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[SF Alterity]
[SF index]
[SF General]
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[SF Writing]
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[SF Elements]
[SF Alterity]
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[LITERATURE INDEX]
[The ALT LIST!] (ah, those literary weirdos!)
[terms] (index of indexes)
SF List
[Show Asimov Cartoon]
THE LIST *** In progress; "completed" so far: Dick, Huxley, Le Guin)
Also refer to: [sf-general] (which forms
a sort of "topics" list for sf)
On this page: {}
{Asimov: Foundation}
{Aldriss: Cryptozoic}
{Ballard:}
{Lloyd Biggle: The Light That Never Was}
{Clarke:}
{Delany: Einstein Intersection}
{Dick: Man in the High Castle}
{Dick: Blade Runner}
{Dickson: The Alien Way}
{Huxley: Brave New World}
{Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness}
{Stanislov Lem: Solaris & The Cyberiad} (Robot Stories)
{Niven & Pournell: Mote in God's Eye/The Gripping Hand}
{Cordwainer Smith: The Instrumentatlity of Man}
{Robert Louis Stevenson}
{Jules Verne}
{H.G. Wells}
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Douglas Noel Adams: The H2G2
(The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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Asimov: Foundation
NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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Aldriss
NEXT: Biggle: The Light That Never Was.
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Loyd Biggle: The Light That Never Was
NEXT: Clarke: 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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Clarke: 2001 - A Space Odyssey
NEXT: Delany: The Einstein Intersection
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Delany: The Einstein Inersection
NEXT: Dick: The Man in the High Castle.
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Philip K. Dick: The Man in the High Castle
NEXT: Dick: Bladerunner/
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Philip K. Dick: Bladerunner
Having "triumphed" with the SF film "Alien", Riddley
Scott goes on to take on "Do Andorids Dream of Electric
Sheep". Technically speaking, "Alien" was just another
horor genre story wrapped up in a nice warmy, fuzzy
SF blanket, and of course it's all just the same old
"Excorist" with music timed to the human heart-beat.
Anyway, onward to conqure Dick!
Judged on its on, "Bladerunner" is an excellent action/
adventure film. It contains more intellectual content
than many of the subsequent films profered in the
"SF" vein. It maintained at least some of the ambiguity
present in the original novel; some, but not much.
Thus, Bladerunner -- (name "borrowed" from a totally un-related
story by (as I recall) Lester del Rey) rode the
anti-hero/dystopic view of the future. In the process
Dick's masterpiece "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"
was simply chaff for the hollywood mill. Oddly enough,
even Sobchack mis-judges the FILM as being original,
when in fact much of the "look" was extracted from the
novel. For example, [SOBCHACK, 1987; revised edition], P.262
"The 'excess scenography' of Blade Runner, for
for example, is more than mere background. As Bart
Mills says: 'The setting *is* the film'. An
abundance of things to look at serves to inflate
the value of space that contains them, and emphasizes
a particular kind of desnsity and texture. ..."
In point of fact, the environment envisioned in the novel
is that much of the human race has died out, or is dieing
out -- the alternative to slow death is to go offworld.
Thus, the large abundance of abandonded buildings of
which people dredge throught looking for the still
usable. One of the *primary* points of the novel is
the concept of gubble/gubbish/kibble (mertz, the
refuse of the destroyed society). This "look and
feel" in the novel is *of course* carried over into
the film by Lawrence G. Paull (production designer),
Syd Mead (visual consultant), and Ridley Scott
(director) -- that's what they got for the
"production rights": The ability to strip-mine the
work of literature and plop it down into a movie
roughly based on Dick's ideas. The sensitivity of
the novel is barely carried into the film. This
could possibly be the necessities of BOX OFFICE
rather than some lack of aesthetic understanding
on the part of Paull/Mead/Scott -- prob v. likely:
In the end materialism must rule us all.
Reagardless, this trend continues to date with almost
all adaptations of SF novels into SF film -- the
most dazling, least intellectual/spritual/meaningful
ideas are discarded, and the poor saps (Dick's term
for T.C. Mits (The Celebrated Man in the Street;
refer to Lilian Liber's "The Education of T.C. Mits"))
eat it up *at* the boxoffice.
