈的這首詩的詩句當書名的理由，難道是他也在自己的傑作中感傷自己再也寫不出好作品嗎？還是他也跟葉慈有同樣的體認，認為不管人的心裡有多麼骯髒與齷齪，只有正視它，才有可能瞭解自己，成為尼采所說Übermensch嗎？我想，這個真的只有Robert Cormier才知道了...
I must lie down where all the ladders start,
In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart.
－W. B. Yeats
七歲的Alicia被謀殺了，而12歲的Jason是Alicia最後見面的人－除了兇手之外。
警方找來一位從來沒有失敗過的訊問官(interrogator)，Trent，來"偵訊"Jason。
當他們兩人面對面時，Trent希望，或是確信，"真相"就會大白，這就是"偵訊"的目的：
找出真相，不是嗎？不過真相是什麼呢？而真相背後的真實又是...？
這篇故事，書名是借用愛爾蘭詩人葉慈(W. B. Yeats)的詩"The Circus Animals' Desertion"的最後兩句「我必得躺在所有梯子起始之處，在心中污穢的破布與骨頭的店舖。」這首詩於1938年寫出，收錄在1939年的選輯《最後的詩》中。葉慈在這裡感傷失去靈感的悲哀，認為他以前能夠寫出好詩的靈感都因年老而不受控制並離他遠去。(弔詭的是，葉慈在這首好詩中感嘆他已經寫不出好詩。)最後他體認到唯有正視自己內心的所有感覺，不論他們有多麼骯髒污穢，才有可能追回那已經逝去的靈感來源。
訊問官Trent在書中引用這兩句詩，說明自己的工作就是去挖掘犯人心中最骯髒齷齪的地方，如同聽取罪人告解的神父一般。不過不同的是神父給予罪人的是赦免(absolution)，讓罪人無罪的(innocently)走出教堂；而訊問官唯一能給的則是起訴罪犯，交由法官來審判。Trent在職業生涯上的成績是"全勝無敗"，只要他出馬，不管是再難纏再嘴硬的罪犯，必定會一步步走入Trent所設好的心理陷阱中，最後則是俯首認罪，將犯案過程一一吐實，不管原因或過程有多麼醜惡不堪...
如同另一部浦澤直樹(Naoki Urasawa)的漫畫"Monster"中的倫克警官一樣，未嚐一敗的Trent一開始接到案子的時候，就認為Jason有罪，是殺害Alicia的 兇手。所以所有的心理邏輯推演和陷阱，都只有一個目的：讓Jason承認他殺害了Alicia。一邊利誘，一邊用成人的權威(authority)，將Jason一步步的逼入死角，讓Jason自己都產生困惑："我否認"就等於"不道德"，即使Jason真的沒有做這件事。
Robert Cormier擅長在他的青少年小說中探討"權力的濫用"，"局外人(the outsider)"，以及成年人對於年輕的"懷鄉情緒(nostalgia)"等等議題。他的小說裡面最常出現的情境常常是主角自問：「如果不是這樣的話...」("What if....")他自己也承認，很多時候他想起小時候或是某個場景的時候也會自問"What if..."，而往往如此，他的靈感就源源不絕的跑出來。他不會顧慮到他寫的是"青少年小說"，而將他的故事披上粉紅色的外衣，所以他的故事基調往往是黑暗而又迷人的。
要是故事是全然的"真實"，那就不成為故事了，那應該叫做"新聞"。(雖然我們的"新聞"一點也不真實)，Robert Cormier就是不假修飾的寫出真實的情境，讓你完全進入他所設定好的場景，然後再加上幻想(fantasy)的元素，讓你驚呼："怎麼會這樣？！"我想就是因為Robert Cormier的故事是如此的"fascinatingly improbable"，所以才如此的吸引人吧。
"The Rag and Bone Shop"是Robert Cormier在1999年寫好而到2001年才出版，但是2000年他就去世了；也就是說他並沒有活著看到這本書出版，而這本小說也就是他最後的一部作品。巧合的是，在說出這兩句葉慈的詩句之後，這個案件也成為訊問官Trent最後的一個案件。而葉慈的"The Circus Animals' Desertion"是在1938年寫完，收錄在1939年出版的《最後的詩》選輯中，也是葉慈的最後一部作品。我在想，Robert Cormier選擇以葉慈的這首詩的詩句當書名的理由，難道是他也在自己的傑作中感傷自己再也寫不出好作品嗎？還是他也跟葉慈有同樣的體認，認為不管人的心裡有多麼骯髒與齷齪，只有正視它，才有可能瞭解自己，成為尼采所說Übermensch嗎？我想，這個真的只有Robert Cormier才知道了...
新鮮世／人腦下載、殖民火星... 未來世界大預言
新鮮世／人腦下載、殖民火星... 未來世界大預言
........
2050年之後
人腦可以下載。人類可以把腦中的思想，感覺和記憶全部下載到電腦儲存，最終甚至可以再把這些資料上傳到另一個人的大腦。
"Welcome to the world of Ghost in the Shell" －素子少佐－
新鮮世／人腦下載、殖民火星... 未來世界大預言
........
2050年之後
人腦可以下載。人類可以把腦中的思想，感覺和記憶全部下載到電腦儲存，最終甚至可以再把這些資料上傳到另一個人的大腦。
"Welcome to the world of Ghost in the Shell" －素子少佐－
星期三, 7月 27, 2005
The Circus Animals' Desertion
by William Butler Yeats
I
I sought a theme and sought for it in vain,
I sought it daily for six weeks or so.
Maybe at last, being but a broken man,
I must be satisfied with my heart, although
Winter and summer till old age began
My circus animals were all on show,
Those stilted boys, that burnished chariot,
Lion and woman and the Lord knows what.
II
What can I but enumerate old themes,
First that sea-rider Oisin led by the nose
Through three enchanted islands, allegorical dreams,
Vain gaiety, vain battle, vain repose,
Themes of the embittered heart, or so it seems,
That might adorn old songs or courtly shows;
But what cared I that set him on to ride,
I, starved for the bosom of his faery bride.
And then a counter-truth filled out its play,
'The Countess Cathleen' was the name I gave it;
She, pity-crazed, had given her soul away,
But masterful Heaven had intervened to save it.
I thought my dear must her own soul destroy
So did fanaticism and hate enslave it,
And this brought forth a dream and soon enough
This dream itself had all my thought and love.
And when the Fool and Blind Man stole the bread
Cuchulain fought the ungovernable sea;
Heart-mysteries there, and yet when all is said
It was the dream itself enchanted me:
Character isolated by a deed
To engross the present and dominate memory.
Players and painted stage took all my love,
And not those things that they were emblems of.
III
Those masterful images because complete
Grew in pure mind, but out of what began?
A mound of refuse or the sweepings of a street,
Old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can,
Old iron, old bones, old rags, that raving slut
Who keeps the till. Now that my ladder's gone,
I must lie down where all the ladders start
In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.
Annotated version
by William Butler Yeats
I
I sought a theme and sought for it in vain,
I sought it daily for six weeks or so.
Maybe at last, being but a broken man,
I must be satisfied with my heart, although
Winter and summer till old age began
My circus animals were all on show,
Those stilted boys, that burnished chariot,
Lion and woman and the Lord knows what.
II
What can I but enumerate old themes,
First that sea-rider Oisin led by the nose
Through three enchanted islands, allegorical dreams,
Vain gaiety, vain battle, vain repose,
Themes of the embittered heart, or so it seems,
That might adorn old songs or courtly shows;
But what cared I that set him on to ride,
I, starved for the bosom of his faery bride.
And then a counter-truth filled out its play,
'The Countess Cathleen' was the name I gave it;
She, pity-crazed, had given her soul away,
But masterful Heaven had intervened to save it.
I thought my dear must her own soul destroy
So did fanaticism and hate enslave it,
And this brought forth a dream and soon enough
This dream itself had all my thought and love.
And when the Fool and Blind Man stole the bread
Cuchulain fought the ungovernable sea;
Heart-mysteries there, and yet when all is said
It was the dream itself enchanted me:
Character isolated by a deed
To engross the present and dominate memory.
Players and painted stage took all my love,
And not those things that they were emblems of.
III
Those masterful images because complete
Grew in pure mind, but out of what began?
A mound of refuse or the sweepings of a street,
Old kettles, old bottles, and a broken can,
Old iron, old bones, old rags, that raving slut
Who keeps the till. Now that my ladder's gone,
I must lie down where all the ladders start
In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.
Annotated version
星期六, 7月 23, 2005
星期四, 7月 14, 2005
星期五, 7月 01, 2005
星期五, 6月 24, 2005
TNND的「候鳥計畫」
聽說我們實驗室要來兩個美國summer...
http://tw.news.yahoo.com/050623/43/1zkv1.html
五星級飯店招待台裔學子 國科會檢討
....而補助待遇問題，國科會補助每人新台幣 3萬5000元膳宿生活之用，另外聘雇單位還視財務情況給予每天1000元工作津貼(週休二日不算)，因此整個實習最高可領到 6萬元，比起台灣的研究所畢業生進入職場的待遇，算是相當優渥。
不過國科會的照顧美意卻也引起不少討論，國科會主委吳茂昆表示，原本只有50位台裔子弟的名額一下子擴增到 184人，負責受訓事宜的中山大學無承接這麼多人的膳宿事宜，因此轉包給旅行社處理，旅行社和南部五星級飯店有合作契約，可以較低的價格取得房間，所以才會落腳在這些五星級飯店。
而生活補助費過高的問題，吳茂昆說，據他了解，暑期在美國的研究單位實習， 2個月可拿到3000美元(新聞)，整個暑假可拿到5000美元，不過美國的生活消費不低，因此所得有限；而這些台裔子弟必需自付機票、自理膳宿；國科會當初只是單向的思考希望多照顧他們一點，畢竟他們未來在各領域將成為出類拔萃的份子，對台灣今後在國際舞台上發光發熱有一定的幫助。....
幹! 俺做到死也沒有60K/month. 最好去美國當summer student可以拿USD1500/month啦! 騙人不知道行情喔!! -_-凸!!
聽說我們實驗室要來兩個美國summer...
http://tw.news.yahoo.com/050623/43/1zkv1.html
五星級飯店招待台裔學子 國科會檢討
....而補助待遇問題，國科會補助每人新台幣 3萬5000元膳宿生活之用，另外聘雇單位還視財務情況給予每天1000元工作津貼(週休二日不算)，因此整個實習最高可領到 6萬元，比起台灣的研究所畢業生進入職場的待遇，算是相當優渥。
不過國科會的照顧美意卻也引起不少討論，國科會主委吳茂昆表示，原本只有50位台裔子弟的名額一下子擴增到 184人，負責受訓事宜的中山大學無承接這麼多人的膳宿事宜，因此轉包給旅行社處理，旅行社和南部五星級飯店有合作契約，可以較低的價格取得房間，所以才會落腳在這些五星級飯店。
而生活補助費過高的問題，吳茂昆說，據他了解，暑期在美國的研究單位實習， 2個月可拿到3000美元(新聞)，整個暑假可拿到5000美元，不過美國的生活消費不低，因此所得有限；而這些台裔子弟必需自付機票、自理膳宿；國科會當初只是單向的思考希望多照顧他們一點，畢竟他們未來在各領域將成為出類拔萃的份子，對台灣今後在國際舞台上發光發熱有一定的幫助。....
幹! 俺做到死也沒有60K/month. 最好去美國當summer student可以拿USD1500/month啦! 騙人不知道行情喔!! -_-凸!!
星期四, 6月 16, 2005
Are we living in 1984?
