Saturday, October 25, 2014

The Fiction of Ideas



 Required Reading:
   
The Drowned Giant by: J.G. Ballard, a short story

 

The Drowned Giant by J.G. Ballard presented several ideas that were chilling in their assumption and accuracy of human character. The story follows the discovery of a dead giant washed up on the beach of a small seaside town. It has been said of Ballard that his Science Fiction writing "Uses the fantastic to highlight the real". However, instead of jumping into the expected tale of invading giants climbing out of the sea to reclaim their dead brother or the repercussions of a giant alien crash-landing into Earth's ocean, Ballard allows his dead giant to be the one fantastical element in his story.

What would you do if the corpse of a giant the size of a sperm whale or bigger washed up on the shore of the city you lived in? Narrated by an unnamed scientist that describes the discovery and reaction to the drowned giant in clinical detail, The Drowned Giant has an unnerving tone from the beginning. 

At first no one wants to believe what they are seeing, then they approach the giant corpse curiously. This "approach" is probably the most shocking element in the entire short story, greater even than the end. Why? Because the curious bystanders begin to crawl, climb, and play on top of the dead body of the giant, which is essentially a huge human. You wouldn't disrespect a dead human by stomping all over them, but that is the point. The giant is not seen as human. He is seen as being different, an alien form trespassing into our world. Again, this is all described in a cold, observational way.

First, the idea that the corpse of the giant being approachable, makes sense. The Scientist narrating the events sees the giant as being "beautiful" and becomes aware that he and everyone else there are like "mere copies" of this colossal creature. This reminded me of a child pulling the wings off of a butterfly, marveling at the power they hold over the tiny creature. This story puts this concept in reverse. The giant is like a metaphor for the death that must catch everyone in the end. It is huge and looming. The people of the seaside city therefore find immense fascination with the giant corpse, almost as if they are "conquering" or "facing" death in the most grand way imaginable. At this stage the giant holds great wonder for the people.

As the giant decomposes it becomes less admired and wondered at. It is "the approaching end of a magnificent illusion". The scientist narrating the story is one of the only people that continues to observe it's decent from a thing of beauty to a thing of grotesque. He describes it as, "This ceaseless metamorphosis, a macabre life-in-death" 

As the giant decreases in importance or "wonder" the fertilizer company and the cattle food manufacturer begin to dismember the giant, taking away his hands and feet in service of their business. Eventually the giant is decapitated and the people take various pieces and parts of his body to decorate their seaside city with. Memory of the giant slowly fades, until most remember it as a sort of washed up whale instead of what it actually was. The giant becomes landscape. In the end the people could not conquer death and so they continued to surround themselves with it. The scientist remembers and records all.

This story reflects life today. It does seem true that if people cannot physically touch or see something then they refute it as fiction. People often refuse to acknowledge death, because until they experience it for themselves, it is only a dream.


Required Book:

Peter Watt: Blindsight  (Read Online)



http://rifters.com/blindsight/covers/bs02.jpg

I read the prologue and about half of the Theseus section of Blindsight.

Peter Watts Blindsight begins at the end with this comment:

"It didn't start out here. Not with the scramblers or Rorschach, not with Big Ben or Theseus or the vampires. Most people would say it started with the Fireflies, but they'd be wrong. It ended with all those things." 

If this doesn't peek your interest to continue reading then the prologue presents another reason. The narrator Siri had epilepsy and with new scientific advances half of his brain had been taken out to get rid of his "flaw". This of course forced the remainder or his brain to create new neural pathways and ultimately resulted in most of his prior character being corroded. What he lacks in empathy he makes up for in strict observation of the most minute details. This is important because Watts has thought up all kinds of technological advances in need of a critical eye to explain them. 

One example of this is the artificial death. Involving a preservation system and a virtual "heaven" created by the artificially deceased, someone could potentially live in their dreamland of choice, waiting for another time and place to be reborn into. This of course causes social issues as it is seen as being close to suicide. The "dead" are essentially choosing to go to their personal "heaven" without their loved ones. This is something the main character has experienced with a family member.

So, with only reading a small portion of the book it can be seen that Watts is not so much interested in the action packed drama of the Space Opera genre as he is with the progression of the human race into the future. 

