John Norman

John Norman is the pen name of John Frederick Lange Jr. (born June 3, 1931), who is the author of the Gor series of fantasy novels, and a professor of philosophy.

For other uses, see John Norman (disambiguation).

John Norman
BornJohn Frederick Lange Jr.
(1931-06-03) June 3, 1931
Chicago, Illinois
OccupationProfessor of philosophy, writer
NationalityAmerican
Education
  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Master of Arts
  • Doctor of Philosophy
Alma mater
GenreSword and planet
Notable worksGor novel series
SpouseBernice L. Green (1956–present)
Children
  • John
  • David
  • Jennifer
Relatives
  • John Frederick Lange Sr. (father)
  • Almyra D. Lange, née Taylor (mother)

Background

John Lange was born in Chicago, Illinois, to John Frederick Lange and Almyra D. Lange (née Taylor).

He began his academic career in the early 1950s, earning a 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 on January 14, 1956. The couple have three children: John, David, and Jennifer.

Academic career

Lange earned his PhD in 1963 from Princeton University. His dissertation was named: "In defence of ethical naturalism: an examination of certain aspects of naturalistic fallacy, with particular attention to the logic of an open question argument". Lange summed it up in an interview by saying "if one cannot make sense of morality within some sort of satisfying, natural context, then one is likely to end up with no morality, which is less than societally reassuring, or is likely to end up with a competitive plethora of moralities in which ninety-nine percent of the world's population is convinced that the other ninety-nine percent is unclean, stupid, uninformed, vicious, depraved, in need of coercive correction, and such. That too, seems less than reassuring."[1]

He was a professor at Queens College of the City University of New York[2] before retirement.

Writing career

Norman's fiction attained popularity in the 1970s and early 1980s with an estimated 6[3] to 12[4] million copies sold.

John Norman's Gorean Saga is a long-running series of adventure science fantasy novels, starting in December 1966 with Tarnsman of Gor. The series was put on hold after its twenty-fifth installment, Magicians of Gor, in 1988, when DAW refused to publish its successor, Witness of Gor. After several unsuccessful attempts to find a trade publishing outlet, the series was brought back into print in 2001 with the publication of Witness of Gor. Norman has also produced a separate science fiction series, the Telnarian Histories, plus three other fiction works, five non-fiction works, and a collection of thirty short stories.

Norman has said that the three major influences on his work are Homer, Freud, and Nietzsche.[5]

Themes

According to Norman, his Gor books are science fiction or adventure fantasy works which are also "intellectual, philosophical, and psychological novels".[6] His fiction depicts fantastic worlds where male-dominated bondage relationships are natural and widely practiced and respected culturally, whereas characteristics of modern society are criticized and philosophical themes are explored, specially from a Nietzschean 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[1] with Polygraff magazine, Norman stated that he believes that it is obvious that all societies are based on dominance and hierarchy.

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

Gorean subculture

A fandom based on his Gor novels, known as the Gorean subculture, has developed[7][8] without Lange's direct involvement. Scholars have discussed the way that Gorean subculture groups on mediums such as IMVU, Second Life and Internet Relay Chat have influenced the development of online role-playing and even the MMORPG genre.[7]

Works

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 (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 (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. Dancer of Gor (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 (August 2016) ISBN 1-5040-3406-6
  35. Quarry of Gor (June 2019) ISBN 1-5040-5832-1

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
  5. The Emperor (May 2019) ISBN 1-5040-5816-X

Other novels

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] 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

Notes
  1. 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 December 15, 2010
  2. Philosophy Page Full Time Faculty Archived February 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Press Release #1, archived from the original on May 14, 2011, retrieved January 6, 2011
  4. John Norman – Libertarian, archived from the original on February 3, 2012, retrieved March 9, 2015
  5. http://io9.com/5783833/john-norman-the-philosopher-who-created-the-barbaric-world-of-gor
  6. John Norman, the philosophy professor who created the barbaric world of Gor iO9. March 22, 2011.
  7. 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. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  8. BBC: Officers discover sex-slave cult
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