tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post2446183572310208426..comments2024-03-20T03:33:22.357-07:00Comments on Skeptophilia: Dragon slayingGordon Bonnethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06003472005971594466noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-30080303039609364912016-05-16T23:54:56.191-07:002016-05-16T23:54:56.191-07:00Although you have to admit, Terry Pratchett's ...Although you have to admit, Terry Pratchett's IS addictive...eephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12513054079408860420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-43937398884256118982016-05-11T10:00:19.277-07:002016-05-11T10:00:19.277-07:00Great post! One minor note is that the quote at th...Great post! One minor note is that the quote at the end is actually a Neil Gaiman quote, paraphrasing a GK Chesterton quote:<br />Gaiman: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/17764-fairy-tales-are-more-than-true-not-because-they-tell<br />Chesterton: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/403140-fairy-tales-do-not-give-the-child-his-first-ideaStevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04384185084099062583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-59799867515513591302016-05-11T07:12:10.947-07:002016-05-11T07:12:10.947-07:00Sadly, these people that nobody has ever heard of ...Sadly, these people that nobody has ever heard of seem to be becoming more prevalent in the UK. I don't know if it is the media seeking more sensationalism or whether we have a generation of "academics" that think, "it must be my turn to be famous!"<br />As you so correctly point out, "cite your sources" is sadly missing from these public espousals of their great intelligence. No scientific rigour makes it just a personal opinion; in this case, a stupid one!<br />I also have a wee thought that possibly this idiot might just be a "failed" author!<br />See, anyone can make unsupported suppositions and opinions!<br />Keep 'em coming. I love the exasperation you display!ScotsJamaicanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10755997021379033340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-23145705777523515152016-05-11T06:09:10.445-07:002016-05-11T06:09:10.445-07:00I think the educational theory at work here is tha...I think the educational theory at work here is that if it's pleasant, it can't possibly be good for you. Furthermore, there's the whole, "I was forced to read this wretched stuff and now it's your turn" aspect.Tyler Torkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11460706772136362593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-65153253263763316342016-05-11T06:01:41.893-07:002016-05-11T06:01:41.893-07:00Great post! An English teacher at my daughter'...Great post! An English teacher at my daughter's high school said during parent's evening a few months ago that fiction wasn't worth reading. This teacher took over in my daughter's final year with GCSE's and all her classes marks dropped like stone and she humiliated students. She's not there any more. Too many complaints from children and parents. A teacher or headteacher can have a huge influence on children...they should know what they're talking about! Lisa Shambrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12767127776898278402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-84309710866153260172016-05-11T05:00:15.144-07:002016-05-11T05:00:15.144-07:00Even leaving aside monsters like Heathcliff from t...Even leaving aside monsters like Heathcliff from the classics, ruling out the supernatural basically eliminates half of literature in general. The Iliad? Invincible chosen warriors. Same with Beowulf. Odyssey is out. Ovid's Metamorphosis, the Golden Ass, and let's not even mention the Bible. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a no go, too. We can throw Herodotus and his horse people out as well. <br /><br />Even more recent pieces of the canon. You get Shakespeare, but sans Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Midsummer Night's Dream, or the Tempest, to name a few. Frankenstein? Nope. Gulliver's Travels? Nope. Dracula? Double nope. Essentially everything written by Jules Verne goes in that pile, too. Gras's Tin Drum, everything by Borges...<br /><br />And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. I get it, he wants a generation of kids to grow up reading Emma and Gravity's Rainbow. Jim Tigwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04276425979246864104noreply@blogger.com