I’m in the process of reading Fallen Angels. For those who don’t know, it’s the story a future in which anti-technology beliefs have become the norm, and even science fiction is virtually outlawed as too “technophiliac”. The plot centers around a group of secretive sci-fi fans who attempt to find a way to return two space colony inhabitants, marooned on Earth, to their home.
I’ve noticed that the fans in this book use some odd language in talking about the world of fandom, and what I’d like to know is if hardcore SF fans really do use this type of terminology, or if it’s a creation of the authors:
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[li] Fen*, apparently as a plural of fan. I’m guessing this would have been inspired by the unlaut plurals in fictional languages like Tolkien’s elvish, in which emyn/ered are plurals for amon/orod (“hill”/“mountain”).[/li][li] Fafiated - seems to mean when someone hides their fandom to fit in with conventional society.[/li][li]Gafiated - I have no idea.[/li][li]Lots of strange contractions in everyday talk, like sercon=“serious and constructive thinking”.[/li][li]First fandom - Sounds like they conceive eras in fandom. I’m guessing First Fandom would be from the postwar Analog Magazine years up through the beginning of ST:TOS. Actually I was never enough of a Trekker to go to a convention, but it would have been interesting to be present at the big SF convention in '65 when Roddenberry presented the Star Trek pilot episodes. Sort of like a Star Trek Convention–before the show even existed!.[/li]
Thanks for any help you can give.
Sorry about the royally screwed up OP. I figured I could just repost instead of bugging a mod.
NO SPOILERS PLEASE!
I’m in the process of reading Fallen Angels. For those who don’t know, it’s the story a future in which anti-technology beliefs have become the norm, and even science fiction is virtually outlawed as too “technophiliac”. The plot centers around a group of secretive sci-fi fans who attempt to find a way to return two space colony inhabitants, marooned on Earth, to their home.
I’ve noticed that the fans in this book use some odd language in talking about the world of fandom, and what I’d like to know is if hardcore SF fans really do use this type of terminology, or if it’s a creation of the authors:
[ul][li] Fen, apparently as a plural of fan. I’m guessing this would have been inspired by the unlaut plurals in fictional languages like Tolkien’s elvish, in which emyn/ered are plurals for amon/orod (“hill”/“mountain”).[] Fafiated - seems to mean when someone hides their fandom to fit in with conventional society.[]Gafiated - I have no idea.[]Lots of strange contractions in everyday talk, like sercon=“serious and constructive thinking”.[]First fandom - Sounds like they conceive eras in fandom. I’m guessing First Fandom would be from the postwar Analog Magazine years up through the beginning of ST:TOS. Actually I was never enough of a Trekker to go to a convention, but it would have been interesting to be present at the big SF convention in '65 when Roddenberry presented the Star Trek pilot episodes. Sort of like a Star Trek Convention–before the show even existed!.[/li][/ul]
If you look at Ethilrist’s link you’ll see a date of 1962. The inbred jargon of the small and incestuous sf fan community grew out of the early days, when being an sf fan was beyond geeky. A lot of these people made sf fandom their entire world and took perverse pleasure not only in being different but being special: the saying was that Fans Are Slans, Slans being the underground superhuman mutants in an A. E. van Vogt novel.
You can also see that First Fandom is much older than you think. It refers to those people who were fans before the first “World” Science Fiction Convention in 1939. Obviously very few of that generation are still alive. the term’s use has been somewhat modified to include anyone who has been an active fan for over 30 years. That means I would qualify, a notion that’s purely ridiculous, even though my first World Science Fiction Convention was in 1969.
So most of this world has vanished. Some of the terms are still used, but I suspect that most younger fans would be confused by a great deal of it. Sercon, for example, is now used as an abbreviation for serious convention, i.e. a weekend fan convention devoted to talking about books and writing rather than one that’s purely a social gathering (a “relaxicaon,” a term that’s too new to be included in Franson’s list, showing how conventions have changed) or a media-oriented convention.
Media has taken over the sf world only in the past three decades, really only after Star Wars. I doubt that Roddenberry came anywhere near an sf convention at any time in those days. Possibly in Los Angeles, but still doubtful. I don’t remember a single media-related event in 1969. I was in Kansas City in 1976 when a preview of Star Wars was being shown. There were these really goofy-looking four-foot high cutouts of some idiot in black armor posted around the hotel that were so offputting I almost decided not to attend. I eventually got there late and hung around in the back alongside a kid I have to describe as the most beautiful human male I’d ever seen. Yes, that was pre-accident Mark Hamill, who was a lot of fun to talk to. I still thought that the movie would be an utter bomb. Instead it destroyed science fiction As We Knew It, but that’s a different thread.
Fan culture still exists, but even fans have multiple social outlets these days. The fan society that the book and Franson’s glossary refers to is paleozoic.
Thanks very much for that link. I had no idea that such terms existed. But I noticed that it was from a source published in 1966. I suppose most of those terms are still in use even now, though.
I can’t verify the accuracy of the two books in which I read this, but according to them Roddenberry did go to an SF convention, some time around '65 or '66, and screened the two pilot episodes to an audience of conventioneers. The story goes that their reaction was ecstatic, and they gave a standing ovation. Supposedly they stopped little short of lifting Roddenberry to their shoulders and carrying him out in triumph.
Yeah, I’ve read that story a couple of places myself.
I know the terms mentioned in the OP but of them there’s only one I hear used with any regularity, ‘fen’ to describe the tribe. The others just don’t make it in wide usage.
Could be. That’s why I excepted Los Angeles. It had a different culture because of its proximity. The 1966 Worldcon was in Cleveland and I’ll bet they didn’t get any previews.
The sf fan culture did contribute some slang that’s gotten wide acceptance, primarily “fandom,” “fanzine” and the shorter “zine”. Possibly “fringe fan” as well. “Mainstream” for non-genre literature is usually well-understood. People still use “round robin” for a serially-written story, even here on the Boards, but I don’t think that was original to the scene.
I seem to recall reading (around 1974 or so) about how Roddenberry routinely toured cons, showing the *Star Trek * blooper reels, and preaching about how fan action could force the studios to bring back Star Trek.
Larry Niven used to be the total convention beast; being fairly wealthy and not having any obligations aside from writing his books, he routinely attended lots of cons, particularly in California, but lots of others as well. Seems like he’d be pretty up-to-date on sci-fi geek slang.
That being said, I have no idea what any of those words mean. I’m a sci-fi geek, sure, but I haven’t been to a con in years.