A comment ?author? was that modern film treats us all
like children. The classic "build up the need for
revenge, then express the pent up frustration by that
final, v. violent "pay-back" scene" is the only
liturgy that film producers seem to know.
Indeed as Karl Wessel put it in "Alien Encounters:
SF and the Mysteriusm in 2001, Solaris, and Contact",
(Pp.181-209, in "The Science Fiction Film Reader,
ed. by Gregg Rickman, LCCN PN'1995.9'.S26'R53'2004,
ISBN 0.87910.944.7 (Limelight, New York, 2004).
"Since the release of 2001 in 1968, the alien
first contact theme has fallen upon hard times.
Cynical calculations based on bottom-line market
research, throught-less deendence on special
effects, appeals to narcisstic power fantasies,
intellectual laziness, and simple ignorance have
been the order to the day. In the interim, just
three films that attempt to deal with the theme
of transcendence have risen above this un-distinguished
crown. P.192 [he is refering to "Contact", "Solaris",
and "Pi" -- notably by two of the greatest thinkers
of our age, and obviously by Aranofsky/Gillete who
have a completely different view of the "intellectual
lamb" at the mercy of the captitialist/spirtualistic
wolves. [Note 33]
Needless to say, the complexity of Dick's novel is
completely lost in the film; only hints remain to
be tasted lightly. Among the most attrocious are:
Rick's love of Opera, and the fact that he
must "retire" Luba Loft (the anderoid opera
singer) -- of course she ends up as a stripper
"taking pleasure from the snake".
The chuckle-head (wonderfully rendered by ?actor?)
loses all of the need for self agrandisement and
that by hanging out with androids he can at the
same time feel important, superior, and accepted.
He's pretty much a dupe in the film. Thus, the
social comentary about "lower class" people
hanging out with a dominant gang of usually
perceived lower class people. (Recall that much
of Dick's writing dealt with how blacks (still
refered to as "Negroes" at that time), were
perceived by whites. I've often seen the view
of the androids as slaves (blacks) and the
Chuckle-head (white) hanging with his *social*
inferiors simply to have *some* companionship.
The last instance where the Nexus+ "becomes
human" and in so doing, dies. Is more directly
taken from Dick's "We can make you" and other
works. The real conflict comes from when Rick
must retire the android that looks like Ms.
Rosen. And the whole pscho-sexual conflict of
*that* chapter (of which Phil wrote extensively
at the time the film was being made), was of
course too complex for the infantile minds of
the male-dominated penis-less-film market. ("We
wouldn't want anyone to get hurt" as "The
Shoveler" sez in "Mystery Men"). Not since
Rauschlaaum ?sp? by Ibsen, has there been so
much suppressed sexual tension; of course, this
topic is exquistely explored in Le Guin's
"Left Hand of Darkness".
The idea of the "shadow" police department. This
of course a key element in Dick's paranoid view
of the world or at least U.S. politics.
And don't *even* get me started about the total
absence of Mercerism!
Sheesh.
NEXT: Dickson: The Alien Way
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NOTES: This section only.
[33] A brief note on the power-struggle in "Pi". At
first we might be tempted to distinguish between
the *goal* of the wall-street investors and the mysterious
Jewish cult. In reality, they have the same goal: Power.
That "Max" becomes empowered with this knowledge, and
then becomes the target of these two groups and their
"success" in their respective realms is clear. However,
if we view the two groups from the point of view of
what they hope to achieve, it becomes clear (i would
say) that even the Jewish cult sees things in terms of
material gain. It gives them the chance to redeem
themselves via this *sacred* number. Not that they are
motivated to cleanse their tarnished souls by doing
good deeds, or otherwise aleviating the ills of the
world. And it goes without saying that the investor
types are out only to make money. Alone, "Max" has
the pureist vision: The pursuit of pure knowledge.
The little girl ??character-name?? also, has this
child-like vision probably seeing in Max a curiosity
just like her calculator: "How does it/he do that?"
This (i would say) is a to parallel Max's own
naievte in dealing with both the investors and the
Jewish mystics. "Lenny" of course plays him perfectly
preying upon "Max's" abandonment of his faith -- a
faith that he judges is no longer needed now that
his new "relgion" is the pursuit of absolute knowledge;
ie, "finding" pi.
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NEXT: Dickson: The Alien Way
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Gordon R. Dickson: The Alien Way
See also: [SF (general) "Alien"]
NEXT: Huxley: Brave New World.
