SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

This past weekend I attended the Symposium on James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon) at the University of Oregon. The University Library has acquired her literary papers.

I mainly attended to view a panel discussion by Ursula K. Le Guin, Suzy McKee Charnas and David Gerrold. It was a lively discussion that unfortunately ended right when it was starting to get interesting.

The main point I took away was that back in the 70s, these authors (and everyone else at that time) really did believe that Tiptree/Sheldon was a man, but one who seemed surprisingly in tune with women's perspectives. Ursula and Suzy were somewhat let down when they discovered Tiptree was actually a woman, because they had drawn a certain amount of comfort in knowing that there actually was a male SF writer out there who kind of "understood" women. Of course, that turned out not to be true.

Another interesting point was that all three authors were less impressed with the writings of Racuna Sheldon (Tiptree's less-used "female" pen-name) than with that of Tiptree. Again, this was before they knew these were pen-names of the same person.

Lastly, on a somewhat sadder note, Ursula said that in correspondence with Tiptree/Sheldon there were warnings of Alice's impending suicide. She could not (or would not) see it at the time, but in retrospect Ursula felt the warnings were there. It was not clear whether these warnings were before or after Ursula was aware of Tiptree's true identity.

I picked up copy of Tiptree's "Her Smoke Rises Up Forever" while I was there. I had never read (or heard of) Tiptree before this event. Please feel free to add your thoughts on Tiptree if you have read any of her work or happened to attend this symposium.

Dylan

Dylan,

I have not read Tiptree, but I am inspired to check her out. It is sad that female authors outside of the romance genre feel the need to hide their gender with pen names.

Even J.K. Rowling chose to hide her identity when seeking publication because she was afraid that people would not value a work written by a woman presenting the perspective of a teen boy.

I wrote a book which takes the perspective of a young man, and several of my male fans have been very impressed with how well I was able to reflect their inner thoughts and feelings. It was a huge complement to me! I think when they realized a woman wrote it, they found it comforting to know that women might be able to understand them! That is just supposition though.

Dylan wrote: "I picked up copy of Tiptree's "Her Smoke Rises Up Forever" while I was there. I had never read (or heard of) Tiptree before this event. "

Great choice! That is a magnificent collection of stories. They still hold up today.

Fascinating. I've read a few of her short stories. But you've inspired me to finally begin reading the copy of Meet Me At Infinity: The Uncollected Tiptree: Fiction and Nonfiction I have on my bookshelves. According to the editor, it's a collection that pays "more attention to the storyteller than the story", published in 2000. I see it's available on Amazon for a lot less than I paid for it in a used bookstore a few years ago.

Heidi wrote: "I wrote a book which takes the perspective of a young man, and several of my male fans have been very impressed with how well I was able to reflect their inner thoughts and feelings."

Thanks, Heidi.

Several of Ursula Le Guin's books are also told from the perspective of a male character. In particular, I'm thinking of her big Award-winners, The Left Hand of Darkness and the Dispossessed.

The main characters of both these stories certainly could have been women. However, would they have received the recognition they did? At that time, in a male-dominated genre, a woman writing about women may simply have been too much for (mostly male) SF fans to accept.

However, Ursula and Suzy seemed to suggest that Tiptree was able to pull off the opposite. That is, Tiptree had believable female characters, but was accepted in the genre because (s)he was (believed to be) a man.

Sarah wrote: "Great choice! That is a magnificent collection of stories. They still hold up today. "

Thanks, Sarah. I am looking forward to reading them. I remember all three authors on the panel saying that many of Tiptree's stories were "terrifying." In what way, I don't know. But I'm curious to find out.

Interesting they use the word 'terrifying'. I recently bought an anthology, The Science Fiction Century and was reading Beam Us Home by Tiptree, and yes, there is something about it. Maybe it's being so close to reality and normal, until it isn't. Not really sure how to describe it, but she can really keep the reader on the edge.

Dylan wrote: "Thanks, Sarah. I am looking forward to reading them. I remember all three authors on the panel saying that many of Tiptree's stories were "terrifying." In what way, I don't know. But I'm curious to find out. .."

I think they say that because the stories are often utterly bleak in their opinion of humanity. A dark mirror.

I'll put in a plug for the Letters to Tiptree anthology that came out this year. It's nonfiction, and includes all kinds of stuff: correspondence between Le Guin and Tiptree, academic essays, and fan letters from modern authors. (full disclosure: I have a fan letter in there.) Also, Julie Phillips' James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon is a very readable biography.

Sarah wrote: "I think they say that because the stories are often utterly bleak in their opinion of humanity. A dark mirror."

I cracked open the book last night and read my first Tiptree story: "The Women Men Don't See." I didn't choose this title at random. It came up a couple of times during the panel discussion at the Symposium.

Definitely a bit dark. I wouldn't want to give any spoilers, but the SF element here is not one of adventure or wonder, not an exploration of scientific or technical possibilities. I would describe it rather as a desperation, or a helplessness, where the only source of hope is in the rejection of humanity, or turning away from it. It's as if she is saying anything, even if it's unknown, would be better than this.

Terrifying indeed. :)

Exactly.

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever is one of my favorite short story collections, but it is difficult to revisit. Like Octavia Butler, Tiptree writes beautifully, but her world is not always someplace you want to inhabit.

Does anyone know what year Tiptree was found to be female? I discovered a very old paperback by tiptree in a used book store last week. The forward certainly made it seem as though no one was aware of her gender at that time.

Denise wrote: "Does anyone know what year Tiptree was found to be female? I discovered a very old paperback by tiptree in a used book store last week. The forward certainly made it seem as though no one was aware..."

1976, I believe. I have all the old paperback collections. The Silverberg introduction is the one that is most awkward for its author, I think, with its big nobody-but-a-man-could-have-written-this declarations. Le Guin's post-outing essay is excellent.

I'm reviving this old thread from last year. As it turns out, the "James Tiptree, Jr. Symposium" at the University of Oregon is going to be a recurring event, named for Tiptree and intended to honor women in Science Fiction.

The first one (last year) was focused on Tiptree/Sheldon herself, and the recent acquisition of the Tiptree papers collection by the University Library.

This year, the Symposium will be focused on Ursula K. Le Guin, whose papers are also part of the the Library's collection. It does not appear yet that Ursula herself will be appearing, or at least, if she is, it has not been announced or confirmed yet.

If any of you live in Oregon, I encourage you to attend and celebrate our own SF Grand Master!

https://library.uoregon.edu/tiptree-s...