微軟中文網過濾敏感字眼 被批向中國網路審查低頭
http://www.ettoday.com/2005/06/14/334-1803587.htm
"MS is watching you."
by Age Ko'will
微軟中文網過濾敏感字眼 被批向中國網路審查低頭
http://www.ettoday.com/2005/06/14/334-1803587.htm
"MS is watching you."
by Age Ko'will
星期五, 6月 03, 2005
說推薦太沉重...
最近常常被人問起：「看你這麼常看書，都看些什麼啊？」
我通常的答案是：「奇幻小說。」
「奇幻小說？是像魔戒，哈利波特那種的嗎？」不知道是基於禮貌不要讓場面冷下來的提問，或是真的基於好奇而問的問題。
「是啊。」言簡意賅。
「喔？真的啊？好像蠻有趣的，可以推薦幾本來看看嗎？」
呃，碰到這樣無厘頭的問題，我通常都會愣個３秒鐘，然後開始支支吾吾。「嗯...欸...喔...那個ＸＸＸ不錯，可是有點厚...啊？不習慣讀大部頭的書啊？有沒有比較屬於"入門級"的？呃...那個ＹＹＹ也很好玩...」
比較好的結果是等到下次見面問起：「那個上次推薦你看的ＸＸＸ還不錯吧？」然後換來對方一陣尷尬的沉默，還有比較直接的人就會說：「后！你上次推薦我看的那本好無聊，我一本還沒看完就看到睡著了。」然後換來我一陣尷尬的沉默...
常常聽到一句話－「你的王道不等於我的王道。」是啊，每個人的價值觀都不一樣，我覺得有趣的，可能別人厭惡至極；我看到感動的要死然後哭的「梨花帶雨」 （好啦，我知道這是很噁心的形容詞，尤其用在男生身上），可是就是有人覺得很funny。我跟你又不是很熟，我怎麼知道我推薦給你的，會不會剛好是你討厭 到死掉的書系？
書有百百本，人有萬萬種。拜託拜託，不要一聽到別人的興趣是「看書」，就一股腦的扒上來問：「你有沒有推薦的書啊？」
下次碰到這種問題，我的回答可能是《聖經》或是《波若波羅蜜多心經》。
最近常常被人問起：「看你這麼常看書，都看些什麼啊？」
我通常的答案是：「奇幻小說。」
「奇幻小說？是像魔戒，哈利波特那種的嗎？」不知道是基於禮貌不要讓場面冷下來的提問，或是真的基於好奇而問的問題。
「是啊。」言簡意賅。
「喔？真的啊？好像蠻有趣的，可以推薦幾本來看看嗎？」
呃，碰到這樣無厘頭的問題，我通常都會愣個３秒鐘，然後開始支支吾吾。「嗯...欸...喔...那個ＸＸＸ不錯，可是有點厚...啊？不習慣讀大部頭的書啊？有沒有比較屬於"入門級"的？呃...那個ＹＹＹ也很好玩...」
比較好的結果是等到下次見面問起：「那個上次推薦你看的ＸＸＸ還不錯吧？」然後換來對方一陣尷尬的沉默，還有比較直接的人就會說：「后！你上次推薦我看的那本好無聊，我一本還沒看完就看到睡著了。」然後換來我一陣尷尬的沉默...
常常聽到一句話－「你的王道不等於我的王道。」是啊，每個人的價值觀都不一樣，我覺得有趣的，可能別人厭惡至極；我看到感動的要死然後哭的「梨花帶雨」 （好啦，我知道這是很噁心的形容詞，尤其用在男生身上），可是就是有人覺得很funny。我跟你又不是很熟，我怎麼知道我推薦給你的，會不會剛好是你討厭 到死掉的書系？
書有百百本，人有萬萬種。拜託拜託，不要一聽到別人的興趣是「看書」，就一股腦的扒上來問：「你有沒有推薦的書啊？」
下次碰到這種問題，我的回答可能是《聖經》或是《波若波羅蜜多心經》。
星期四, 6月 02, 2005
A Feast for Crows－It's done！
Finally, A Feast for Crows is done...sort of...
等了N年，Robin Hobb阿姨連Twany Man Trilogy都出完了，
馬丁大叔終於把這A Song of Ice and Fire第四本A Feast for Crows給凹出來了。
出書日期未定，只能確定七月不會來，八月也不會來...Orz
不過因為書太厚(作者說會超過已經厚達1076頁的A Storm of Swords)，"為免造成裝訂困難"，
只得把北境與Westeros大陸外的劇情切到下一集A Dance with Dragons。
也就是說黑衣少狼主和小龍后將不會在第四集AFfC中出場～～嗚嗚～～
呃，這樣說來Bran和Arya的戲該不會也要等到下一本ADwD吧？！
馬丁大叔你真是會吊人胃口啊～
總之，AFfC裡面就只能看到獅子和玫瑰在君臨城中鬥心機，冬恩在一旁虎視耽耽。三河流域則是群魔亂舞，不知道能不能看到苦情的Catelyn成功復仇？
唉呀唉呀～真是令人期待啊～～
作者自己對A Feast for Crows"縮水"的解釋
Finally, A Feast for Crows is done...sort of...
等了N年，Robin Hobb阿姨連Twany Man Trilogy都出完了，
馬丁大叔終於把這A Song of Ice and Fire第四本A Feast for Crows給凹出來了。
出書日期未定，只能確定七月不會來，八月也不會來...Orz
不過因為書太厚(作者說會超過已經厚達1076頁的A Storm of Swords)，"為免造成裝訂困難"，
只得把北境與Westeros大陸外的劇情切到下一集A Dance with Dragons。
也就是說黑衣少狼主和小龍后將不會在第四集AFfC中出場～～嗚嗚～～
呃，這樣說來Bran和Arya的戲該不會也要等到下一本ADwD吧？！
馬丁大叔你真是會吊人胃口啊～
總之，AFfC裡面就只能看到獅子和玫瑰在君臨城中鬥心機，冬恩在一旁虎視耽耽。三河流域則是群魔亂舞，不知道能不能看到苦情的Catelyn成功復仇？
唉呀唉呀～真是令人期待啊～～
作者自己對A Feast for Crows"縮水"的解釋
星期四, 5月 12, 2005
Brave or Reckless?
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星期二, 5月 10, 2005
Dr.コトー診療所
"僕は、死亡診断書を書くために、この島に来たわけじゃありません。"
－五島健助－
日 本，志木那島，一座風光明媚的離島，只不過有一間沒有任何醫生想要去的診療所，醫療水準低落到只要有急重症患者出現，除了後送到本島之外，就只能等死。島 上的居民，由於之前的駐島醫生不是敷衍了事，就是水準低落，因而不再信任任何醫生。某天，鄉公所課長從東京大學外科部請來了五島健助醫生駐島看診。驚訝於 本島與離島兩者之間醫療水準的落差之外，五島醫生還必須面對島民的不信任與敵視。五島醫生能夠扮演好志木那島診療所醫生的角色嗎？
一年前，電視看一次，VCD看一次，很感動。
一年之後，終於買到DVD，再看一次，還是很感動。
感動的是，五島醫生以醫生的身分對於患者的堅持。
感動的是，五島醫生以朋友的身分對於島民的付出。
感動的是，志木那島島民對於五島醫生的體諒與關懷。
可以讓我看這麼多次也感動這麼多次的日劇，除了Long Vacation和Love Generation之外，就是這個了。
我想在這部戲中不單單是五島醫生以醫生的身分拯救了許多志木那島島民。更重要的是，在志木那島上的經驗與島民的幫忙，反而回過頭來把五島醫生從他黑暗的過去中拯救出來。
唔，台灣的外島是不是也會有著一樣感人的故事呢？ Pondering...
"僕は、死亡診断書を書くために、この島に来たわけじゃありません。"
－五島健助－
日 本，志木那島，一座風光明媚的離島，只不過有一間沒有任何醫生想要去的診療所，醫療水準低落到只要有急重症患者出現，除了後送到本島之外，就只能等死。島 上的居民，由於之前的駐島醫生不是敷衍了事，就是水準低落，因而不再信任任何醫生。某天，鄉公所課長從東京大學外科部請來了五島健助醫生駐島看診。驚訝於 本島與離島兩者之間醫療水準的落差之外，五島醫生還必須面對島民的不信任與敵視。五島醫生能夠扮演好志木那島診療所醫生的角色嗎？
一年前，電視看一次，VCD看一次，很感動。
一年之後，終於買到DVD，再看一次，還是很感動。
感動的是，五島醫生以醫生的身分對於患者的堅持。
感動的是，五島醫生以朋友的身分對於島民的付出。
感動的是，志木那島島民對於五島醫生的體諒與關懷。
可以讓我看這麼多次也感動這麼多次的日劇，除了Long Vacation和Love Generation之外，就是這個了。
我想在這部戲中不單單是五島醫生以醫生的身分拯救了許多志木那島島民。更重要的是，在志木那島上的經驗與島民的幫忙，反而回過頭來把五島醫生從他黑暗的過去中拯救出來。
唔，台灣的外島是不是也會有著一樣感人的故事呢？ Pondering...
星期五, 4月 29, 2005
All About "Hana & Alice"...
我都不知道岩井俊二在花與愛麗絲裡面埋了這麼多小東西,
嗚...真懷疑當初在看的時候是不是睡著了. >_<
當初看到那句"我愛你"和蒼井優最後一幕的芭蕾舞，還感動的亂七八糟...
找時間再去看一次好了 :P
[2004金馬]朦朧、雙生花、青春殘像 - 花與愛麗絲(Hana & Alice)
[感想] 續‧花與愛麗絲的二三事
作者首頁：新‧龍貓森林
我都不知道岩井俊二在花與愛麗絲裡面埋了這麼多小東西,
嗚...真懷疑當初在看的時候是不是睡著了. >_<
當初看到那句"我愛你"和蒼井優最後一幕的芭蕾舞，還感動的亂七八糟...
找時間再去看一次好了 :P
[2004金馬]朦朧、雙生花、青春殘像 - 花與愛麗絲(Hana & Alice)
[感想] 續‧花與愛麗絲的二三事
作者首頁：新‧龍貓森林
星期二, 4月 26, 2005
星期三, 3月 16, 2005
星期一, 3月 14, 2005
CUBITAL TUNNEL SYNDROME (ULNAR NERVE AT ELBOW: A SENSORYAND MOTOR SYNDROME)
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE 37:75-93 (2000)
While focal entrapment of the ulnar nerve is an increasingly recognized cause of work-associated morbidity, the literature on these disorders in the occupational setting is sparse. Cubital tunnel syndrome is ulnar nerve entrapment at the medial aspect of the elbow. It is the second most common entrapment neuropathy of the upper extremity after carpal tunnel syndrome [AAEM, 1999; Idler, 1996].
Epidemiology
Two recent comprehensive reviews of the epidemiology of WMSDs [Hagberg et al., 1995; Bernard, 1997] did not assess studies of nerve entrapments in the upper extremity aside from carpal tunnel syndrome. While Hagberg and Silverstein [1995] stated that ulnar nerve entrapment in the elbow region (cubital tunnel syndrome) was the second most frequent upper extremity entrapment neuropathy, they did not review this disorder, stating that studies providing evidence of its work-relatedness are currently lacking. However, earlier and subsequent articles and texts provide some evidence of the work-relatedness. Specifc work related risk factors common to the cubital tunnel syndrome appear to be aggravating motions consisting of repetitive and sudden elbow flexion, and repeated trauma or pressure to the elbow at the ulnar groove [Feldman et al., 1983; Herrington and Morse, 1995; Gordon, 1995]. Job tasks associated with cubital tunnel syndrome include shoveling, hammering, lifting, manipulating handles of boring and punching machines, leaning on the elbow at a desk or work bench, working in tight places, digging, and use of hand saws or large power machinery [Feldman et al., 1983; Gordon, 1995; Blair, 1995].
