tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5978497880525976810.post4718752926952600921..comments2024-01-17T01:33:01.361-08:00Comments on Staffer's Book Review: Guest Post | Is Robert Jackson Bennett a Secret Agent?Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18030992882575439420noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5978497880525976810.post-65484777868305525342012-04-23T12:41:47.532-07:002012-04-23T12:41:47.532-07:00That would be an exception. And yes, Satire and so...That would be an exception. And yes, Satire and social commentary resists the inclusion of real characters for fear of diminishing its impact.Paul Weimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02444942522624902562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5978497880525976810.post-33434002477788369732012-04-23T11:45:57.417-07:002012-04-23T11:45:57.417-07:00I really do think, though, that sometimes a story ...I really do think, though, that sometimes a story can call for a robot or an automaton, rather than a character. Satire, especially, calls for not-quite-people rather than real people. Having too many reasonably people in a satire or social commentary tends to ruin it.Robert Jackson Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03812267646273425604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5978497880525976810.post-31908382267795189562012-04-23T10:34:35.393-07:002012-04-23T10:34:35.393-07:00An agent must not only have an agenda central to t...An agent must not only have an agenda central to the story that they are actively pursuing: they must also connect and communicate with the world around them in a reasonably intelligent fashion, and adjust their behavior accordingly.<br /><br /><br />Yes, exactly. Or else they are a robot, an automaton, and not a character at all. That's just as bad a literary sin.Paul Weimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02444942522624902562noreply@blogger.com