Why the Name "Bewildering" Stories?

Why the Name “Bewildering” Stories?

Two main reasons:

The letter “B” occurs early in the alphabet.
Compared to the names of most literary webzines, “Bewildering Stories” is very unusual. It’s also ironically unpretentious. Readers and contributors who have a sense of humor may appreciate it; those who don’t, won’t.

“BwS” was conceived in the spirit of an early Humanist who relied on humor to appeal to a large reading public, and yet the “substantific marrow” of his work — his educational mission — was very serious indeed:

To the Readers

Dear friends who read this book,
Shun affectation and pretense.
Read liberally; as you look
You’ll find no harm and no offense.
True, it contains much to criticize
Unless you laugh, I’m sure you’ll find.
But that is best, I now realize,
Since woes betide us time out of mind.
Better then to write of laughter as we can;
Laughter is what’s natural to man.

Aux lecteurs

Amis lecteurs, qui ce livre lisez,
Dépouillez-vous de toute affection,
Et, le lisant, ne vous scandalisez :
Il ne contient mal ni infection.
Vrai est qu’ici peu de perfection
Vous apprendrez, sinon en cas de rire ;
Autre argument ne peut mon cœur élire,
Voyant le deuil qui vous mine et consomme :
Mieux est de ris que de larmes écrire,
Pour ce que rire est le propre de l’homme.

François Rabelais (ca. 1494-1553)