Anatomy and Pathology
The ulnar nerve originates from the inferior roots of the brachial plexus (C8-T1). Compressions of the nerve at given points along its course through the upper extremity give rise to the various nerve entrapment syndromes. While cubital tunnel is a general term used to describe localized entrapment of the ulnar nerve at the elbow, the site of entrapment of the ulnar nerve in the region of the elbow can occur in several locations including proximal to the elbow by the medial head of the triceps' "arcade of Struther's,'' at the elbow by the arcuate ligament, or in the mid-forearm by the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle. Precise localization of
entrapment is important if surgery is being contemplated [Hilburn, 1996].
Clinical Presentation
Depending upon the severity of the entrapment, typical symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome include: (1) activityrelated numbness or paresthesias involving the 4th and 5th fingers; (2) pain in the medial aspect of the elbow and proximal forearm; (3) progressive inability to separate fingers, pick up small objects between the thumb and index finger; (4) loss of power grip and dexterity and, in severe cases, claw position of the ring and little fingers, hand fatigue and atrophy of the hypothenar and interosseous muscles [Idler, 1996; Feldman et al., 1983; Herrington and Morse, 1995; Blair, 1995]. As with carpal tunnel syndrome, symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome are often associated with nocturnal awakening.
A variety of provocative tests have been suggested for use in diagnosing cubital tunnel syndrome. These include Tinel's sign (paresthesias in the fifth digit and medial half of the fourth digit when tapping over the ulnar nerve at the elbow), the elbow flexion test in which symptoms in digits 4 and/or 5 (paresthesias and/or numbness) develop following maximum flexion of the elbow with the forearm in supination and the wrist in neutral, and the pressure provocative test, in which pressure is applied proximal to the cubital tunnel with the elbow in 20 flexion and the forearm in supination [Novak et al., 1994].
Novak and colleagues [1994] evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of Tinel's sign over the cubital tunnel, the "pressure provocative test,'' and the elbow flexion test. The sensitivity and specificity of the Tinel's sign were 0.70 and 0.98, respectively. The sensitivity of the flexion test at 60 seconds was 0.75 and the specificity 0.99. The 60 second ressure test's sensitivity was 0.89, with a specificity of 0.98. A maneuver combining the elbow flexion test with maintaining local pressure over the cubital canal for 30 seconds, resulted in sensitivity=0.91, specificity=0.97, and ppv=0.93.
Tests of function in muscles innervated by the ulnar nerve may not always be impaired because of cross supply to these muscles by the median nerve. Clinical methods described to test the ulnar innervated intrinsic muscles of the hand include: abduction of the digits (with the IP joints in extension) against resistance; flexion of the fifth digit DIP joint against resistance; difficulty in adducting the fifth digit while it is in extension (Wartenberg's sign); inability to properly cross the index and middle fingers (Scott Earle test); and inability to pinch index and thumb tips together firmly without sharp flexion of the DIP joint (positive Froment's sign) [Idler, 1996]. The "late'' signs include wasting of the intrinsic muscle mass of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle, one of the intrinsic muscles best viewed in the space between the thumb and the second metacarpal bone.
Sensory testing over the ulnar nerve distribution should include the palmar and dorsal aspects of the fourth and fifth digit, comparing the affected and non-affected sides. Such testing can be accomplished using standardized (Semmes-Weinstein) monofilaments or vibratory testing, since light touch and vibration sense are the first affected in early stages of nerve entrapment [Idler, 1996].
A classification of causes of cubital tunnel syndrome is described by Tetro and Pichora [1996]. Of the classification systems devised for describing the severity of cubital tunnel syndrome, that of Dellon [1989] is the most comprehensive, incorporating progression of symptoms and clinical tests of motor and sensory ulnar nerve function.
Electrodiagnostic Testing
Electrodiagnostic testing including nerve conduction velocity and electromyography should be performed whenever an entrapment neuropathy is suspected, but the severity of the clinical findings may not always correlate with the results of such testing. In addition, the proper technique and interpretation by the specialists performing these tests is of paramount importance for the evaluating physician who must decide when to refer a patient for surgery. Blair [1995] writes "the definition of cubital syndrome on the basis of absolute electrophysiologic values is of limited merit, as normal and abnormal values are technique and laboratory dependent".
The reader is referred to a recent comprehensive review, the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine's "Practice Parameter for Electrodiagnostic Studies in Ulnar Neuropathy at the Elbow" [AAEM, 1999]. This document attempts to standardize the methodology and technique for performing electrodiagnostic testing of the ulnar nerve at the elbow. Its four-page summary is a useful guide in assessing the quality of electrodiagnostic testing for the clinician who refers a patient. Two of the three AAEM practice standards listed are: limb temperatures should be maintained and noted within a reference range (34 C is most commonly used), and, elbow position should be the same during electrodiagnostic stimulation and measurement of the nerve and also when comparing the patient's results with the normal values adopted by the testing laboratory. The AAEM suggests moderate elbow flexion of 70-90 from horizontal but recognizes that studies have used different elbow flexion/extension angles [AAEM, 1999]. The information provided by electrodiagnostic testing
of the ulnar nerve can help:
1. confirm injury to the nerve;
2. gauge the severity of nerve injury;
3. locate the site(s) of injury along the course of the nerve.
Electrodiagnostic studies are useful in documenting mild to marked entrapment of the ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel. However, the values of electrodiagnostic tests must be interpreted in the clinical context, for 65% of the population may have 10±20 m/second slowing across the elbow [Blair, 1995]. Very mild cubital tunnel syndrome is a clinical diagnosis based on practitioner experience [Blair, 1995]. Comparison of the affected and unaffected limbs (if the condition is not bilateral) could also prove useful for reaching an accurate diagnosis. A review paper by Hilburn [1996] provides an excellent overview of the use of electrodiagnostic studies in the diagnosis of cubital tunnel syndrome as does a textbook by Preston and Shapiro [1998]. Once it is clear that the ulnar nerve is probably involved in the injury process, referral to an experienced specialist in electrophysiologic testing is warranted for the reasons listed above. In addition, the specialist can select, from among the various nerve conduction testing parameters available, those appropriate for the patient.
Treatment
The treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome is generally based on assessment of (1) the severity of symptoms and sensory or motor impairment upon presentation of the patient and (2) the duration of symptoms and nerve function impairment. In mild or moderate cubital tunnel syndrome a minimum of six months of non-surgical, conservative (medical) management is suggested before considering surgery [Idler, 1996]. Surgical intervention is generally recommended for severe sensory or motor impairment [Idler, 1996; Tetro and Pichora, 1996]. However, there is less agreement in the literature on the best method of initial treatment for moderate cubital tunnel syndrome, based on less successful outcomes compared to mild neuropathy. Medical monitoring of patients at 1±3 month intervals is warranted, which should include assessment of symptoms, signs of nerve impairment and compliance with treatment recommendations. If no improvement is seen or the clinical condition deteriorates, electrodiagnostic retesting is recommended by most authors and operative intervention should be considered [Tetro and Pichora, 1996].
Non-surgical management of the cubital tunnel syndrome should include modification of inciting exposures and activities at work and at home. Extreme elbow flexion should be avoided at home and at work. Patients frequently benefit from use of an elbow splint. The elbow should be splinted in elbow extension which limits flexion to no greater than 45 but does not apply direct pressure to the nerve [Sailer, 1996]. Splints should be used at night even in the absence of nighttime paresthesias noted upon awakening. During the day, elbow pads may be used to protect the ulnar nerve within the ulnar groove from direct pressure or trauma. Use of elbow padding and night splinting is suggested for a trial of at least three months. In severe cases, daytime splinting may be tried [Idler, 1996]. Additionally, for more chronic and severe cases of cubital tunnel syndrome, physical or occupational hand therapy should be performed.
Authors differ over the time from the onset of symptoms for which adequate conservative measures are to be tried before surgery should be considered in patients who present with mild or moderate cubital tunnel syndrome, but it ranges from six months [Idler, 1996] to one year [Tetro and Pichora, 1996]. Dellon et al. [1993] have found that a high percentage (89%) of patients with "mild, intermittent disease were successfully treated nonoperatively, whereas only 38% of those with moderate disease(persistent paresthesias, muscle weakness, abnormal two-point discrimination [less than 10 mm] were successfully managed conservatively." Urbaniak [1991] recommends a trial of conservative measures in patients with the following findings: "(1) early symptoms, intermittent episodes; (2) mild paresthesias without significant pain; (3) minimal physical findings (slight numbness), with normal motor examination.'' He suggests operative exploration without a trial of conservative treatment in those with "severe findings of weakness, decreased two-point discrimination, and electromyographic evidence of denervation potentials..."[Tetro and Pichora, 1996].
The medical literature varies on the most appropriate operative procedure for the different subtypes of cubital tunnel syndrome. Basically, releasing constrictions at all affected sites along the nerve in the elbow region is one surgical option (simple decompression), and changing the position of the nerve to the front of the elbow (anterior transposition) is the second major category of operation, with variations used within each category. Needless to say, there is debate over the best operative procedure to be used, and the reader can refer to the reference article by Tetro and Pichora for a discussion of the different operative procedures.
It is important to modify ergonomic risk factors associated with ulnar nerve entrapment flexion (greater than 45), repetitive elbow flexion, and forceful exertions of the wrist, forearm or elbow.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE 37:75-93 (2000)
While focal entrapment of the ulnar nerve is an increasingly recognized cause of work-associated morbidity, the literature on these disorders in the occupational setting is sparse. Cubital tunnel syndrome is ulnar nerve entrapment at the medial aspect of the elbow. It is the second most common entrapment neuropathy of the upper extremity after carpal tunnel syndrome [AAEM, 1999; Idler, 1996].
Epidemiology
Two recent comprehensive reviews of the epidemiology of WMSDs [Hagberg et al., 1995; Bernard, 1997] did not assess studies of nerve entrapments in the upper extremity aside from carpal tunnel syndrome. While Hagberg and Silverstein [1995] stated that ulnar nerve entrapment in the elbow region (cubital tunnel syndrome) was the second most frequent upper extremity entrapment neuropathy, they did not review this disorder, stating that studies providing evidence of its work-relatedness are currently lacking. However, earlier and subsequent articles and texts provide some evidence of the work-relatedness. Specifc work related risk factors common to the cubital tunnel syndrome appear to be aggravating motions consisting of repetitive and sudden elbow flexion, and repeated trauma or pressure to the elbow at the ulnar groove [Feldman et al., 1983; Herrington and Morse, 1995; Gordon, 1995]. Job tasks associated with cubital tunnel syndrome include shoveling, hammering, lifting, manipulating handles of boring and punching machines, leaning on the elbow at a desk or work bench, working in tight places, digging, and use of hand saws or large power machinery [Feldman et al., 1983; Gordon, 1995; Blair, 1995].
Anatomy and Pathology
The ulnar nerve originates from the inferior roots of the brachial plexus (C8-T1). Compressions of the nerve at given points along its course through the upper extremity give rise to the various nerve entrapment syndromes. While cubital tunnel is a general term used to describe localized entrapment of the ulnar nerve at the elbow, the site of entrapment of the ulnar nerve in the region of the elbow can occur in several locations including proximal to the elbow by the medial head of the triceps' "arcade of Struther's,'' at the elbow by the arcuate ligament, or in the mid-forearm by the flexor carpi ulnaris muscle. Precise localization of
entrapment is important if surgery is being contemplated [Hilburn, 1996].
Clinical Presentation
Depending upon the severity of the entrapment, typical symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome include: (1) activityrelated numbness or paresthesias involving the 4th and 5th fingers; (2) pain in the medial aspect of the elbow and proximal forearm; (3) progressive inability to separate fingers, pick up small objects between the thumb and index finger; (4) loss of power grip and dexterity and, in severe cases, claw position of the ring and little fingers, hand fatigue and atrophy of the hypothenar and interosseous muscles [Idler, 1996; Feldman et al., 1983; Herrington and Morse, 1995; Blair, 1995]. As with carpal tunnel syndrome, symptoms of cubital tunnel syndrome are often associated with nocturnal awakening.
