Dec
12
Fiction, from Sushil Kedia
December 12, 2009 |
The genre of "spy fiction, "sometimes called "spy thriller" or sometimes shortened simply to spy-fi, arose before World War I at about the same time that the first modern intelligence agencies were formed. The genre is closely related to political thrillers and military fiction. The point is fiction is a mirror of the society; often leading indicator. Jules Verne's very far fetched Around the world in Eighty Days is by now timid.
What fashions (no, I didn't use the word trend) in fiction currently may be a good pointer to what is likely happening to the world that is otherwise not getting reported in the newspapers? Well, if most of the newspapers are fictional one might resort to the isolation of pointers from fiction itself. Books are a topic hot on this site. I am hopeful we will indulge in this tangential thought if not a fictional one.
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Those James Bond thriller paperbacks got me through the Vietnam war. I read and re-read everyone of them a half dozen times. I still watch every James Bond movie on TV when they are shown. Does that make me borderline psychologically suspect? I also did the same with Playboy so maybe I am normal,lol.
I find the role of double agent/spy role interesting. Firstly the simple case in which both sides are unaware of that the agent is a double agent. Here the spy is likely to be rewarded, regardless of the outcome of the war, for his service.
More interesting is her role when she makes aware both sides about her double agency profile. Then, if she survives, her role becomes far more intriguing. She can be used to supply deceptive knowledge or she might be supplying deceptive knowledge.
In this case, she can play an important role in the outcome. Also, she has to speculate courageously, which side has greater chances to win and help precipitate that conclusion, if she has no faith that is, but is playing for the game.
This scenario carries greater responsibility & risks and rewards. It is less likely that wrong speculation will reward the agent or so I would like to think, because the impact of her decisions is bigger and clearer to decipher and her leanings might become clear to all after the endgame.