Technology has advanced so far in such a short amount of time things thought to be impossible are becoming reality. Watts has created a world that in some respects may not be too far away from our own. There are people working hard on some of the concepts presented in his book, such as a virtual world that can also be connected to the senses or uploading a person's consciousness into a computer.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Space Opera

Reuired Book

Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honor 
http://simania.co.il/bookimages/covers83/836099.jpg 


 Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, holds to some of the standard aspects of "Space Opera", but it also adds in a few literary characteristics. For example, there are many explosions, tough decisions, and long periods of one crisis after another. The characters are put through so much turmoil that it seems like they should have broken before the halfway mark. This is where McMaster's storytelling struck a chord with me. 

Yes, there is drama, adventure, and Sci-Fi galore, but that is not the only appeal of the book. I've read Sci-Fi in the past that I could not get into, because the story was all shiny affects and no development of character and plot. However in Shards of Honor, the main character, Cordelia is not impervious to the strife she is put through. She develops several unhealthy conditions caused by her mental and physical strain. Some of these are Pounding Headaches, insomnia, left hand tremula, and a stutter. This immediately makes her character more engaging, because she is made realistic in her human weakness and inspiring in her strength to endure. 

Outside of this her character strives for understanding and acceptance of a culture that is widely regarded as "barbaric, war-loving, and uncivilized" and it does not happen overnight. She has some very strong opinions, like most people, and must come to terms with them. Cordelia conquers a great deal of the stereotypical judgments taught to her by her own culture. However, even after she has come so far she still has moments where her gut reaction is negative. 

The most surprising to me was when she witnessed the "birth" of a child and someone asked why it had to scream so loud. Her response to this question, in her own mind, was "Because she knows she's been born a Barrayar". This is the kind of subtle characterization that McMaster uses throughout the book. She is letting us know that while Cordelia may accept and love her husband, who is a Barrayar, she does not view his society in the same light. 

Also, McMaster has chosen to write Shards of Honor in a third person omniscient voice. Thereore Cordelia is not the only character we get an internal view of. I found this quite entertaining, but it must also be noted that this was a smart move on her part to emphasize the cultural struggle that existed in her world. The reader did not have to imagine what each side was thinking, they got a front row seat.

The internal struggle of the characters to find and keep their honor is a big theme in the book, as the title Shards of Honor, suggests. Some of them have to make tough decisions to keep their honor or choose to loose it in order to save someone important to them. There is also the impact of outer forces on a character's perceived honor. The media is shown to twist around the truth repeatedly turning some characters into heroes and others into villains when they are undeserving of these titles. 

As this is a romance space opera, there are also the complications of love and where it leads the characters. Sometimes they deny their true emotions in the face of their social complications and sometimes dramatic events keep them apart. This adds a sense of the realistic to the book as well. The characters are not drooling over each other for the entire book, which is much appreciated. They have lives outside of each other and it is through a balancing act that they form a healthy relationship and move forward. It takes time.

The "Aftermaths" section of the book must also be remarked upon. It took me by surprise. This "Aftermaths"comes after what I thought was the natural ending of the book, which is the description of Cordelia's contentment and the hope for the future. The mood is decidedly positive. However, the "Aftermaths" drastically changes the mood to a somber one. It is not negative, but it does leave a lingering sense of foreboding. This foreboding could be taken as a hint at her future installments into the series, but it could also be seen as a warning to the audience. The warning is, you have the power not to see the differences all around you, but the similarities. See the good in people first, before the bad and hopefully you can stop your society from ever getting to the point of so much destruction. 

The "Aftermaths" does not involve the main characters at all, it follows a Medtech and a Pilot Officer assigned to recover the bodies of the fallen from one of the war zones. Designed to look into the devastation of war, it highlights that death is a great equalizer. No matter if the war was fought for a good reason or for the greed of powerful individuals, the cost of human life is high on both sides. The Medtech is a deeply compassionate woman who cares for the dead with dignity. The Pilot Officer is a character foil to her in that he does not understand why the collection of the dead matters, especially when it comes to the collecting of the enemy's dead. He gradually, with the reader, is taught how his attitude is not healthy. The "Aftermaths" of Shards of Honor brings up many stirring emotions and ideas and is an interesting piece of literature to read for its own merits.