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Adlrous Huxley: Brave New World
See also: [Evolution} (sf-general)
and esp: [Fredric Jameson] (LIT: Postmodernism & Cosumer Society
[Brands/Branding] (Myth: Story of Culture)
All page numbers refer to Harper, Row & Co, Perinial Edition.
1969 edition , paperback, P-3095.
In this section: {Color Coding}
{Castes}
{Infants}
{Challenges to the World of BNW}
{Characters}
Color Coding
As per [P.18]
Alpha - grey
Beta
Gamma - Green
Delta - khaki
Epsilons - black
Obviously the colors are chosen to reflect the level of sophistication
of the person's caste. Clearly black (epsilon) is to keep the epsilons
as docile as possible; ie, nothing stimulating.
I would guess that "grey" was chosen to reflect "the man in the
grey flannel suit" (which was probably *just* starting to emerge
at that time; the captains of industry, presidents and such of
course all wore black suits).
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The Caste System
Alpha
Beta
Gama
Delta
Epsilon
These are essentially the "under-people" {Underpeople in SMITH}
BEGIN BLOCK QUOTE
Before Bernard could answer, the lift came to a stand-still.
"Roof!" called a creaking voice.
The liftman was a small simian creature, dressed in the
black tunic of Epsilon-Minus Semi-Moron.
"Roof!"
He flung open the gates. The warm glory of afternoon
sunlight made him start and blink his eyes. "Oh, roof!"
he repeated in a voice of rapture. He was as though
suddenly and joyfully awakened from a dark annihilating
stupor. "Roof!"
He smiled up with a king od doggily expectant adoration
into the faces of his passengers. Talking and laughing
together, they stepped out into the light. The liftman
looked after them.
"Roof?" he said once more, questioningly.
Then a bell rang, and from the ceiling of the lift a
loud speaker began, very softly and yet very imperiously,
to issue its commands.
"Go down", it said, "go down. Floor Eighteen. Go down,
go down. Floor Eighteen. Go down, go..."
The liftman slammed the gates, touched a button and
instantly dropped back into the droning twilight of
the well, the twilight of his own habitual stupor.
-- P. 39.
END BLOCK QUOTE
NEXT: Le Guin.
Part of this is clearly the concept of servants just for
the sake of having servants. Surely if the lift can be
automated, there is in fact no reason to have a "lift man".
I would say that part of this is to emphasize the role of
blacks as servants (if not in England, then certainly
in the United States; ca1932).
Infants
"There is nothing innocuous left. The little
pleasures, expressions of life that seemed
exempt from the responsibilites of thought,
not only have an element of deviant silliness,
of callous refusal to see, but directly serve
their diametrical opposite.
-- Theodore Adorno, Minima Moralia
as quoted in:
REF: "The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of
Innocence", by Henry A. Giroux,
LCCN PN'1999.W27'G57'1999, ISBN 0.8476.9109.8
(Rowman, Cumnor Hill, Eng, 1999)
The idea of "turning us all into infants" is scarily
reflected by THE MOUSE:
BEGIN BLOCK QUOTE
"The ensemble of [the Disney] theme parks, including
those opened in Tokyo and Paris iin 1983 and 1992,
are central to Disney's homage to white, middle-class,
post-war America. The parks are a blend of "Taylorized
fun" [????], patriotic populism, and
consumerism dressed up as a childhood fantasy.
[LOCAL NOTE 46: The term "Taylorized fun" is taken from
Sorkin "See you in Disneyland", P.223. ????ref????]
As Steven Watts rightly argues, Disneyland in particular,
"can be seen as quint-essential expression of the Disney
culture industry machine in the post-war era."
[LOCAL NOTE 47: Watts: "Magic Kingdom", P.391]
While the parks ofer variations in place and purpose,
they share a number of assumptions that are essential
to Disney's conservative world-view. Far from representing
a benign cultureal force, Disney's theme parks offer
pre-packaged, sanitised versions of America's past,
place a strong emphasis on the virtues of the
individual as an essentially consuming subject,
transform the work of production into the production
of play, and ignroe the exclusionary dynamcis of class
and race that permeat Disney culture. -- P.39
[The New York City-ier, Elayne Rapping, a cultural
critic made a visit to 1990's] expressed shock on
finding herself transported into a world that was
totally *other* but at the same time 'the most
mundanely quint-essential of American landscapes.
