Second Foundation, what seems to be an out of place refere..

I usually go back and reread a few of my favorite books every few years, as
perspectives can change over time (and memory fades!).

I noticed that in the Second Foundation book something that didn't really
stick out the last few times I have read it, but for some reason this time
it is peculiar.......(this may have been discussed before in this group)....

Bayata's granddaughter Arcady (at the age of 14) eventually let's in a
visitor through her window after some discussion. After she let's him in,
there is a reference that she makes to having a "baseball bat" under her
bed, which is why she wasn't too concerned about letting a stranger in
through her window.

The reference of a baseball bat in this supposed timeframe just seemed so
out of place. I would think it would be part of a long forgotten part of
human history along with the origins of mankind, or something of this
nature.

It just kind of jumped out at me this time and I keep replaying it over in
my mind, and it seems just as odd every time......

I guess the reference just seemed so out of place.....(again, maybe it's
just me). Did anyone else find this reference odd?

"L Alpert" <alpertl RemoveThis @xxgmail.com> writes:

>Bayata's granddaughter Arcady (at the age of 14) eventually let's in a
>visitor through her window after some discussion. After she let's him in,
>there is a reference that she makes to having a "baseball bat" under her
>bed, which is why she wasn't too concerned about letting a stranger in
>through her window. [ ... ]

>I guess the reference just seemed so out of place.....(again, maybe it's
>just me). Did anyone else find this reference odd?

It is odd, yes. Baseball in a recognizable form has only been
around since the 1840s; to think it's going to survive for 25,000 years
is ... straining things, certainly. Even cricket only goes back to the
time of King George III's father, really. Tennis was played as far back
as the time of King Henry V, but the game was rather different.

Ultimately, I think this has to be chalked up to Asimov's desire
to not throw in ``call-a-rabbit-a-smeerp'' references, the way he didn't
put in silly made-up words to take the place of distance or time measures.
In the introduction to the Silverberg co-authored Nightfall he mentions
asking the reader to think of it as part of the translation process, the
way the rest of the language is translated into late 20th century versions
except for things like personal names that shouldn't be transformed.

He did a similar thing in 'Forward the Foundation', where it's a
rather important plot point that a character thinks she heard ``lemonade
death''.

It does still come across weird. You don't want the readers to
waste time looking at things that just don't matter, and certainly if the
language of the Galactic Empire 25,000 years from now can be changed into
contemporary English for the other 145,998 words in the story you can go
the remaining two, but there *is* something to be said for the atmosphere
of smeerp words. I suppose it matters which words feel like they're tied
too closely to contemporary culture and which words feel like versions
ought to exist in alternate languages.

--
Joseph Nebus
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