Overall Shards of Honor has
deeper character development, commentary on social complication, exploration of what it means to have honor, action adventure, realistic romance, well thought out plot, and compelling world building. It has taken the Space Opera genre and given it a higher standard to meet.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Mythic Fiction and Contemporary Urban Fantasy


 


Anansi the spider is an animal trickster from West African mythology. He is often seen as a god or at least someone that can contend with gods. He is a spider, but often appears and acts as a man. He can also, shape shift into other animals. He enjoys making life fun, but his mischief often causes others trouble. Anansi's cleverness is used to trick others so that he can get what he wants, but he isn't evil.


Required Book:

Anasi Boys By: Niel Gaiman


In Anansi Boys,by Niel Gaimen, the myth of Anansi is reinvented.

Anansi is a God living as a man. This follows the original Anansi stories in which Anansi is said to live in "his house", instead of some otherworldly place set up for gods, like Mount Olympus in Greek mythology. Also, like the original stories Anansi is a trickster, but Gaimen has given him extraordinary sway over other people. For example, if Anansi gives a name to something everyone seems to call it by that name. This is why the main character can't get people to stop calling him "Fat Charlie", because his father, Anansi, gave him that name. Charlie describes his father as "the finest liar you'll ever meet." What I liked most about Gaimen's version of Anansi is that he is so charismatic people gravitate toward him unaware that he enjoys mischief at others expense. Charlie's fiance, Rosie, listens to Charlie explain how embarassing his father is and then says she wants to invite him to their wedding, because he sounds like a "character". Likewise, Charlie's mother says Anansi is, "Not a bad man" but he is, "certainly not a good man." 

Charlie seems to be the only one who sees his father in a purely negative light. He is everything his father is not and just about anything his father does mortifies him. This is interesting since the story evolves around him and the brother he never knew he had, Spider. When his father dies Charlie thinks that he has gotten away from the embarrassment, at least a little bit, but then everything goes out the window when he drunkenly decides to follow Mrs. Higgler's advice to "tell a spider" that he wants to see his brother. His brother is exactly like him except he has all the qualities Charlie does not. Spider is charismatic, just like Anansi, and causes all kinds of trouble for Charlie, who must learn about his cultural roots in order to put Spider back in his place. 

Gaimen has made the myth relevant to the world today by suggesting Anansi stole the "stories" from Tiger. Tiger's stories were all violent and bloody. Tiger solved problems by hitting, Anansi solved problems by thinking. Saying that Anansi tricked Tiger and stole all of the stories is another way of saying the world has changed. Problems should be solved through the mind, not the fist.


Required Movie:
Lady in the Water (2006) director: M. Night Shyamalan

http://pics.filmaffinity.com/La_joven_del_agua-395802861-large.jpg http://www-coochicoos-com.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/images/ladyinthewater.jpg
 

This movie, like Gaimen's book builds on the known myth of mer-people. However, the rest of its mythology seems to have been created just for the movie and later a children's book.  

A string of very "human" characters are explored, asking the question, What would you do if you found out a certain mythology was real? Gaimen's book asks a similar question of the main character, Charlie. But, in Anansi Boys, Charlie must solve his problem alone. In Lady in the Water all of the characters must learn to work together to save Story, the queen of the Narf's. 

Both Lady in the Water and Anansi Boys sets a tale of myth in an urban setting. This immediately asks the audience to believe in something that they know can not be real, at least for the duration of the media being viewed. In this way, both of these works mix Mythic Fiction and Urban Fantasy.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Novel of Spiritual Education


The "Novel of Spiritual Education" is usually seen as a type of fantasy geared towards young adults. It is almost like instructions on how best to navigate the world. Some of these books are very opinionated and obvious in their design. 

C.S. Lewis's The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is a good example of this. The book clearly spells out belief in God "Aslan" as being integral to happiness or success in life. 






 But, just because the "Novel of Spiritual Education" has the word "spiritual" in it does not mean that this sub genre can only tout one viewpoint. Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials book series conveys the opposite message through a humanist viewpoint.


The "Novel of Spiritual Education" may have its roots in Judeo-Christian beliefs, but it has evolved to encompass the author's personal values outside of a wider belief system.