A variety of provocative tests have been suggested for use in diagnosing cubital tunnel syndrome. These include Tinel's sign (paresthesias in the fifth digit and medial half of the fourth digit when tapping over the ulnar nerve at the elbow), the elbow flexion test in which symptoms in digits 4 and/or 5 (paresthesias and/or numbness) develop following maximum flexion of the elbow with the forearm in supination and the wrist in neutral, and the pressure provocative test, in which pressure is applied proximal to the cubital tunnel with the elbow in 20 flexion and the forearm in supination [Novak et al., 1994].
Novak and colleagues [1994] evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of Tinel's sign over the cubital tunnel, the "pressure provocative test,'' and the elbow flexion test. The sensitivity and specificity of the Tinel's sign were 0.70 and 0.98, respectively. The sensitivity of the flexion test at 60 seconds was 0.75 and the specificity 0.99. The 60 second ressure test's sensitivity was 0.89, with a specificity of 0.98. A maneuver combining the elbow flexion test with maintaining local pressure over the cubital canal for 30 seconds, resulted in sensitivity=0.91, specificity=0.97, and ppv=0.93.
Tests of function in muscles innervated by the ulnar nerve may not always be impaired because of cross supply to these muscles by the median nerve. Clinical methods described to test the ulnar innervated intrinsic muscles of the hand include: abduction of the digits (with the IP joints in extension) against resistance; flexion of the fifth digit DIP joint against resistance; difficulty in adducting the fifth digit while it is in extension (Wartenberg's sign); inability to properly cross the index and middle fingers (Scott Earle test); and inability to pinch index and thumb tips together firmly without sharp flexion of the DIP joint (positive Froment's sign) [Idler, 1996]. The "late'' signs include wasting of the intrinsic muscle mass of the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle, one of the intrinsic muscles best viewed in the space between the thumb and the second metacarpal bone.
Sensory testing over the ulnar nerve distribution should include the palmar and dorsal aspects of the fourth and fifth digit, comparing the affected and non-affected sides. Such testing can be accomplished using standardized (Semmes-Weinstein) monofilaments or vibratory testing, since light touch and vibration sense are the first affected in early stages of nerve entrapment [Idler, 1996].
A classification of causes of cubital tunnel syndrome is described by Tetro and Pichora [1996]. Of the classification systems devised for describing the severity of cubital tunnel syndrome, that of Dellon [1989] is the most comprehensive, incorporating progression of symptoms and clinical tests of motor and sensory ulnar nerve function.
Electrodiagnostic Testing
Electrodiagnostic testing including nerve conduction velocity and electromyography should be performed whenever an entrapment neuropathy is suspected, but the severity of the clinical findings may not always correlate with the results of such testing. In addition, the proper technique and interpretation by the specialists performing these tests is of paramount importance for the evaluating physician who must decide when to refer a patient for surgery. Blair [1995] writes "the definition of cubital syndrome on the basis of absolute electrophysiologic values is of limited merit, as normal and abnormal values are technique and laboratory dependent".
The reader is referred to a recent comprehensive review, the American Association of Electrodiagnostic Medicine's "Practice Parameter for Electrodiagnostic Studies in Ulnar Neuropathy at the Elbow" [AAEM, 1999]. This document attempts to standardize the methodology and technique for performing electrodiagnostic testing of the ulnar nerve at the elbow. Its four-page summary is a useful guide in assessing the quality of electrodiagnostic testing for the clinician who refers a patient. Two of the three AAEM practice standards listed are: limb temperatures should be maintained and noted within a reference range (34 C is most commonly used), and, elbow position should be the same during electrodiagnostic stimulation and measurement of the nerve and also when comparing the patient's results with the normal values adopted by the testing laboratory. The AAEM suggests moderate elbow flexion of 70-90 from horizontal but recognizes that studies have used different elbow flexion/extension angles [AAEM, 1999]. The information provided by electrodiagnostic testing
of the ulnar nerve can help:
1. confirm injury to the nerve;
2. gauge the severity of nerve injury;
3. locate the site(s) of injury along the course of the nerve.
Electrodiagnostic studies are useful in documenting mild to marked entrapment of the ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel. However, the values of electrodiagnostic tests must be interpreted in the clinical context, for 65% of the population may have 10±20 m/second slowing across the elbow [Blair, 1995]. Very mild cubital tunnel syndrome is a clinical diagnosis based on practitioner experience [Blair, 1995]. Comparison of the affected and unaffected limbs (if the condition is not bilateral) could also prove useful for reaching an accurate diagnosis. A review paper by Hilburn [1996] provides an excellent overview of the use of electrodiagnostic studies in the diagnosis of cubital tunnel syndrome as does a textbook by Preston and Shapiro [1998]. Once it is clear that the ulnar nerve is probably involved in the injury process, referral to an experienced specialist in electrophysiologic testing is warranted for the reasons listed above. In addition, the specialist can select, from among the various nerve conduction testing parameters available, those appropriate for the patient.
Treatment
The treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome is generally based on assessment of (1) the severity of symptoms and sensory or motor impairment upon presentation of the patient and (2) the duration of symptoms and nerve function impairment. In mild or moderate cubital tunnel syndrome a minimum of six months of non-surgical, conservative (medical) management is suggested before considering surgery [Idler, 1996]. Surgical intervention is generally recommended for severe sensory or motor impairment [Idler, 1996; Tetro and Pichora, 1996]. However, there is less agreement in the literature on the best method of initial treatment for moderate cubital tunnel syndrome, based on less successful outcomes compared to mild neuropathy. Medical monitoring of patients at 1±3 month intervals is warranted, which should include assessment of symptoms, signs of nerve impairment and compliance with treatment recommendations. If no improvement is seen or the clinical condition deteriorates, electrodiagnostic retesting is recommended by most authors and operative intervention should be considered [Tetro and Pichora, 1996].
Non-surgical management of the cubital tunnel syndrome should include modification of inciting exposures and activities at work and at home. Extreme elbow flexion should be avoided at home and at work. Patients frequently benefit from use of an elbow splint. The elbow should be splinted in elbow extension which limits flexion to no greater than 45 but does not apply direct pressure to the nerve [Sailer, 1996]. Splints should be used at night even in the absence of nighttime paresthesias noted upon awakening. During the day, elbow pads may be used to protect the ulnar nerve within the ulnar groove from direct pressure or trauma. Use of elbow padding and night splinting is suggested for a trial of at least three months. In severe cases, daytime splinting may be tried [Idler, 1996]. Additionally, for more chronic and severe cases of cubital tunnel syndrome, physical or occupational hand therapy should be performed.
Authors differ over the time from the onset of symptoms for which adequate conservative measures are to be tried before surgery should be considered in patients who present with mild or moderate cubital tunnel syndrome, but it ranges from six months [Idler, 1996] to one year [Tetro and Pichora, 1996]. Dellon et al. [1993] have found that a high percentage (89%) of patients with "mild, intermittent disease were successfully treated nonoperatively, whereas only 38% of those with moderate disease(persistent paresthesias, muscle weakness, abnormal two-point discrimination [less than 10 mm] were successfully managed conservatively." Urbaniak [1991] recommends a trial of conservative measures in patients with the following findings: "(1) early symptoms, intermittent episodes; (2) mild paresthesias without significant pain; (3) minimal physical findings (slight numbness), with normal motor examination.'' He suggests operative exploration without a trial of conservative treatment in those with "severe findings of weakness, decreased two-point discrimination, and electromyographic evidence of denervation potentials..."[Tetro and Pichora, 1996].
The medical literature varies on the most appropriate operative procedure for the different subtypes of cubital tunnel syndrome. Basically, releasing constrictions at all affected sites along the nerve in the elbow region is one surgical option (simple decompression), and changing the position of the nerve to the front of the elbow (anterior transposition) is the second major category of operation, with variations used within each category. Needless to say, there is debate over the best operative procedure to be used, and the reader can refer to the reference article by Tetro and Pichora for a discussion of the different operative procedures.
It is important to modify ergonomic risk factors associated with ulnar nerve entrapment flexion (greater than 45), repetitive elbow flexion, and forceful exertions of the wrist, forearm or elbow.
星期一, 2月 28, 2005
敦南兒童館小講堂：在過與不及之間‧‧‧
地點/敦南兒童館 小教室
主講.演出/蔡宜容(英國瑞汀大學兒童文學碩士)
什麼是青少年文本？
主角是青少年，讀者是青少年，或者你我青少年時期曾經讀過的作品？
3/04(五) 比愛情更堅固
‧福爾摩斯與華生
‧ 蝙蝠俠與羅賓(卡漫&電影)
‧ 西洋古董洋菓子店(卡漫&日劇)
3/11(五) 比親情更複雜
‧ 晚安，湯姆先生/嗑藥/小婦人
‧ 變奏家族(漫‧北條司)
‧ 流氓蛋糕店(漫‧漥之內英策)
3/18(五) 比童話更深沉
‧ 格林童話/安徒生&王爾德童話
‧ 毒伯爵該隱(漫‧由貴香織)
3/25(五) 比純真更曖昧
‧ 洛麗泰(納布可夫)
‧ 愛麗絲夢遊仙境(路易絲‧卡洛)
‧ 終極追殺令(電影‧盧貝松)
‧ 水手服與機關槍(赤川次郎&角川電影聯手打造萬歲少女)
地點/敦南兒童館 小教室
主講.演出/蔡宜容(英國瑞汀大學兒童文學碩士)
什麼是青少年文本？
主角是青少年，讀者是青少年，或者你我青少年時期曾經讀過的作品？
3/04(五) 比愛情更堅固
‧福爾摩斯與華生
‧ 蝙蝠俠與羅賓(卡漫&電影)
‧ 西洋古董洋菓子店(卡漫&日劇)
3/11(五) 比親情更複雜
‧ 晚安，湯姆先生/嗑藥/小婦人
‧ 變奏家族(漫‧北條司)
‧ 流氓蛋糕店(漫‧漥之內英策)
3/18(五) 比童話更深沉
‧ 格林童話/安徒生&王爾德童話
‧ 毒伯爵該隱(漫‧由貴香織)
3/25(五) 比純真更曖昧
‧ 洛麗泰(納布可夫)
‧ 愛麗絲夢遊仙境(路易絲‧卡洛)
‧ 終極追殺令(電影‧盧貝松)
‧ 水手服與機關槍(赤川次郎&角川電影聯手打造萬歲少女)
星期四, 2月 03, 2005
スチームボーイ
僕は、未来を、あきらめない。
比起Howl's moving castle, 個人更期待大友克洋的Steam Boy.
