From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
To: "'WSFA members'" <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: All in the minds behind the eye of the beholder...
Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2003 12:36:34 -0500
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

  How do you distinguish between The Story and elements such as plot
and characterization?  I can see a distinction between the cake and its
ingredients, but you can't really have a cake without the ingredients.

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Walsh [mailto:MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu]
Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 11:37 AM
To: WSFAlist at keithlynch.net
Subject: [WSFA] Re: All in the minds behind the eye of the beholder...

>StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL 02/03/03 10:58AM
>  The ambitiously indefatigable Mr. Michael Walsh, President of Old
>Earth Books, republishes the Lensman series but says that military =
science
>fiction is of little interest to him...!  Oh, yeah!  The Lensmen are sf
>**police officers**.

Well, the wearers of the Lens are enforcers of law and order.  If I =
recall, they have the right to be judge, jury and if need be: executioner. =

OK, these cops have battlecrusiers . . . and other toys.

But that's not why I like the books.  As Clute points out in his introdcuti=
on "Once the Story begins it does stop." (or words to that effect . . .).  =
And having re-read Galactic Patrol a few years ago, he's right.  Ogh the =
characters are cardboardish, the plot silly . .. but the Story!

mjw