The Harry Potter series promotes many "good" behaviors in its characters. It uses a pretty standard set of values that can cross many cultures. The battle is between good and evil, however the distinction of being either good or evil is grey for the characters. They are not perfect. While they may seem predominantly good or bad there are usually ulterior reasons behind why they choose to behave the way they do. This is true even for extremely dark or "evil" characters, like the Death Eaters. They make poor choices, sometimes purposefully to reach their goals. Usually, this results in negative consequences, but sometimes they get away with it. 
Ultimately this is a realistic and appealing view of the world. Everyone gets to where they are through a combination of the choices they make and the circumstances they find themselves in, but everyone dose have control over where they end up.



Required Book: 
The Night Circus by: Erin Morgenstern




In "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern the characters are faced with the decision to be selfish or risk their lives and their love to save all the people connected to the circus that were caught up in a "game" thrust upon them by two powerful men representing two schools of thought.

"The Night Circus" definitely teaches moral concepts and viewpoints, but it is not a book for children, which shows that the "Novel of Spiritual Education" is not just for kids. Also, the way that it approaches these topics is more "sideways". It is not in your face and lets the reader slowly discover the issues at hand. 

This book was probably the best book I've read in a long time. Its tangible sensory description, twisted plot, use of several points of view, and skewed sense of time, which makes complete sense if you read the book, are all enchanting. The circus and its characters seem very real in their internal and outward struggles. I did not want to put the book down and actually felt sad when it ended, because it is as the last line says, "You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream." 

________________________

The two schools of thought are chaos and control. They are displayed in differing forms of magical ability. Chaos has more control over objects in the outside world and is extremely "hands on" when taught. Control is deft at influencing the mind of self and others and is learned through quiet study and practice. 

The teachers of these two forms choose two students to be taught and then bind them to play a dangerous game of magical, mental, and emotional endurance, where only one can survive. This game has been played repeatedly with different pupils over time and seems perpetual. 

In the book the Night Circus is the setting for the game. It is almost a force of nature the way it captures people's imagination and spirit.
Celia and Marco are the players. Each of them encounters the same complex moral issues and spiritual tests. 

They have been chosen and bound to play the game to the end before they could have a say in the matter, while not being told the dark truth of the game's solution. One of them must die. If the fact that they must kill each other or themselves to end the game is not complex enough, they fall in love before they know the truth. 

As the book progresses both characters come to the conclusion that they do not wish to play this "game" or war between their teachers. The situation forces them to act.  

Unwilling to kill each other or live without each other they are then confronted with another pressing issue, their playing board, the circus, has become an integral part of many peoples lives. The people that work there and the people that live for it, would be deprived of the one thing that makes their "soul sing". The circus is that important, however at the end of the game it would inevitably fall apart. This presses the characters to attempt saving it. 

Celia in particular is a huge support of the circus. Without her it would not exist. She attempts to secure the circus and the people connected to its future first, planning on killing herself afterward to end the game and save her love, Marco. But, she runs out of time. 

Marco is then pressed with making the decision of ending the game himself, which means his death. 

Both of these characters are met with the decision of "what would you die for?" They answer this question with, for each other and to save the palpable spiritual presence of the circus itself. 

Morally the characters must decide whether or not to be selfish when there are so many people that would be affected by their decision. Spiritually, they must accept their fate before they can change it. 

Ultimately they find a way to save each other and the circus, ending the game by combining the two schools of thought to create a new world in which they can find peace.

Required Movie:

Time Bandits (1981) director: Terry Gilliam
http://egosciente.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/time-bandits-movie-poster-1020467291.jpg?w=580
  
Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits, represents the child, Kevin, as being more morally correct than the surrounding adults, whether it is his parents or the dwarves he meets. The movie preaches several key concepts. The first one seen right away is that the love of the newest household gadgets over personal relationships with people (Like your family) is wrong. Living to compare yourself to other people is also wrong. The message may even be that people have lost the value of personal relationships because of the distraction modern conveniences offer. Being selfish and stealing is wrong. You should treat your friends with respect. There are more important things than money. Sticking together is a sure way to succeed...The list goes on.

Basically, this entire movie is a teaching tool and evokes the same qualities as the "Novel of Spiritual Education". It approaches these topics humorously. This means it can slyly slip in plenty of education, without the viewer getting tired of being "taught". Kevin, as a character who makes the best of his situations, is appealing and seems designed to draw younger viewers in. This completes the education by giving the young viewers someone to look up to, making the possibility of them applying what they learned from the movie higher.