【阿基拉】動畫教父 大友克洋Katsuhiro Otomo歷時八年，全力打造 古典科幻冒險史詩
耗資24億日幣，打造影史最昂貴動畫長片，氣勢恢弘，遠勝【霍爾的移動城堡】
2004年威尼斯影展閉幕片
「人類的福音」？抑或「惡魔的渴望」？蒸氣男孩的冒險篇章
十九世紀中葉，維多利亞時代的大英帝國，工業革命方興未艾，理性與進步似乎凌駕一切，標誌了人類文明昂首進步的無限可能。就在第一次萬國博覽會揭幕前夕，住在倫敦的13歲少年雷‧史汀（Ray Stim）突然收到發明家祖父從美國寄來，稱之為「蒸氣球」（Steam Ball）的神秘動力裝置。「蒸氣球」依據全新機械理論所設計，可以產生一種劃時代的龐大能源，足以供應整個國家所需。同時間，英國情報組織，以及一個名為奧哈拉基金會（Ohara Foundation）的黑暗組織，都覬覦「蒸氣球」所蘊含的驚人力量，準備策動陰謀，從雷的手中加以奪取。一場壯大的復古科幻冒險，就在各種複雜的爭逐角力間磅礡登場……
大友克洋&【阿基拉 】AKIRA 末世預言的科幻經典
1988年，來自東瀛的大友克洋以【阿基拉】一片震撼世界影壇！這部以二十一世紀新東京毀滅預言為主題的科幻動畫，以有別於宮崎駿的超限寫實筆調，以及【銀翼殺手】般深沈詭異的哲學思考、迷離頹廢的美術風格，一舉改寫動畫電影的想像疆界，也奠定了大友氏無可動搖的教父級地位，影響之廣，連之後延燒全球的【駭客任務】三部曲導演 華喬斯基兄弟也肯定該片在科幻類型上無可比擬的劃時代意義。
這部耗資一億日圓（當時已屬天價）的電影，在美國上映時曾創下首週票房冠軍的光榮記錄，也讓一向以迪士尼橫掃全球的美國動畫產業，見識到日本同業在技術上的精密紮實與匠心。而【阿基拉】最具革命性的創舉，就在於片中配音與嘴型同步，這在宮崎駿之前是見不到的。暌違16年後，讓億萬影迷望穿秋水的【蒸氣男孩】，將再次以融合復古與幻想的全新風格，掀起一場前所未有的壯闊體驗。
《蒸氣男孩 Steamboy》電影預售票
上映時間：2005年3月18日晚場起上映
上映地點：台北首輪上映戲院
票價：單張全票250元。雙人套票2張380元 (另加贈〝蒸氣男孩〞原文海報乙張，自2月5日起憑2張預售票至國家戲劇院或音樂廳售票口換取)
僕は、未来を、あきらめない。
比起Howl's moving castle, 個人更期待大友克洋的Steam Boy.
【阿基拉】動畫教父 大友克洋Katsuhiro Otomo歷時八年，全力打造 古典科幻冒險史詩
耗資24億日幣，打造影史最昂貴動畫長片，氣勢恢弘，遠勝【霍爾的移動城堡】
2004年威尼斯影展閉幕片
「人類的福音」？抑或「惡魔的渴望」？蒸氣男孩的冒險篇章
十九世紀中葉，維多利亞時代的大英帝國，工業革命方興未艾，理性與進步似乎凌駕一切，標誌了人類文明昂首進步的無限可能。就在第一次萬國博覽會揭幕前夕，住在倫敦的13歲少年雷‧史汀（Ray Stim）突然收到發明家祖父從美國寄來，稱之為「蒸氣球」（Steam Ball）的神秘動力裝置。「蒸氣球」依據全新機械理論所設計，可以產生一種劃時代的龐大能源，足以供應整個國家所需。同時間，英國情報組織，以及一個名為奧哈拉基金會（Ohara Foundation）的黑暗組織，都覬覦「蒸氣球」所蘊含的驚人力量，準備策動陰謀，從雷的手中加以奪取。一場壯大的復古科幻冒險，就在各種複雜的爭逐角力間磅礡登場……
大友克洋&【阿基拉 】AKIRA 末世預言的科幻經典
1988年，來自東瀛的大友克洋以【阿基拉】一片震撼世界影壇！這部以二十一世紀新東京毀滅預言為主題的科幻動畫，以有別於宮崎駿的超限寫實筆調，以及【銀翼殺手】般深沈詭異的哲學思考、迷離頹廢的美術風格，一舉改寫動畫電影的想像疆界，也奠定了大友氏無可動搖的教父級地位，影響之廣，連之後延燒全球的【駭客任務】三部曲導演 華喬斯基兄弟也肯定該片在科幻類型上無可比擬的劃時代意義。
這部耗資一億日圓（當時已屬天價）的電影，在美國上映時曾創下首週票房冠軍的光榮記錄，也讓一向以迪士尼橫掃全球的美國動畫產業，見識到日本同業在技術上的精密紮實與匠心。而【阿基拉】最具革命性的創舉，就在於片中配音與嘴型同步，這在宮崎駿之前是見不到的。暌違16年後，讓億萬影迷望穿秋水的【蒸氣男孩】，將再次以融合復古與幻想的全新風格，掀起一場前所未有的壯闊體驗。
《蒸氣男孩 Steamboy》電影預售票
上映時間：2005年3月18日晚場起上映
上映地點：台北首輪上映戲院
票價：單張全票250元。雙人套票2張380元 (另加贈〝蒸氣男孩〞原文海報乙張，自2月5日起憑2張預售票至國家戲劇院或音樂廳售票口換取)
星期二, 2月 01, 2005
So What Exactly Is Fantasy?
Vol II, No. 1 (February, 2005) by Cheryl Morgan
Cheryl Morgan is the editor of the online science fiction and
fantasy review magazine Emerald City. Ms. Morgan and the magazine
have been nominated for Hugo awards and for a British Science Fiction
Association award. In 2004 Emerald City won the Hugo award for Best
Fanzine."Cheryl is also a regular contributor to Locus magazine. When
not writing she can normally be found at conventions, or saving up for
her next convention.
The thing that surprised me most about my last essay for IROSF was the level of emotional outrage caused by my expanding SFWA as “Science Fiction Writers of America.” Now of course that was the original name, which is why it is still abbreviated with just one F. But as a SFWA member myself I guess I should have known that these days it is “Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.”
Sadly that sort of thing doesn’t register with me. I’m one of those terrible people who tend to lump “science fiction” and “fantasy” all in the same bucket. It never occurs to me that the “World Science Fiction Convention” would try to ban fantasy fans from becoming members, and of course it never has, but I still regularly meet people who are absolutely convinced that it does. And my forgetting that vital little “and Fantasy” from the full name of SFWA engendered the sort of reaction you might get if I carelessly described the USA as a British colony, or Pakistan as part of India.
I can see at least two possible reasons why I might have got people so upset. The first is that some time back in the dim and distant past some people in SFWA might have tried to bar fantasy writers from membership (though quite what they’d be doing banning the likes of Fritz Leiber and Roger Zelazny is a mystery to me). Certainly the SFWA web site says that the “and Fantasy” was added as an important signal to people who felt that they might not be welcome. It may also be the case that some of the fantasy-writing members of SFWA believe that their craft is special and unique and does not deserve to be hidden under the catchall term of “science fiction”. After all, a lot of fantasy has little or nothing to do with science, even though it generally appears on the “science fiction” shelves of bookstores. Terminology is important, and people get upset about it. Ultimately, however, I believe that attempts to draw a firm dividing line between science fiction and fantasy are not only doomed to failure but are foolish. Here’s why.
Let’s start right back at the beginning. When Homer was recounting The Iliad to rapt audiences in ancient Greece no one worried about whether his stories were fantastical or mimetic. They probably didn’t even worry very much about whether the events he described were true or fictional. People accepted that the Trojan War had happened, and that the Gods existed. If Homer embellished a little on the truth to produce a better story, well who cared, except of course the lord paying the bard’s keep that night.
When Japanese court women started writing novels (monogatari) back in the 11th Century I am pretty sure that they would have written about spirits. It would have been expected. Shinto is an animistic religion. Even as far forward as the 16th Century, when Shakespeare put witches in Macbeth and fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, no one buried their heads in their hands in horror and raved about how poor, foolish Will was ruining his reputation by turning his back on the purity of historical plays and instead was writing—shock! horror!—fantasy.
Civilization, however, moved on, and by the time that Samuel Richardson helped the Western world catch up with Japanese culture there was a distinct whiff of science in the air. Things were either real, or they weren’t. Richardson’s novels were entirely about ordinary people facing ordinary moral problems. And when Mary Shelly came to write Frankenstein, it was generally understood that there were two kinds of books that a novelist might write. Either one based one’s story on the real world, or one wrote a book in which one “phantsied” things that did not really exist. Or rather, of course, things that could not exist, for wasn’t much of fiction actually about people that didn’t really exist, or people that did exist doing things they never actually did? When you think about it, the distinction isn’t really that watertight. Whateve; to a reader of Ms. Shelley’s day Frankenstein was a fantasy.
And so at last we come to the late 19th Century and the flowering of science fiction as we know it. We have Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Wells referred to his famous early works as “scientific romances”. This might have been a polite nod to M. Verne, as “roman” is the French word for novel and “romance” is still occasionally used in (British) English to mean a novel rather than specifically a book about love. Generally the term “romance” is used for the more fanciful type of novel, because every Briton is brought up to believe that those Frenchies are not well grounded in things like common sense and practicality. Later in his career, when Wells was attempting to establish himself as a serious novelist, he got quite angry with those fans who wanted him to turn out more books about Martians and time machines. Wells was going to prove that he could write proper books, and so he did, although of course few people remember them today.
Then there was the famous spat between Wells and Henry James. James was big on the idea of the novel as an exploration of the human psyche. That was, after all, what Richardson had done. Wells believed that the remit of the novel was much broader. He wanted to write about social relations and politics. After all, wasn’t that what people like Dickens and Trollope had done? And somehow out of this we have, at least in the UK, ended up with a ridiculous divide in the literary establishment between “real novels”, which are never about anything except the real world, and “populist crap”, which is a convenient short-hand term for science fiction, fantasy, horror, mysteries, romance, westerns and anything else that the guardians of literary excellence happen to turn their noses up at. And the symbolic champion of the “real novel” is Henry James, a man who is famous for writing (wait for it. . . ) ghost stories. Well, that’s all very clear isn’t it?
By the late 19th Century, however, there was a new idea in the literary firmament, one that made it easier to distinguish between “real novels” and “populist crap”. That idea was genre. Now I’m not a big fan of genre myself. The whole idea of genre is that the novelist should leave her imagination at the door and instead write to a set of rules, a formula.(1) The best known examples come from the romance industry where aspiring “novelists” wishing to write for the big publishing houses are actually given a set of rules as to when the first kiss should occur, in which chapter the hero should propose marriage, and so on. Science fiction and fantasy publishers are by no means as prescriptive but, as Diana Wynne Jones showed with her fabulous Tough Guide to Fantasy Land, many fantasy writers have voluntarily confined themselves to a formula nonetheless. Doubtless the same could be said of certain subdivisions of SF, particularly those with TV or film tie-ins.
Genre, then, is a form of fossilization of the imagination, but it is fossilization with a purpose. It is a marketing tool, a means by which eager customers can find exactly the sort of book they are looking for. It is, if you like, the McDonalds of the publishing industry. No matter where you are in the world, if you walk into a bookstore and see a book whose cover shows a girl in a chain mail bikini riding a dragon and waving a sword you will know exactly what to expect. If instead the girl is wearing a long, white dress and is snuggling up to a unicorn in a flower-strewn woodland glade then a subtly different type of book is on offer. It doesn’t really matter whose name is on the cover. Authors, however, bless their imaginative little hearts, generally refuse to be tied down. And unless they are writing for one of those publishers that insists on following the formula they quite often get away with some rather clever subversion. Those of you who have ever been to a convention panel on the difference between fantasy and science fiction can skip the next two paragraphs, because the examples I am going to give are much over-used, but they do make the point.
Consider, if you will, a series of books in which space travelers land on an alien planet and use genetic engineering to help mould some of the local fauna to their requirements. Although they eventually lose most of their technological skills, they continue to use logic and ordinary human bravery to combat whatever menaces come their way. Is that science fiction or fantasy? Yep, you got it in one. That was Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern series, one of the most famous sets of “fantasy” books ever written.
Now, consider instead a story in which an evil sorcerer has taken over the empire and the young prince has been forced into hiding, not even knowing who he really is. Thanks to the help of a set of loyal, if somewhat strange, companions, a sword with strange powers, and a wizened old guru, he succeeds against all odds and defeats the bad guys, because of course it is right that he should do so. Got it? Yes, quite right, that was Star Wars, possibly the most famous “science fiction” movie ever made.
