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Originally Posted by BeccaPrice
I don't think that's always true, and I don't think that's necessarily good. For example, with what other SF is Lois Bujold in dialog with? Lois is unique.
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I felt that the early Miles books was written in a certain tradition. Later we got books that was inspired by other books so I would definitely say that she writes her books in a contect were she is aware of previous work.
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If SF is seen as too much being in dialog with itself, that you need to read an increasingly large backlist just to get the in-jokes, we're limiting the audience for SF to those of us who started reading SF in the 70s or earlier.
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But it is not a question of in-jokes. It is a question about handling different questions and beeing aware a bit of the history. That is why sf written by mainstream authors that is not aware of the important previous books that treat the thing they are writing about can feel so strange and be less good because of it.