[LOCAL NOTE 42: Elayne Rapping, "A Bad Ride at
Disney World", Progressive (Nov 1995), P.36]
.. [in] an enviroment entirely pre-packaged and
controlled. Shuffled through transportation
systems with the ut-most efficiency, met by an
army of smiling, well-mannered cast memebers,
and presented with an array of planned tours,
she found herself in a **space** [emph mine]
where "nothing could possibly go wrong because
nothing could possibly happen".
As a simulacrum of society, purged of conflicts,
differences, and **complexity** [emph mine],
Disney World eleiminaes the need for the public
to utilze any of theose compacities that mark
them as social agents. Instead, it positions them
within a cultural landscape, as Rapping points
out, "in which no trace of anything un-commodified,
non-simulated, non-regulated, non-smiley-faced,
is visible or reachable". And yet it is precisely
this editing-out of conflict, this concern with
control, this over-determined emphasis on the
familiar and the uniform that appeals to the
white, middle class families that make up most
of the visitors to Disney World". -- P.40
[Frank: And in keeping with the use of RADIO's in BNW ...]
Michael Eisner's rational for Radio Disney and its
intrusion into Saturday-morning chldren's programming
is utterly predictable: "Radio Disney, our new radio
network, is thriving on 13 ABC-owned radio stations
across the country. By the way, I love Radio Disney.
It plays on 710 AM here in LA, and I listen to it
all the time. I feel a little silly because we
advertise it as radio for kids. What can i do?
I like the music! Maybe I need grandchildren! Breck
... Eric ... (Anders, you're too young) .. do you
hear that??" Maybe Eisner's commentary wouldn't
be subject to the charger of dis-ingenous-ness if
it didn't appear in a report to Disney shareholders,
a report that in its over-bearing emphasis on profit
margins and expansion belies Disney's attempt to
appear un-interested in the bototm line. Or [P.33/34]
maybe Eisner truly believes that there is nothing
wrong with making Disney cultuer an advertisement
for America itself, a model for a corporate version
of utopia aimed at creating a Disney citizenry
ready and willing to purchase Disney's packaged
version of history, fantasy, and the **future**. [emph mine]
-- P.34.
END BLOCK QUOTE
This instance of "being like an infant" is again emphasised
when Lenina and Bernard visit the Primitive Reservation".
First there is the "encounter" with the Native Dance, the
rhthym of which is:
"Orgy-porgy," she whispered to herself. These
drums beat out just the same rhythms. -- P.75.
... [the natives begin singing]
"It reminds me of a lower-caste Community Sing",
she told Bernard.
But a little later it was reminder her a good
deal less of that in-nocuous funtion. For suddenly
there had swarmed up from those round chambers
under-ground a ghastly toop of monsters. Hideously
masked or painted out of all semblance of humanity, [emph mine]
they had tramped out a strange limping dance round
the square; roudn and again round, signing as they
went, round and round -- each time a little faster.
Pp.74-75.
Note the clear use of her first observing that the
dance reminded here of their own primitive and
caste which was *designed* "out of all semblance of
humanity", and then the further re-inforcement of
the analogue in "strange limping dance", thus refering
to the physical de-habilitation of the epsilons.
I think there are two possible *intentions* here by
Huxley:
(1) That "without" knowing it, the programming and design
(by THE STATE) of the "orgy-porgy" harkens back to
this primitiveness; possibly Jungian implication of the
collective sub-conscious. That is the scientists who
"designed" the orgy porgy did so, not realising that
they are drawing upon this commonality of all humans.
We note that the *designers* (Alpha+'s) are themselves
the least modified (indeed as pointed out with the
conversation between Bernard and the Director (P.65)
"Alphas are conditioned that they do not have
to be infantile in their emotional behaviour. But,
that is all the more reason for their making a
special effort to conform."
Actually, i would say that they are not "conditioned so that",
but rather that they are in fact NOT conditioned at all --
or at least only moderately so.
Thus, it is at least arguable that the alpha+'s that designed
the orgy-porgy without being aware of it, were tap-ing into
the common primitive subconscious of the human race; ie, the
"id" at the very least.