One of the obvious problems with genre, then, is that it is rather easily subverted. Indeed, any author worth her salt should want to subvert it. Writing novels should be about using your imagination, not about following a formula. (Yes, OK, I know that there are those writing courses that say that novels are all about making a living and if you want to get published you have to follow the formula. But IROSF is a serious literary magazine and we have pretensions to creativity here.) But the other problem with genre is that the rules are very hard to apply, even though they seem simple.
Take the obvious thing about magic. You would have thought that it would be easy to decide whether a book was fantasy or not simply by whether or not magical things happened during the story. But you can’t. And one of the reasons that you can’t is that the idiotic divide between “real novels” and “populist crap” really only applies in the English-speaking world. And the white English-speaking world at that. If you look at novels written in Spanish or Italian or Finnish or Russian (to name but a few) you find quite a lot of big-name writers putting magic into their books. If you read books in English by people from India or the Caribbean they too have magic in them. Salman Rushdie’s first novel, Grimus, is an out-and-out fantasy. It is hard to find these days, probably because his publishers don’t want to admit that he wrote “that stuff”, but he did. The bottom line is that if people have won Nobel prizes for literature for writing books with magic in them, then those books can’t be “populist crap”, they must be “real novels”. Which means that they must be “magic realism”, not “fantasy”. Got that? Clear as mud, isn’t it.
Oh, and just in case you think that argument only applies to fantasy, stop right there and go out and read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. That book was shortlisted for the UK’s prestigious Booker Prize in 2004. It consists of six inter-woven narratives, two of which take place very clearly in the future. One of them features a character who is a clone, and the other is set in a post-apocalyptic world. But do any of the mainstream critics who rave about the book describe this as “science fiction”? Dear me no, it is serious literature. A science fiction novel would never get shortlisted for the Booker Prize. (And come to think of it, you quite possibly won’t find Jurassic Park in the science fiction section of your bookstore either. It is too popular to get hidden away in the ghetto.)
And this is how I found myself stuck in a London restaurant seated next to a guy who insisted that “fantasy” only meant books with elves and dragons and wizards in them. Extending the definition of fantasy, he told me, to include anything with magic in it, was a shameful attempt on my part to give spurious and undeserved legitimacy to the dreadful crap that I read. If I had given him a Jeff Vandermeer novel to read he would have told me that it wasn’t fantasy, it was too good. But if I had given him a Jeff Vandermeer novel and had first told him that Jeff was a past winner of the World Fantasy Award he would have told me that he didn’t want to waste his time reading that crap.
And what exactly is “that crap” anyway? Ask people to name a famous fantasy author and there is a good chance that they will very quickly come up with three names: J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Terry Pratchett. They all write that stuff with elves and dragons and wizards, right? It is all the same.
Well, let’s think about that. Tolkien wrote books set entirely in an imaginary world. Sure there were elves and dragons and wizards, but it would be entirely legitimate to say that they were not real. Tolkien didn’t try to place them in our world. He made up a world in which such things could exist, but it was all a story, albeit a story with a message for us. Rowling, on the other hand, has her magicians and magical creatures very firmly located in our world. Magic does exist, she says. And she pokes fun at the ignorant muggles who don’t understand this. That is a very different approach to using magic in a novel. At first sight you might think that Pratchett is doing the same sort of thing as Tolkien. He too has created an imaginary world. But whereas Tolkien took great pains to make his imaginary world seem real when you were inside it, Pratchett deliberately makes his world absurd. And once you have got into his books you realize that he has done this for a purpose. It is all a joke. The imaginary world is not there to be taken seriously, it is there to allow Pratchett to poke fun at politicians, and religion, at the military, at the media, and at anyone else he thinks needs taking down a peg or two.
So there we have three very different approaches to writing “fantasy” and the relation of the fantastic elements of the story to the real ones. In one set of books the magic is claimed to be real and exist in our world, in another it is real but only within the confines of an imaginary world, and in the third it is a deliberate joke, a vehicle for satire. Three of the most famous fantasy writers in the world, and they are not writing the same thing at all.
We should also note in passing that not all science fiction is the same. One of the most recent literary movements to grace the SF scene is something called Mundane SF. The people involved in this movement believe that SF has become much too fanciful. Everyone knows that if there is life on Mars then it is limited to tiny bacteria. Everyone knows that you can’t travel faster than light. Uploading human minds into computers is an absurd idea. And even the simplest forms of nanotechnology are indistinguishable from magic. No, say the Mundane SF folks, science fiction should be firmly rooted in real science, it should limit its subject matter to what we know is possible. Everything else is just fantasy.
This is all getting rather complicated. But SF and fantasy are commonly studied in universities these days. Do those clever literary professors have any ideas of offer? Can they tell us what fantasy is? Sadly most of them are not much help. Part of being a literary academic is that you tend to study certain writers in great detail. So we might find some professor who knows everything about everything that the Inklings wrote, but who has never even heard of Tad Williams, and only knows of Guy Gavriel Kay because of the work he did on Tolkien’s back catalog. Such people tend to come up with definitions of fantasy that are barely recognizable to those of us who actually read a lot of fantasy. What we need is an academic with a breadth of vision.
Well actually what we need is an academic who is also one of the world’s leading reviewers of SF&F books. Gary K. Wolfe, the Locus reviewer, happens to fit the bill, and he has come up with some interesting ideas that revolve around the mode in which a book is written rather than the tropes that the stories use. What does that mean? Well, let’s go back to our examples. A science fiction book, by Wolfe’s classification, is one that takes a logical, scientific approach to the plot. How does that affect Anne McCaffrey? So Pern is threatened by Thread. But Thread is a natural phenomenon. Its appearance in the skies of Pern is explained by studying astronomy. And if Lessa, F’lar and co. are the people who defeat it, that is because they are unusually intelligent, determined and brave, not because they are of royal birth.
In contrast, Wolfe argues, a fantasy story is one in which the threat to the heroes is somehow morally wrong. It isn’t just that there are enemies; it is that they are Evil. And in general they can only be overcome by someone who is fated to do so. Often that person has to be of royal birth, although this isn’t essential. Some fantasies require that the hero be particularly innocent (Parsival being the classic example). But the point is that the heroes don’t succeed because they work things out—indeed doing so is often shown to be totally impossible—they do so because they were meant to do so. The Grail myth is a classic example of this. Gawain fails, Lancelot fails, all of the best knights of the Round Table have no chance at all, because only one man is destined to complete the quest.
Take the end of The Lord of the Rings, for example. For all of his effort and heroism, when Frodo finally gets to Mount Doom he finds himself unable to destroy the Ring. In the end, Good only triumphs because Gollum bites Frodo’s finger off, and in his excitement falls into the volcano. Sure it took great heroism for Frodo and Sam to get to Mount Doom in the first place. But Tolkien can’t allow the Hobbits to succeed in their own right. He is writing a fantasy and he has to make a moral point, presumably one about evil carrying the seeds of its own destruction.
Personally I rather like Wolfe’s classification. It makes a lot more sense to me than relying on tropes. But it isn’t everyone’s cup to tea. We are back with Star Wars again. There is no way that Han Solo could ever have done what Luke Skywalker did. It wasn’t because he wasn’t skilled or brave enough. He just wasn’t the right hero. Heck, George Lucas openly admits that the whole plot was based on the ideas about hero tales developed by the famous mythologist, Joseph Campbell. But you try telling most people that Star Wars isn’t science fiction. It has space ships in it, for heaven’s sake. And Wookies and Ewoks are aliens whereas Elves and Dwarves are, well, you know, magical. Not the same things at all. Dear me no.
So I say to myself, why bother? Why get so hot under the collar about what “fantasy” is, or what “science fiction” is? It is hard enough to define in the first place. And if you come up with a definition there’s a good chance that most people won’t agree with it. Besides, both science fiction and fantasy are all about imaginative writing. And if your writer is imaginative then there is a good chance that she will want to blur the boundaries between science fiction and fantasy anyway. OK, so the marketing people at the publishers will want to have their little boxes. But it is our job to break out of boxes, not to invent new ones in which we can confine ourselves. Is it fantasy? Is it science fiction? Clearly there are a lot of people out there who care deeply about this issue, and these things are fun to argue. But given the difficulty of coming to a conclusion, and the fact that the best stories are generally those that are hardest to pigeonhole, you have to wonder how important the distinction really is and why we get so agitated about it. Isn’t the quality of the story rather more important than whether the characters are wielding ray guns or swords?
Footnotes
1. OK, this isn’t a usual definition of genre, but it is the only one that works for me. I’ll probably write more about this later, but in the meantime readers are referred to my “Searching for Copernicus”essays in Emerald City #91 and #92 and in particular the essay by Gary K. Wolfe that I talk about in them. Those essays also talk a lot more about definitions of “SF” and “fantasy”.
Vol II, No. 1 (February, 2005) by Cheryl Morgan
Cheryl Morgan is the editor of the online science fiction and
fantasy review magazine Emerald City. Ms. Morgan and the magazine
have been nominated for Hugo awards and for a British Science Fiction
Association award. In 2004 Emerald City won the Hugo award for Best
Fanzine."Cheryl is also a regular contributor to Locus magazine. When
not writing she can normally be found at conventions, or saving up for
her next convention.
The thing that surprised me most about my last essay for IROSF was the level of emotional outrage caused by my expanding SFWA as “Science Fiction Writers of America.” Now of course that was the original name, which is why it is still abbreviated with just one F. But as a SFWA member myself I guess I should have known that these days it is “Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.”
Sadly that sort of thing doesn’t register with me. I’m one of those terrible people who tend to lump “science fiction” and “fantasy” all in the same bucket. It never occurs to me that the “World Science Fiction Convention” would try to ban fantasy fans from becoming members, and of course it never has, but I still regularly meet people who are absolutely convinced that it does. And my forgetting that vital little “and Fantasy” from the full name of SFWA engendered the sort of reaction you might get if I carelessly described the USA as a British colony, or Pakistan as part of India.
I can see at least two possible reasons why I might have got people so upset. The first is that some time back in the dim and distant past some people in SFWA might have tried to bar fantasy writers from membership (though quite what they’d be doing banning the likes of Fritz Leiber and Roger Zelazny is a mystery to me). Certainly the SFWA web site says that the “and Fantasy” was added as an important signal to people who felt that they might not be welcome. It may also be the case that some of the fantasy-writing members of SFWA believe that their craft is special and unique and does not deserve to be hidden under the catchall term of “science fiction”. After all, a lot of fantasy has little or nothing to do with science, even though it generally appears on the “science fiction” shelves of bookstores. Terminology is important, and people get upset about it. Ultimately, however, I believe that attempts to draw a firm dividing line between science fiction and fantasy are not only doomed to failure but are foolish. Here’s why.
Let’s start right back at the beginning. When Homer was recounting The Iliad to rapt audiences in ancient Greece no one worried about whether his stories were fantastical or mimetic. They probably didn’t even worry very much about whether the events he described were true or fictional. People accepted that the Trojan War had happened, and that the Gods existed. If Homer embellished a little on the truth to produce a better story, well who cared, except of course the lord paying the bard’s keep that night.
When Japanese court women started writing novels (monogatari) back in the 11th Century I am pretty sure that they would have written about spirits. It would have been expected. Shinto is an animistic religion. Even as far forward as the 16th Century, when Shakespeare put witches in Macbeth and fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, no one buried their heads in their hands in horror and raved about how poor, foolish Will was ruining his reputation by turning his back on the purity of historical plays and instead was writing—shock! horror!—fantasy.
