swunked from Kennahijja - another bizarre result

[fpb]

Considering that I not only admire but to some extent identify with CS Lewis, that I detest Michael Moorcock, and that I never read UK Le Guin at all, this is astounding. And "more peaceful than violent? More cynical than romantic?" You sure you got the right continent?

Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Ursula K Le Guin (b. 1929)

9 High-Brow, -1 Violent, -1 Experimental and 19 Cynical!

Congratulations! You are High-Brow, Peaceful, Traditional and Cynical! These concepts are defined below.

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is definitely one of the most celebrated science fiction and fantasy writers of all times. Her most famous fantasy work to date is the Earthsea suite of novels and short stories, in which Le Guin created not only one of the most believable societies in fantasy fiction, but also managed to describe a school for wizards almost three decades before Harry Potter. Although often categorized as written for young adults, these books have entertained and challenged readers of all ages since their publication.

Le Guin is no stranger to literary experiments (see for example Always Coming Home(1985)), but much of her story-telling is quite traditional. In fact, she makes a point of returning to older forms of story-telling, which, at her best, enables her to create something akin to myth. One shouldn't confuse myth with faerytale, though. Nothing is ever simplified in Le Guin's world, as she relentlessly explores ethical problems and the moral choices that her characters must make, as must we all. While being one of those writers who will allow you to escape to imaginary worlds, she is also one who will prompt you to return to your actual life, perhaps a little wiser than you used to be.

You are also a lot like Susan Cooper.

If you want some action, try Michael Moorcock.

If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, C S Lewis.

Your score

This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.

High-Brow vs. Low-Brow

You received 9 points, making you more High-Brow than Low-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, rather than the best-selling kind. At their best, high-brows are cultured, able to appreciate the finer nuances of literature and not content with simplifications. At their worst they are, well, snobs.

Violent vs. Peaceful

You received -1 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.

Experimental vs. Traditional

You received -1 points, making you more Traditional than Experimental. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, traditional people don't change winning concepts, favouring storytelling over empty poses. At their worst, they are somewhat narrow-minded.

Cynical vs. Romantic

You received 19 points, making you more Cynical than Romantic. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, cynical people are able to see through lies and spot crucial flaws in plans and schemes. At their worst, they are overly negative, bringing everybody else down.

Author picture from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UrsulaLeGuin.01.jpg

Take Which fantasy writer are you? at HelloQuizzy

Comments

[dustthouart.livejournal.com]

WTF, are they saying Lewis is low-brow, violent, experimental and romantic?

C. S. Lewis???

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Romantic, I'll take - he wrote a book about that himself. The rest - !!

[dustthouart.livejournal.com]

I don't know why I take these quizzes, I always end up griping.

You get to be someone else for a day. Which of the following would you rather be?

A scientist on the day of recieving the Nobel Prize.

An athlete on the day of setting a dream world record at the olympics.

An actor/actress on the day of being awarded several Academy Awards, best actor/actress among them.

A writer on the day of recieving the Nobel Prize.

Only the second option actually has one doing anything. The others are just accepting a bit of metal for something one didn't do, and waking up the next morning ordinary again.

I got Katharine Kerr (whom I'd never heard of)--Low-brow, peaceful, experimental and romantic. So we are nearly opposites..?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I picked the scientist, not because of the prize (I agree with you) but because of the real research they must have done first.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Mind you, the climax of That Hideous Strength does qualify as violent enough to be scary. And the fight scene in Perelandra, while nothing special compared with a lot of other writers, does hit fairly hard. But that really is all that anyone could come up with - even if they were a profoundly qualified Lewis hater. His worst enemies call him the opposite: Moorcock called his work "pooh fantasy", meaning childish and soft. Of course, Lewis in person had no softness whatever; Moorcock would have emerged from any intellectual encounter quite shredded. But that is another matter; what we are talking about here is the writing.

[dustthouart.livejournal.com]

Don't forget that the happy ending of Narnia is that everyone dies in a train accident, lol. I always loved that.