(2) On the other hand, either Huxley is simply using a parallel
device here (again with the "intentionalist falacy"), to
draw the parallels between this *intense* dance, and as
Lenina sees it sharing nothing in common with that *in-nocous*
activity. Alternatively, Huxley may have very consciously
(being after all *Huxley*) quite aware of the making that
connection between the Freudian "id", Jungian "un-consicousness"
and expressing that as a direct ane *intentional* connection
between the primitive *orgy-porgy* and the *dance music*,
and then between the "lower caste group sing" and the
"wild dance". Of course Lenina (because of her programming)
can never understand that the lower caste sing is anything
but in-nocuous.
Next: Chalenges to the World of BNW.
Challenges to the World of BNW
As with all *absolute* systems, there is the question of
what are the threats -- or the "challenges". That is where
are the boundaries of weakness, indeed what the weaknesses
of the primary strengths of the system -- taking a page
from Machivelli.
After the Savage John is brought back to the London central
office, it is apparent that no realises the "danger" to the
system that John reprsents. Indeed,
"The controller skipped the next sentences [on John's
view of the soul] and was just about to turn the page
in search of something more interestingly concrete,
when his eye was caught by a series quite extraordinary
phrases. '... though I must admit", he read, 'that I
agree with the Savage in finding civilized inantility
too easy or, as he puts it, not expensive enough; and
would like to take this opportunity of drawing your
fordship's attention to...'
"Mustapha Mond's anger [from the fact that Bernard was
so dainty to think that he might offend the World
Controller, and so uses 'M-----' instead of spelling
out the ofensive word Mother], gave place almost at once
to mirth. The idea of this creature [Bernard] solemnly
lecturing him -- him -- about the social order
was rally too outrageous. The man must have gone mad.
'I ought to give him a lesson', he said to himself;
then threw back his head and laughed aloud. For the
moment, at any rate, the lesson would not be given."
-- Pp.106-107, Chapter 11.
This is key in that due to the hierarchical view, Mustapha
must necessarily consider himself superior to anyone else
other than a world leader -- he's *designed* that way; and,
especially to an accident like "Bernard". This also, is
one of the dangers of "believing in the system of belief"
that they have *the* perfect society. It is Mustapha's
un-conscious rejection of the "radically new" ideas of
John (the soul, his oppinions, in general) as nothing
but the ramblings of a throw-back and thus purely ludicrous.
This point is crucial in understanding how dangerous John
is to *the system* -- he has none of their suppositions,
indeed, he has none of their programming what-so-evev.
Indeed (apparently un-beknownst to them), he possess a
training in Shakespear -- arguably one of the fore-most
observer's of human nature. Thus, making John if nothing
else something of a totally alien creature: A visitor
to the Brave New World, whose "field training" includes
Shakespear as b/g for his "first contact mission".
All of this goes back to the concept of revolution in
Larry Niven's "Tourist" ??title? (later expanded into
the novel "World out of Joint/Time???title??), where --- title???
Peersa for the state (the computerised version of
the "controller") realises that the pilot that they
were training for ferrying planetary probes out to
the stars, and then has hijacked the ship, and plans
to return back to Earth -- how dangerous he might
be to "the state". The idea being that systems like
"the state" become stagnant, and thus vulnerable to
invasion from the outside. The conclusion being drawn
as an explanation for the fall of empires of the past.
Next: The characters of BNW.
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Characters
Bernard Marx (even at an early stage) is protrayed as the
less-than perfect character, and as such the most human;
ie, human as we would recognise it. Oddly in parallel to
the pathetic Lift Man, he too is struck by the simple
beauty of the sun-light/view at the top of the building.
The next sentence is key to understanding the *conditioning*
"Isn't it beautiful!" His [Bernard's] voice trembled a little.
She smiles at him with an expression of the most sympathetic
understanding. "Simply perfect for Obstacle Golf", she
answered rapturously. "And now I must fly, Bernard. ..."
-- P.40.
They both are programmed (probably via the flowers) to view
light and color as happy things. But Lenina's view is still
tied to "the proper behaviour" model. She interprets the
sun-light in terms of what Alphas should be doing, not in
the particular experience of the sunlight as pure experinence.
That is, interpreted *through* their programmed behaviours,
rather than interpreted as a simple and un-mediated experience.