Civilization, however, moved on, and by the time that Samuel Richardson helped the Western world catch up with Japanese culture there was a distinct whiff of science in the air. Things were either real, or they weren’t. Richardson’s novels were entirely about ordinary people facing ordinary moral problems. And when Mary Shelly came to write Frankenstein, it was generally understood that there were two kinds of books that a novelist might write. Either one based one’s story on the real world, or one wrote a book in which one “phantsied” things that did not really exist. Or rather, of course, things that could not exist, for wasn’t much of fiction actually about people that didn’t really exist, or people that did exist doing things they never actually did? When you think about it, the distinction isn’t really that watertight. Whateve; to a reader of Ms. Shelley’s day Frankenstein was a fantasy.
And so at last we come to the late 19th Century and the flowering of science fiction as we know it. We have Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Wells referred to his famous early works as “scientific romances”. This might have been a polite nod to M. Verne, as “roman” is the French word for novel and “romance” is still occasionally used in (British) English to mean a novel rather than specifically a book about love. Generally the term “romance” is used for the more fanciful type of novel, because every Briton is brought up to believe that those Frenchies are not well grounded in things like common sense and practicality. Later in his career, when Wells was attempting to establish himself as a serious novelist, he got quite angry with those fans who wanted him to turn out more books about Martians and time machines. Wells was going to prove that he could write proper books, and so he did, although of course few people remember them today.
Then there was the famous spat between Wells and Henry James. James was big on the idea of the novel as an exploration of the human psyche. That was, after all, what Richardson had done. Wells believed that the remit of the novel was much broader. He wanted to write about social relations and politics. After all, wasn’t that what people like Dickens and Trollope had done? And somehow out of this we have, at least in the UK, ended up with a ridiculous divide in the literary establishment between “real novels”, which are never about anything except the real world, and “populist crap”, which is a convenient short-hand term for science fiction, fantasy, horror, mysteries, romance, westerns and anything else that the guardians of literary excellence happen to turn their noses up at. And the symbolic champion of the “real novel” is Henry James, a man who is famous for writing (wait for it. . . ) ghost stories. Well, that’s all very clear isn’t it?
By the late 19th Century, however, there was a new idea in the literary firmament, one that made it easier to distinguish between “real novels” and “populist crap”. That idea was genre. Now I’m not a big fan of genre myself. The whole idea of genre is that the novelist should leave her imagination at the door and instead write to a set of rules, a formula.(1) The best known examples come from the romance industry where aspiring “novelists” wishing to write for the big publishing houses are actually given a set of rules as to when the first kiss should occur, in which chapter the hero should propose marriage, and so on. Science fiction and fantasy publishers are by no means as prescriptive but, as Diana Wynne Jones showed with her fabulous Tough Guide to Fantasy Land, many fantasy writers have voluntarily confined themselves to a formula nonetheless. Doubtless the same could be said of certain subdivisions of SF, particularly those with TV or film tie-ins.
Genre, then, is a form of fossilization of the imagination, but it is fossilization with a purpose. It is a marketing tool, a means by which eager customers can find exactly the sort of book they are looking for. It is, if you like, the McDonalds of the publishing industry. No matter where you are in the world, if you walk into a bookstore and see a book whose cover shows a girl in a chain mail bikini riding a dragon and waving a sword you will know exactly what to expect. If instead the girl is wearing a long, white dress and is snuggling up to a unicorn in a flower-strewn woodland glade then a subtly different type of book is on offer. It doesn’t really matter whose name is on the cover. Authors, however, bless their imaginative little hearts, generally refuse to be tied down. And unless they are writing for one of those publishers that insists on following the formula they quite often get away with some rather clever subversion. Those of you who have ever been to a convention panel on the difference between fantasy and science fiction can skip the next two paragraphs, because the examples I am going to give are much over-used, but they do make the point.
Consider, if you will, a series of books in which space travelers land on an alien planet and use genetic engineering to help mould some of the local fauna to their requirements. Although they eventually lose most of their technological skills, they continue to use logic and ordinary human bravery to combat whatever menaces come their way. Is that science fiction or fantasy? Yep, you got it in one. That was Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern series, one of the most famous sets of “fantasy” books ever written.
Now, consider instead a story in which an evil sorcerer has taken over the empire and the young prince has been forced into hiding, not even knowing who he really is. Thanks to the help of a set of loyal, if somewhat strange, companions, a sword with strange powers, and a wizened old guru, he succeeds against all odds and defeats the bad guys, because of course it is right that he should do so. Got it? Yes, quite right, that was Star Wars, possibly the most famous “science fiction” movie ever made.
One of the obvious problems with genre, then, is that it is rather easily subverted. Indeed, any author worth her salt should want to subvert it. Writing novels should be about using your imagination, not about following a formula. (Yes, OK, I know that there are those writing courses that say that novels are all about making a living and if you want to get published you have to follow the formula. But IROSF is a serious literary magazine and we have pretensions to creativity here.) But the other problem with genre is that the rules are very hard to apply, even though they seem simple.
Take the obvious thing about magic. You would have thought that it would be easy to decide whether a book was fantasy or not simply by whether or not magical things happened during the story. But you can’t. And one of the reasons that you can’t is that the idiotic divide between “real novels” and “populist crap” really only applies in the English-speaking world. And the white English-speaking world at that. If you look at novels written in Spanish or Italian or Finnish or Russian (to name but a few) you find quite a lot of big-name writers putting magic into their books. If you read books in English by people from India or the Caribbean they too have magic in them. Salman Rushdie’s first novel, Grimus, is an out-and-out fantasy. It is hard to find these days, probably because his publishers don’t want to admit that he wrote “that stuff”, but he did. The bottom line is that if people have won Nobel prizes for literature for writing books with magic in them, then those books can’t be “populist crap”, they must be “real novels”. Which means that they must be “magic realism”, not “fantasy”. Got that? Clear as mud, isn’t it.
Oh, and just in case you think that argument only applies to fantasy, stop right there and go out and read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. That book was shortlisted for the UK’s prestigious Booker Prize in 2004. It consists of six inter-woven narratives, two of which take place very clearly in the future. One of them features a character who is a clone, and the other is set in a post-apocalyptic world. But do any of the mainstream critics who rave about the book describe this as “science fiction”? Dear me no, it is serious literature. A science fiction novel would never get shortlisted for the Booker Prize. (And come to think of it, you quite possibly won’t find Jurassic Park in the science fiction section of your bookstore either. It is too popular to get hidden away in the ghetto.)
And this is how I found myself stuck in a London restaurant seated next to a guy who insisted that “fantasy” only meant books with elves and dragons and wizards in them. Extending the definition of fantasy, he told me, to include anything with magic in it, was a shameful attempt on my part to give spurious and undeserved legitimacy to the dreadful crap that I read. If I had given him a Jeff Vandermeer novel to read he would have told me that it wasn’t fantasy, it was too good. But if I had given him a Jeff Vandermeer novel and had first told him that Jeff was a past winner of the World Fantasy Award he would have told me that he didn’t want to waste his time reading that crap.
And what exactly is “that crap” anyway? Ask people to name a famous fantasy author and there is a good chance that they will very quickly come up with three names: J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, and Terry Pratchett. They all write that stuff with elves and dragons and wizards, right? It is all the same.
Well, let’s think about that. Tolkien wrote books set entirely in an imaginary world. Sure there were elves and dragons and wizards, but it would be entirely legitimate to say that they were not real. Tolkien didn’t try to place them in our world. He made up a world in which such things could exist, but it was all a story, albeit a story with a message for us. Rowling, on the other hand, has her magicians and magical creatures very firmly located in our world. Magic does exist, she says. And she pokes fun at the ignorant muggles who don’t understand this. That is a very different approach to using magic in a novel. At first sight you might think that Pratchett is doing the same sort of thing as Tolkien. He too has created an imaginary world. But whereas Tolkien took great pains to make his imaginary world seem real when you were inside it, Pratchett deliberately makes his world absurd. And once you have got into his books you realize that he has done this for a purpose. It is all a joke. The imaginary world is not there to be taken seriously, it is there to allow Pratchett to poke fun at politicians, and religion, at the military, at the media, and at anyone else he thinks needs taking down a peg or two.
So there we have three very different approaches to writing “fantasy” and the relation of the fantastic elements of the story to the real ones. In one set of books the magic is claimed to be real and exist in our world, in another it is real but only within the confines of an imaginary world, and in the third it is a deliberate joke, a vehicle for satire. Three of the most famous fantasy writers in the world, and they are not writing the same thing at all.
We should also note in passing that not all science fiction is the same. One of the most recent literary movements to grace the SF scene is something called Mundane SF. The people involved in this movement believe that SF has become much too fanciful. Everyone knows that if there is life on Mars then it is limited to tiny bacteria. Everyone knows that you can’t travel faster than light. Uploading human minds into computers is an absurd idea. And even the simplest forms of nanotechnology are indistinguishable from magic. No, say the Mundane SF folks, science fiction should be firmly rooted in real science, it should limit its subject matter to what we know is possible. Everything else is just fantasy.
This is all getting rather complicated. But SF and fantasy are commonly studied in universities these days. Do those clever literary professors have any ideas of offer? Can they tell us what fantasy is? Sadly most of them are not much help. Part of being a literary academic is that you tend to study certain writers in great detail. So we might find some professor who knows everything about everything that the Inklings wrote, but who has never even heard of Tad Williams, and only knows of Guy Gavriel Kay because of the work he did on Tolkien’s back catalog. Such people tend to come up with definitions of fantasy that are barely recognizable to those of us who actually read a lot of fantasy. What we need is an academic with a breadth of vision.
Well actually what we need is an academic who is also one of the world’s leading reviewers of SF&F books. Gary K. Wolfe, the Locus reviewer, happens to fit the bill, and he has come up with some interesting ideas that revolve around the mode in which a book is written rather than the tropes that the stories use. What does that mean? Well, let’s go back to our examples. A science fiction book, by Wolfe’s classification, is one that takes a logical, scientific approach to the plot. How does that affect Anne McCaffrey? So Pern is threatened by Thread. But Thread is a natural phenomenon. Its appearance in the skies of Pern is explained by studying astronomy. And if Lessa, F’lar and co. are the people who defeat it, that is because they are unusually intelligent, determined and brave, not because they are of royal birth.
In contrast, Wolfe argues, a fantasy story is one in which the threat to the heroes is somehow morally wrong. It isn’t just that there are enemies; it is that they are Evil. And in general they can only be overcome by someone who is fated to do so. Often that person has to be of royal birth, although this isn’t essential. Some fantasies require that the hero be particularly innocent (Parsival being the classic example). But the point is that the heroes don’t succeed because they work things out—indeed doing so is often shown to be totally impossible—they do so because they were meant to do so. The Grail myth is a classic example of this. Gawain fails, Lancelot fails, all of the best knights of the Round Table have no chance at all, because only one man is destined to complete the quest.
Take the end of The Lord of the Rings, for example. For all of his effort and heroism, when Frodo finally gets to Mount Doom he finds himself unable to destroy the Ring. In the end, Good only triumphs because Gollum bites Frodo’s finger off, and in his excitement falls into the volcano. Sure it took great heroism for Frodo and Sam to get to Mount Doom in the first place. But Tolkien can’t allow the Hobbits to succeed in their own right. He is writing a fantasy and he has to make a moral point, presumably one about evil carrying the seeds of its own destruction.
Personally I rather like Wolfe’s classification. It makes a lot more sense to me than relying on tropes. But it isn’t everyone’s cup to tea. We are back with Star Wars again. There is no way that Han Solo could ever have done what Luke Skywalker did. It wasn’t because he wasn’t skilled or brave enough. He just wasn’t the right hero. Heck, George Lucas openly admits that the whole plot was based on the ideas about hero tales developed by the famous mythologist, Joseph Campbell. But you try telling most people that Star Wars isn’t science fiction. It has space ships in it, for heaven’s sake. And Wookies and Ewoks are aliens whereas Elves and Dwarves are, well, you know, magical. Not the same things at all. Dear me no.
