Long Ago, Far Away, *and* Reading
Oct. 28th, 2017 03:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
krpalmerDropping into a large used book store last weekend, I was passing the computer books section when by a title that might have been misfiled (even among video game books) grabbed my attention but threatened to push it right back away. The first part of Luke Skywalker Can't Read and Other Geeky Truths was provocative enough, but the subtitle raised my hackles just like the word "geek" always seems to do in non-chicken-head contexts these days. I've tried to find explanations for that delving past "the word seems too often wrapped up with prequel bashing," which of course might only bring on "serves you right" rejoinders. I'm not sure, though, if "viewpoints that might have once ranged beyond the ordinary now just seem restrictive and fixated on the stuff seen when young and impressionable without finding any depths beyond 'story' or genuine positivity" is any more articulate or able to avoid "you might not condemn creators, but you still have targets..."
Anyway, I did take enough of a chance to look inside the book. The chapter connected to the cover title had the somewhat more nuanced headline "Luke Skywalker is Functionally Illiterate." As I didn't buy the book, my recollection may be incomplete, but I understand the argument being that since familiar books don't appear in the Star Wars movies and the most obvious sign of reading are some translations of Artoo's beeps on cockpit screens, most of the characters should be taken as barely able to read at best. Put that bluntly, one of my first reactions being "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" just seems to get stronger. I can wonder about interpretations of the movies "as texts" instead of acknowledging "cinematic priorities"; as much as reading appeals to me, I can suppose it doesn't look very exciting to someone just watching. It might be something that interaction with "computers" in the movies can amount to telling Artoo to plug in and then needing Threepio to interpret for him, but there I can remember the movie Star Wars itself took shape before "personal computers" started attracting attention, back when the most widely popular impressions of computers did seem to be of enormous machines trained specialists had to operate. Too, while the author mentioned how Star Trek and the new Battlestar Galactica both made a bigger deal of reading, I was inclined to reflect on how both of those were television series with more time to fill. Star Trek also has the advantage of being connected to the books of here and now (although this can lead to an emphasis on texts we're familiar with that has a certain resonance to "fixating on older works"), and the new Battlestar Galactica was supposed to have recognisable resonances to here and now.
The one thing that might have added a bit of appeal to the theory for me was the suggestion the fall of the Republic was due in part to a non-reading and ill-informed populace. That's something to consider, although I can get to thinking about how some seem to try and find any angle on Star Wars but the actual main characters, and beyond them the body at fault seems the Republic Senate itself, which seems ready as a majority in three movies in a row to surrender its responsibility to discuss issues and reach a consensus to single-power rule. Too, in watching Star Wars itself last weekend I did get to thinking Luke couldn't be seen as trapped by Imperial propaganda radio in a haze of ignorance; he takes instant interest in Threepio mentioning the Rebellion and admits to Obi-Wan "It's not that I like the Empire! I hate it!"
One thing that I did get to thinking after a while was that since efforts were eventually made to use "alien alphabets" on screen, the audience itself is in an illiterate situation. Put it that way, I can wonder a bit more about claiming "the characters are in the same fix you're in." The thought might have come to mind for me because of all the anime I watch; that just might have something to do with how, even though when general anime fans talk about Western genre entertainments they seem as inclined to the attitudes I push back as "geek" as anyone else, they don't talk about them a lot when discussing anime. In any case, anime does present me with foreign writing I have to rely on subtitles for when the important bits are translated at all. The sole excuse I have for not "learning to read Japanese myself" beyond "laziness" is an old impression from a few complaints once noticed that I'd have to go through an arid period where I wouldn't easily be able to understand things by myself but I'd still be stuck finding fault with the translations of others.
While I was trying to get these thoughts together, I did notice someone finding a certain grim satisfaction in a publicity shot for The Last Jedi that showed some ancient texts near Luke. As much as I could see the point of the book I saw but didn't buy just trying to argue "reading is important," it probably didn't do much in the end to change my personal convictions, general or specific.
Anyway, I did take enough of a chance to look inside the book. The chapter connected to the cover title had the somewhat more nuanced headline "Luke Skywalker is Functionally Illiterate." As I didn't buy the book, my recollection may be incomplete, but I understand the argument being that since familiar books don't appear in the Star Wars movies and the most obvious sign of reading are some translations of Artoo's beeps on cockpit screens, most of the characters should be taken as barely able to read at best. Put that bluntly, one of my first reactions being "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" just seems to get stronger. I can wonder about interpretations of the movies "as texts" instead of acknowledging "cinematic priorities"; as much as reading appeals to me, I can suppose it doesn't look very exciting to someone just watching. It might be something that interaction with "computers" in the movies can amount to telling Artoo to plug in and then needing Threepio to interpret for him, but there I can remember the movie Star Wars itself took shape before "personal computers" started attracting attention, back when the most widely popular impressions of computers did seem to be of enormous machines trained specialists had to operate. Too, while the author mentioned how Star Trek and the new Battlestar Galactica both made a bigger deal of reading, I was inclined to reflect on how both of those were television series with more time to fill. Star Trek also has the advantage of being connected to the books of here and now (although this can lead to an emphasis on texts we're familiar with that has a certain resonance to "fixating on older works"), and the new Battlestar Galactica was supposed to have recognisable resonances to here and now.
The one thing that might have added a bit of appeal to the theory for me was the suggestion the fall of the Republic was due in part to a non-reading and ill-informed populace. That's something to consider, although I can get to thinking about how some seem to try and find any angle on Star Wars but the actual main characters, and beyond them the body at fault seems the Republic Senate itself, which seems ready as a majority in three movies in a row to surrender its responsibility to discuss issues and reach a consensus to single-power rule. Too, in watching Star Wars itself last weekend I did get to thinking Luke couldn't be seen as trapped by Imperial propaganda radio in a haze of ignorance; he takes instant interest in Threepio mentioning the Rebellion and admits to Obi-Wan "It's not that I like the Empire! I hate it!"
One thing that I did get to thinking after a while was that since efforts were eventually made to use "alien alphabets" on screen, the audience itself is in an illiterate situation. Put it that way, I can wonder a bit more about claiming "the characters are in the same fix you're in." The thought might have come to mind for me because of all the anime I watch; that just might have something to do with how, even though when general anime fans talk about Western genre entertainments they seem as inclined to the attitudes I push back as "geek" as anyone else, they don't talk about them a lot when discussing anime. In any case, anime does present me with foreign writing I have to rely on subtitles for when the important bits are translated at all. The sole excuse I have for not "learning to read Japanese myself" beyond "laziness" is an old impression from a few complaints once noticed that I'd have to go through an arid period where I wouldn't easily be able to understand things by myself but I'd still be stuck finding fault with the translations of others.
While I was trying to get these thoughts together, I did notice someone finding a certain grim satisfaction in a publicity shot for The Last Jedi that showed some ancient texts near Luke. As much as I could see the point of the book I saw but didn't buy just trying to argue "reading is important," it probably didn't do much in the end to change my personal convictions, general or specific.