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John Norman

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John Norman
John Norman.jpg
Born June 3, 1931
Occupation Author

John Norman is the pen name of John Frederick Lange, Jr. (1931), a controversial, reactionary philosopher and Utopian/soft science fiction novelist best known for his "Chronicles of Gor" series and its male dominant/female submissive BDSM content (though most of the original Gor book series was published before the modern BDSM movement coalesced, and Norman has not been influenced by it). Lange holds a PhD in Philosophy from Princeton University and was a philosophy professor at Queens College of the City University of New York before retirement. Followers of Norman's philosophy are termed Goreans.

Books

Science fiction
  • "Chronicles of Gor" series, also "Chronicles of Counter-Earth" or "Gorean Saga" (1966-1988; resumed 2001-present)
  • "The Telnarian Histories" (first three books published 1991-1993, fourth appearing 2015)
  • The Totems of Abydos (2012)
Historical fiction
Short-story collection
  • Norman Invasions (2009)
Nonfiction

Norman started out by imitating Edgar Rice Burroughs to some degree, and his influential Gor series contains parallels to Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series (especially the first few Gor books). His novels include lengthy philosophical and sociological dissertations contrasting the malaise of modern society (everything from common dishonesty to nuclear holocaust) with the remedial beauty of natural society. Placing emphasis on living in accordance with a Nietzsche-esque natural order, he sponsors a hierarchy of talent.

From this hierarchy and his use of evolutionary psychology to analyse gender differences, he then suggests that woman is the submissive natural helper, and figurative slave, of dominant man. His work often, but not always, takes this observation literally: heroes enslave heroines who, upon being enslaved, revel in the discovery of their natural place. Norman and Goreans have been criticised for this tenet of what they consider honouring nature.

Personal Views

Some enthusiasts believe that the book Imaginative Sex indicates that Norman is not a misogynist but rather a pioneer in human sexual behaviour firmly entrenched in BDSM's fantasy and safe, sane and consensual elements. However, this favourable reading is by no means universal; lesbians and feminists are presented in a very poor light, and the books cast women almost exclusively in a submissive role.

Norman, also a political activist, modified his alignment from conservative to libertarian during his effective censorship. The extent to which he himself is Gorean is unclear.

Career

Norman's career as a philosopher/writer underwent four stages:

  1. Early 1950s-early 1960s: Norman begins his academic career. He obtains his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Nebraska in 1953, and his Master of Arts degree from the University of Southern California in 1957. While at USC he married Bernice L. Green. Norman became a Doctor of Philosophy in 1963 from the Princeton University.
  2. Late 1960s-early 1980s: Norman's books are quite successful. His rise may be attributed to the willingness of rebellious or disaffected Americans during this period to consider his social alternatives.
  3. Mid 1980s -mid 1990s: Increasing political correctness, especially feminism, prompted consumers and interest groups to take action against the sale of Norman's books, including petitioning retailers. Norman's books were no longer carried by many small bookstores and libraries (shelved among ordinary science fiction books), as had previously been the case. Though his books still had fervent fans, and were still profitable, interest among general science fiction readers waned, and his publisher abruptly halted the series in 1988. Norman accused publishers of blacklisting him.
  4. Late 1990s-present: Acceptance of BDSM and growth of the Internet allowed the resurgence of Norman's ideas without the participation of large publishing houses. Goreans assembled on the Internet and in real life while smaller publishers attempted (at first with limited success), to "bring Norman back."[1]

Themes

According to Norman, his Gor books are science fiction[wp] or adventure fantasy works which are also "intellectual, philosophical, and psychological novels".[2] His fiction depicts fantastic worlds where male-dominated bondage relationships are natural and widely practicized and respected culturally, whereas characteristics of modern society are criticized and philosophical themes are explored, specially from a Nietzschean[wp] view.

Although the bondage in his Imaginative Sex guide is directed to sexual practices, the bondage and slavery presented on "Gor" follows along the lines of societal or legal slavery; a common way of life as reflected in ancient Rome and other societies. While the philosophy presented is unquestionably that of male dominance, male characters are themselves often enslaved by powerful females. In an interview[3] with Polygraff magazine, Norman stated that he believes that it is obvious that all societies are based on dominance and hierarchy[wp].

His non-fiction works cover philosophy[wp], ethics[wp] and historiography[wp].