So I say to myself, why bother? Why get so hot under the collar about what “fantasy” is, or what “science fiction” is? It is hard enough to define in the first place. And if you come up with a definition there’s a good chance that most people won’t agree with it. Besides, both science fiction and fantasy are all about imaginative writing. And if your writer is imaginative then there is a good chance that she will want to blur the boundaries between science fiction and fantasy anyway. OK, so the marketing people at the publishers will want to have their little boxes. But it is our job to break out of boxes, not to invent new ones in which we can confine ourselves. Is it fantasy? Is it science fiction? Clearly there are a lot of people out there who care deeply about this issue, and these things are fun to argue. But given the difficulty of coming to a conclusion, and the fact that the best stories are generally those that are hardest to pigeonhole, you have to wonder how important the distinction really is and why we get so agitated about it. Isn’t the quality of the story rather more important than whether the characters are wielding ray guns or swords?
Footnotes
1. OK, this isn’t a usual definition of genre, but it is the only one that works for me. I’ll probably write more about this later, but in the meantime readers are referred to my “Searching for Copernicus”essays in Emerald City #91 and #92 and in particular the essay by Gary K. Wolfe that I talk about in them. Those essays also talk a lot more about definitions of “SF” and “fantasy”.
The Rhythm of Poetry
最近在看Angels and Demons時, 為了要解書中的字謎, 是有關於iambic pentameter,
左看右看不知道這個這是啥, 所以用google找了一下, 翻成"抑揚五音步", 再看了一下其他
資料, 原來這是英詩其中的一種格律. 才知道英詩也像唐詩一樣, 有平仄, 絕句/律詩等稱為
"格律"的東西.
英詩的格律就是由meter和feet組成, 這2者有點像樂曲中的拍子和小節的關係. 因為英語有
輕重音的分別, 所以詩句的韻律是由輕重音的不同組合來決定, 而輕重音的排列方式稱為音步
(feet), 而一行詩文中feet的數量則稱為meter. 英詩中常見的音步有下列幾種:
1.iambic, iambus 抑揚格, 輕重格
一輕讀音節後跟一個重讀音節即構成抑揚格, 是英詩的最重要也最常用的音步.
2.trochaic, trochee 揚抑格, 重輕格
由一個重讀音節後跟一個輕讀音節構成.
3.anapaestic, anapaest 抑抑揚格
由兩個輕音節後跟一個重音節組成.
4.dactylic, dactyl 揚揚抑格
由一個重音節後跟兩個輕讀音節組成.
5.spondaic, spondee 揚揚格
由連續兩個重音節組而成, 表現沉重、緩慢、困難的動作或情緒﹔
也用於表現感情的突然變化或強調語氣. 此音步主要與其他音步合用,
甚少有以揚揚格為主的詩.
由上述幾種不同的格式排列數量, 則稱為meter, 常見的有單音步(monometer),
二音步(dimeter), 三音步(trimeter), 四音步(tetrameter), 五音步(pentameter),
六音步(hexameter), 還有少見的七音步(heptameter)和八音步(octameter).
而不同的音步和音步數目就組成了英詩的格律. 例如anapaestic trimeter, trochaic dimeter
iambic pentameter, iambic hexameter...ect.
舉個例子,
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?(Shakespeare, Sonnet 18)
- / - / - / - / - /
標"/"屬於重音, "-"屬於輕音, 所以這首詩的韻律是"輕重輕重輕重輕重輕重", 5個iamb重複五次,
所以這個句子就是屬於iambic pentameter. 而不同韻律也有各自的主要用途, 如四音步、五音步
用於各種抒情詩、敘事詩. iambic pentameter是英詩中最常見的, 如sonnet通常是iambic pentameter.
最近在看Angels and Demons時, 為了要解書中的字謎, 是有關於iambic pentameter,
左看右看不知道這個這是啥, 所以用google找了一下, 翻成"抑揚五音步", 再看了一下其他
資料, 原來這是英詩其中的一種格律. 才知道英詩也像唐詩一樣, 有平仄, 絕句/律詩等稱為
"格律"的東西.
英詩的格律就是由meter和feet組成, 這2者有點像樂曲中的拍子和小節的關係. 因為英語有
輕重音的分別, 所以詩句的韻律是由輕重音的不同組合來決定, 而輕重音的排列方式稱為音步
(feet), 而一行詩文中feet的數量則稱為meter. 英詩中常見的音步有下列幾種:
1.iambic, iambus 抑揚格, 輕重格
一輕讀音節後跟一個重讀音節即構成抑揚格, 是英詩的最重要也最常用的音步.
2.trochaic, trochee 揚抑格, 重輕格
由一個重讀音節後跟一個輕讀音節構成.
3.anapaestic, anapaest 抑抑揚格
由兩個輕音節後跟一個重音節組成.
4.dactylic, dactyl 揚揚抑格
由一個重音節後跟兩個輕讀音節組成.
5.spondaic, spondee 揚揚格
由連續兩個重音節組而成, 表現沉重、緩慢、困難的動作或情緒﹔
也用於表現感情的突然變化或強調語氣. 此音步主要與其他音步合用,
甚少有以揚揚格為主的詩.
由上述幾種不同的格式排列數量, 則稱為meter, 常見的有單音步(monometer),
二音步(dimeter), 三音步(trimeter), 四音步(tetrameter), 五音步(pentameter),
六音步(hexameter), 還有少見的七音步(heptameter)和八音步(octameter).
而不同的音步和音步數目就組成了英詩的格律. 例如anapaestic trimeter, trochaic dimeter
iambic pentameter, iambic hexameter...ect.
舉個例子,
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?(Shakespeare, Sonnet 18)
- / - / - / - / - /
標"/"屬於重音, "-"屬於輕音, 所以這首詩的韻律是"輕重輕重輕重輕重輕重", 5個iamb重複五次,
所以這個句子就是屬於iambic pentameter. 而不同韻律也有各自的主要用途, 如四音步、五音步
用於各種抒情詩、敘事詩. iambic pentameter是英詩中最常見的, 如sonnet通常是iambic pentameter.
星期五, 1月 28, 2005
星期日, 1月 23, 2005
星期六, 1月 22, 2005
星期五, 1月 14, 2005
A good blog for reading fantasy
亂逛網路 逛到一個不錯的blog.
http://whiteg.dyndns.org/debby/
其中"閱讀奇幻"分類下有些很棒的評論文章, 包括派翠西亞‧麥奇利普(Patricia A. Mckillip)的魔幻之海(The Changeling Sea), 安潔拉‧卡特(Angela Carter)的魔幻玩具舖(Magic Toyshop), 羅賓‧荷布(Robin Hobb)的刺客三部曲(The Farseer trilogy: Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assasin's Quest), 以撒‧艾西莫夫(Issac Asimov)的基地系列(The Foundation), 托爾金的精靈寶鑚(The Silmarillion)與魔戒...等等. 評論內容並非是全然的吹捧與歌功頌德, 而是清楚明白地指出這些作品吸引人的地方或是其俗濫之處, 有興趣的人可以去看看.
亂逛網路 逛到一個不錯的blog.
http://whiteg.dyndns.org/debby/
其中"閱讀奇幻"分類下有些很棒的評論文章, 包括派翠西亞‧麥奇利普(Patricia A. Mckillip)的魔幻之海(The Changeling Sea), 安潔拉‧卡特(Angela Carter)的魔幻玩具舖(Magic Toyshop), 羅賓‧荷布(Robin Hobb)的刺客三部曲(The Farseer trilogy: Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assasin's Quest), 以撒‧艾西莫夫(Issac Asimov)的基地系列(The Foundation), 托爾金的精靈寶鑚(The Silmarillion)與魔戒...等等. 評論內容並非是全然的吹捧與歌功頌德, 而是清楚明白地指出這些作品吸引人的地方或是其俗濫之處, 有興趣的人可以去看看.
星期二, 1月 11, 2005
New Line Cinema on His Dark Materials
Source: Los Angeles Times January 10, 2005
The Los Angeles Times reports that New Line will consider shooting the second and third novels of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" simultaneously if the first film, The Golden Compass, strikes a chord with moviegoers. This is much like how Warner Bros. filmed "The Matrix" trilogy and New Line says the "Materials" trilogy would soar far beyond the $350 million the studio spent on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Based on the bestselling Pullman novels, "His Dark Materials" is comprised of "The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass". It revolves around a young girl who travels to the far north to save her best friend. Along the way she encounters shape-shifting creatures, witches, and a variety of otherworldly characters in parallel universes.
New Line has committed to producing only The Golden Compass, a special-effects-driven fantasy which could cost more than $150 million to bring to the screen.
The project has been on the drawing board for years. In 2002, New Line executives talked about wanting to complete The Golden Compass in time to have it in theaters last month. Now it looks like the release date will be Christmas 2006 at the earliest.
The studio is still on the hunt for a director. Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy) recently dropped out of The Golden Compass. After spending six months researching the script - he rewrote Tom Stoppard's original adaptation of the novel -and meeting with design consultants and special-effects houses, Chris Weitz concluded that he didn't have the expertise to tackle such a technologically difficult movie.
====================================================================================
2002年底就聽說New Line要拍His Dark Materials trilogy,
那時FoTR才剛上映(美國),拍到現在三集魔戒都上映完畢,還沒看到第一集"黃金羅盤"...
之前又聽說劇本改編之後要把教會的戲給改掉?!(導演說法是指教會的角色可以用任何專制獨裁的權威體制來代替)過沒有多久, 連導演Chris Weitz都辭職了. 據New Line的說法是最快2006年才能看到第一集"黃金羅盤"的上映. 真是蠻多災多難的...
不過沒關係, 想當初LOTR也是花了7,8年才拍完. 只希望New Line可以照這樣堅持下去...:P
Source: Los Angeles Times January 10, 2005
The Los Angeles Times reports that New Line will consider shooting the second and third novels of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" simultaneously if the first film, The Golden Compass, strikes a chord with moviegoers. This is much like how Warner Bros. filmed "The Matrix" trilogy and New Line says the "Materials" trilogy would soar far beyond the $350 million the studio spent on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Based on the bestselling Pullman novels, "His Dark Materials" is comprised of "The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass". It revolves around a young girl who travels to the far north to save her best friend. Along the way she encounters shape-shifting creatures, witches, and a variety of otherworldly characters in parallel universes.
New Line has committed to producing only The Golden Compass, a special-effects-driven fantasy which could cost more than $150 million to bring to the screen.
The project has been on the drawing board for years. In 2002, New Line executives talked about wanting to complete The Golden Compass in time to have it in theaters last month. Now it looks like the release date will be Christmas 2006 at the earliest.
The studio is still on the hunt for a director. Chris Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy) recently dropped out of The Golden Compass. After spending six months researching the script - he rewrote Tom Stoppard's original adaptation of the novel -and meeting with design consultants and special-effects houses, Chris Weitz concluded that he didn't have the expertise to tackle such a technologically difficult movie.
====================================================================================
2002年底就聽說New Line要拍His Dark Materials trilogy,
那時FoTR才剛上映(美國),拍到現在三集魔戒都上映完畢,還沒看到第一集"黃金羅盤"...
之前又聽說劇本改編之後要把教會的戲給改掉?!(導演說法是指教會的角色可以用任何專制獨裁的權威體制來代替)過沒有多久, 連導演Chris Weitz都辭職了. 據New Line的說法是最快2006年才能看到第一集"黃金羅盤"的上映. 真是蠻多災多難的...
不過沒關係, 想當初LOTR也是花了7,8年才拍完. 只希望New Line可以照這樣堅持下去...:P
星期日, 1月 09, 2005
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