Later (after his out-burst against Henry, and his
"seeing through" all of the programming; well, much of it).
He is with Helmholtz Watson (Pp.45-47), and he expresses
this "wanting something more"; ie, to make some deeper
contribution than the trite little "piercing phrases"
(P. 46). At the end of the chapter (P.47):
"Helmholtz Watson listened with a certain sense
of discomfort. "Poor Little Berard!" he said
to himself. But at the same time, he felt
rather ashamed for his friend. He wished Bernard
would show a little more pride."
This goes back to Helmholtz being so immersed in *the
system* -- he has benefitted from it greatly. And now of
course, that constant level of *sameness* is beginning to
weigh on him. I don't think this is Huxley as cautionary
tale-teller, i think it's rather more "too much of a good
thing". In fact, this goes back to the (i assume) Controller's
(Mustapha Mond), P.37:
"Now -- such progress -- the old men work, the old
men copulate, the old men have not time, no leisure
from pleasure, not a moment to sit down and think
-- or if ever by some unlucky chance such a crevice
of time should yawn in the solid substance of their
distractions, there is always soma, half a gram
for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two
grams for a trip to th gorgeous East, three for a
dark eternity on the moon; returning whnce they find
themselves on the other side of the crevice, safe
on the solid ground of daily labour and distraction,
scamperinty from feely to feely, from girl to
pneumatic girl, from Electomagetic Golf course, to..."
This is the ghost that haunts Helmholtz: Due to his
advanced mind, the normal pleasures are growing thin;
satiated in the same way that the programming is
supposed to drill things into everyone, the repeated
experience is now perceived as just that -- mindless
repetition.
This too is what Bernard already sees: Taking everything
for granted, but pretending like its all unique and
different. He sees them as choosing girls like so much
meat -- denying them (and themselves) any kind of
uniqueness. Thus, the experiences become generic.
This leads of course to the need for the *new* feelies.
And of course, the soma which skips them over the
abysis of free time.
Next: Le Guin.
NOTES (this section only)
[93]
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Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness
NOTE: All pages refer to the paperback edition:
"The Left Hand of Darkness", ISBN 0.441.47810.7
(Berkley publishing, New York, 1984)
In this section: {References}
{Comments upon first reading}
{Alien-ness}
{Patriotism}
{Time}
{Truth & Ignornace}
{Shifgrethor}
{Thirteen!}
Left Hand: References
All page numbers refer to the paperback edition:
"The Left Hand of Darkness", ISBN 0.441.47810.7
(Berkley publishing, New York, 1984)
[LEFT: Beyond Genre}
"Beyond Genre: Fiction for Children and Aduts",
by Mike Cadden, LCCN PS'3562.E42'Z615'2005,
ISBN 0.415.97218.3 (Routledge, NY/London, 2005).
(Series editor: Jack Zipes!)
The "Hainish Series"
(The "historiographic b/g" is given after the title
"Planet of Exile" -- clan tale
"Eye of the Heron" -- colonial imperialism
"Rocannon's World" --
"Left Hand of Darkness" -- potential Eckumen world; first contact
"The Dispossesed" -- Uniting two worlds
Next: Alien-ness in "Left Hand"...
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Alien-ness in "Left Hand"
Ostensibly, Left Hand does not deal with aliens. The idea
(so far, in my first reading of the first 30 pages) is that
these are "splinter" groups of the human race that have
lost contact with each other. (Similar to Eric Frank
Russell's short story "Freedom: I Want" (the planet of -----------
the "Gandhs" ??name??).
Thus, the alien-ness is that of culture (need to cf/qv this
with Dickinson's "Alien Way" -- ie, an acutal alien way of
thinking). As to how this alien-ness is developed -- we'll
see, we'll see.
For the present, at the time of its writng (1969) most people
would have thought "bi-sexual" to be quite alien (I know that
i did ;). But, more than that she presses this home:
... Such a man as Estraven must have guards about him
somewhere, for assasination is a lively institution
in Karhide, but I had seen no guard, heard none. We
were alone. [Note 1]
I was alone, with a stanger, inside the walls of
a dark palace, in s atrange snow-changed city, in the
heart of an Ice Age of an alien world.