Aslan: I have wonderful news for you.
Lucy: No... it couldn't be... couldn't it?
Aslan: Yes, Lucy. You've all exploded and are now dead.
Peter: Oh how marvelous!
Edmund: Hip hip hooray!
Lucy: Oh, if only our parents could share in this!
Aslan: They were at the station waiting for you and also perished in fire and agony.
Mr. Pevensie: This is fantastic!
Mrs. Pevensie: I'm so glad I didn't go to powder my nose!
Everyone: GROUP HUG!

[deansteinlage.livejournal.com]

Thanks,
I can't stop laughing!

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I don't have to tell you that Christianity always sounds paradoxical when compared with worldly wisdom or commonsense. The Greeks look for wisdom, and the Jews look for signs, but we offer Christ crucified, folly to the Greeks and an outrage to the Jews.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I wonder, incidentally, whether this is why religious jokes are so popular among Christians? I once heard a song that went: "I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours, but I think that God's got a sick sense of humour, and when I die I expect to find Him laughing..." Mind you, Jews also joke about their religion.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

I would be surprised if any of Depeche Mode's members were devout Christians. :)

[fpb.livejournal.com]

They certainly have the Christian God on the brain, which is better than using Him - like, say, Britney - as an excuse for one's own desires.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Note: when I wrote that response an hour or two ago, I had no idea where the song came from. Since then, I have had the time to go on Youtube and get some information. God and Christ are not infrequent presences in DM's lyrics, from what I have seen.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

The song you want is "Blasphemous Rumors", as an aside.

I suppose they do write many songs that seem to portray an ongoing struggle to understand the nature of God/religion, though some of them do feel a little... I don't want to say blasphemous, but not reverent, perhaps.

But it's passing-rare these days to find references to God in a song that really means it.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know, I found and listened to it and found it musically better than I remembered. DM were never my favourite Eighties band (try Spandau Ballet) and I still find their music cheerless and uninviting, but they have more intensity than most.

[eliskimo.livejournal.com]

*snort*
I once heard Depeche Mode purposely mispronounced as "Depressed Mode"
Still, they had a few songs that resonated with me. You're right about the "God on the brain" thing.

[mentalguy.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, did you run across Johnny Cash's cover of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus"?

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Good Heavens, no! That's got to be the weirdest crossover since David Bowie duetted with Bing Crosby.

[fishlivejournal.livejournal.com]

It matched you with the daoist? [snicker]

Still I suspect Lewis would have been happy enough being classified as violent, given his objection to bowdlerised tales where villains didn't pay for their crimes.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

So she's a daoist, is she? And to think that my much-criticized essay on JKR's religion criticized the doctrine of coincidentia oppositorum - which, so far as I can see, is at the heart of Daoism - as contrary to Christianity! Well, one thing at least we can say: this thing is consistent.

[eliskimo.livejournal.com]

You've never read Wizard of Earthsea? It was part of my "offical" introduction to the genre back in Grade 6. We had to read that, Tolkien's The Hobbit and a third one ... I want to say L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time but that strikes me more as science fiction that strictly fantasy. Maybe I'm confusing two units.

Of course I say "official" as in what the school curriculum required. I'd already read all of the Chronicles of Narnia in Grades 3 & 4 on my own and in Grade 6 was reading McCaffery's Dragonsong (along with my group of friends).

[fpb.livejournal.com]

My school curricula definitely did not include fantasy fiction.

[eliskimo.livejournal.com]

In my middle school (grades 6-8) were "exposed" to a variety of literary genres each year in a series of "units" that focused on the genre. We had to read two or three examples of the genre; were guided through a critique of both the genre and the individual author's style and approach; had to do an "independent study" project related to one of the books; and then had to submit a creative writing assignment in the genre being examined.

Of course I was in the "enrichment" class stream, so maybe the regular students didn't get this approach to English Lit either.