Gorean subculture

A fandom[wp] based on his Gor novels, known as the Gorean subculture, has developed and assembled on the Internet and in real life,[4][5] without Lange's participation or cooperation. Scholars have discussed the way that Gorean subculture groups on mediums such as Second Life[wp] and Internet Relay Chat[wp] have influenced the development of online role-playing and even the MMORPG[wp] genre.[4]

Works

Fiction

Gor series

  1. Tarnsman of Gor (1966) ISBN 0-345-27583-7
  2. Outlaw of Gor (1967) ISBN 0-345-27136-X
  3. Priest-Kings of Gor (1968) ISBN 0-7592-0036-X
  4. Nomads of Gor (1969) ISBN 0-7592-5445-1
  5. Assassin of Gor (1970) ISBN 0-7592-0091-2
  6. Raiders of Gor (1971) ISBN 0-7592-0153-6
  7. Captive of Gor (1972) ISBN 0-7592-0105-6
  8. Hunters of Gor (1974) ISBN 0-7592-0130-7
  9. Marauders of Gor (1975) ISBN 0-7592-0141-2
  10. Tribesmen of Gor (1976) ISBN 0-7592-5446-X
  11. Slave Girl of Gor[ext] (1977) ISBN 0-7592-0454-3
  12. Beasts of Gor (1978) ISBN 0-7592-1125-6
  13. Explorers of Gor (1979) ISBN 0-7592-1167-1
  14. Fighting Slave of Gor (1980) ISBN 0-7592-1173-6
  15. Rogue of Gor (1981) ISBN 0-7592-1179-5
  16. Guardsman of Gor (1981) ISBN 0-7592-1368-2
  17. Savages of Gor (1982) ISBN 0-7592-1374-7
  18. Blood Brothers of Gor (1982) ISBN 0-7592-1380-1
  19. Kajira of Gor[ext] (1983) ISBN 0-7592-1926-5
  20. Players of Gor (1984) ISBN 0-7592-1932-X
  21. Mercenaries of Gor (1985) ISBN 0-7592-1944-3
  22. Title missed![ext] (1985) ISBN 0-7592-1950-8
  23. Renegades of Gor (1986) ISBN 0-7592-1956-7
  24. Vagabonds of Gor (1987) ISBN 0-7592-1980-X
  25. Magicians of Gor (1988) ISBN 0-7592-1986-9
  26. Witness of Gor (2001) ISBN 0-7592-4235-6
  27. Prize of Gor (2008) ISBN 0-7592-4580-0
  28. Kur of Gor (2009) ISBN 0-7592-9782-7
  29. Swordsmen of Gor (2010) ISBN 1-6175-6040-5
  30. Mariners of Gor (2011) ISBN 0-7592-9989-7
  31. Conspirators of Gor (2012) ISBN 1-6175-6731-0
  32. Smugglers of Gor (Oct 2012) ISBN 1-6175-6865-1
  33. Rebels of Gor (Oct 2013) ISBN 1-6175-6123-1
  34. Plunder of Gor (June 2016) ISBN 1-5040-3406-6

Telnarian Histories series

  1. The Chieftain (1991) ISBN 1-58586-717-9
  2. The Captain (1992) ISBN 1-58586-721-7
  3. The King (1993) ISBN 1-58586-725-X
  4. The Usurper (2015) ISBN 978-1497679269

Other novels

  • Ghost Dance[wp] (1970) ISBN 0-7592-9774-6
  • Time Slave (1975) ISBN 0-7592-9778-9
  • The Totems of Abydos (2012) ISBN 1-61756-476-1

Short-story collections

  • Norman Invasions (2009) ISBN 0-7592-9577-8

Nonfiction

  • Values and Imperatives: Studies in Ethics. (1969) [as John Lange, ed.; written by C. I. Lewis[wp]] ISBN 0-8047-0687-5
  • The Cognitivity Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Claims of Philosophy (1970) [as John Lange] ISBN 0-691-07159-4
  • {Imaginative Sex (1974) ISBN 0-7592-1728-9
  • The Philosophy of Historiography (2010) [as John Lange] ISBN 1-61756-130-4
  • Philosophy and the Challenge of the Future (2012) [as John Lange] ISBN 1-61756-733-7

References

  1. ↑ Wipipedia: John Norman (Version: 20 January 2016)
  2. ↑ John Norman, the philosophy professor who created the barbaric world of Gor iO9, March 22, 2011
  3. ↑ Polygraff Staff (2010), "An Exclusive Interview With John Norman, Author of the Gor Series of Novels.", Polygraff, Montreal: Polymancer Studios, Inc., 1 (2), pp. 47-53, ISSN 1918-655X, retrieved 2010-12-15
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Jøn, A. Asbjørn (2010). "The Development of MMORPG Culture and The Guild". Australian Folklore: A Yearly Journal of Folklore Studies. University of New England (25): 97-112
  5. ↑ Officers discover sex-slave cult, BBC

External links


This article based on an article John Norman (20 January 2016) from the free Encyklopedia Wipipedia. The Wipipedia article is published under GNU-License for free Documentation. In Wipipedia is a List of Authors available those who worked on the text before being incorporated in WikiMANNia.
This article based partially on an article John Norman (31 August 2016) from the free Encyklopedia Wikipedia. The Wikipedia article is published under the dual license GNU-License for free Documentation and Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0). In Wikipedia is a List of Authors available those who worked on the text before being incorporated in WikiMANNia.
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