Everhthing I had said, tonight and ever since I
came to Winter, suddenly apppeard to me as both stupid
and incredible. How could I expect this man or any
other to believe my tales about other worlds, other
races, a vague benevolent government somewhere off
in space? It was all non-sense. I had appeared in
Harhid in a queer [2] kind of ship, and I differed
physically from Gehenians in some respects; that
wanted explaining. But my own explanations were
preposterous. I did not, in that moment, beleive
them myself. -- P. 18.
Next: {Patriotism}
NOTES (This section only)
[1] This set-up only serves to
create the sense of isolation for the next part. (This
goes back to the H2G2 when the bar-keep "gets" the sense
of far from home Ford Prefect is (some-where in the first
chapter or 2).
{Back to the TEXT}
[2] I can *not* believe the
choice of this word (queer) is arbitrary. Obviously
to an enlightened individual (Mr. Ai) -- or so, i assume
at this point in the novel (page 30, first reading) would
hardly use the word in a derrogatory manner -- perhaps
even having lost its meaning entirely over the years.
The "Art of Being Human", short story where on a planet
??title?? the natives had a previous visitor and had
warned them how primitive the human race was. The aliens
are then ready when some 200 years later they are contacted
by an official scout ship. And the visitors "read" the
minds of the natives and find that if they say the
wrong thing, the natives will instantly kill them.
Finally, they are brought into a shrine to the earlier
explorer (who helped them build proper sewers, and
other benefits of civilisation). Finally the captain
of the ship sez: Look I know you all think of this
man as some sort of god, but look at him. He's just
a man. Yes, in those days it took a certain kind of
man to dare to set off into the cosmos alone to explore,
those were rough and tumble days, but we are more
civilised now. I'm sorry, but to us he's just an
ordinary man -- nothing more!" (not an exact quote)
At that point, the chieftain sez they are welcome and
that the entire village welcomes the earther's as
friends. The captain confesses that they had read
their minds, hoping to make concact as peacfull as
possible. And that they didn't know what it was that
they were supposed to say that would trigger their
own deaths. The chieftain speaks two words. The captain
and the others are completely puxxled -- they had
never even heard the words. They go off into the
nights hand-in-hand. As (in the novel) the "camera
pans" back, it reveals in the portrait a paining
of an heroic figure in a space suit, helmit under
his arm, white hair, and jet black skin.
-- damn it! I wish I had still had that collection
-- every story in there was *that* good. Such are
the dreams and tales that we simple hippy poets
try to use to heal the world and slowly lead us all
into a better future.
(night all)
{Back to the TEXT}
Next: Left hand: Patriotism.
{Back to the START of the Le Guin Section}
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Patriotism in "Left Hand"
...[Estraven speaking:] I can not ask for your trust any
longer, either, having put you in jeopardy. I forgot what
a king is, forgot that the king is his own eyes is
Karhide, forgot what patriotism is and that he is, of
necessity, the perfect patriot. Let me ask you this,
Mr. Ai: do you know by your own experience, what
patriotism is?"
"No", I said, shaken by the force of that intense
personality suddenly turning itself wholly upon me.
"I don't think I do. If by patriotism you don't
mean the love of one's home-land, for that I do know".
"No, I don't mean love, when I say patriotism. I
mean fear. The fear of the other. And its expressions
are politcial, not poetical: hate, rivalry, aggression.
It grows in us, that fear. It grows in us year by year.
We've followed our road too far. And you, who come
from a world that out-grew nations centuries ago, who
hardly know what I'm talking about, who show us the
new road --" He broke off. After a while he went on,
in control again, cool polite: "It's because of fear
that I refuse to urge your cause with the king, now.
But not fear for myself, Mr. Ai. I'm not acting
patriotically. There are, afer all, other nations
on Gethen". -- P. 19. [3]
I had no idea what he was driving at, but was sure
that he did not mean what he seemed to mean. Of
all the dark, obstructive, enigmatic souls I had met
in this bleak city, his was the darkest. I would not
play his labyrithine game. I made no reply. After a
while he went on, rather cautiously, "If I've
understood you, your Ekumen [galactic conclave] is
devoted essentially to the general [page 19/20 break]
interest of mankind. Now, for instance, the Orgota
have experience in subordinating local interests to
a general interest, while Karhide has almost none.
And the Commenesals of Orgogreyn are mostly sane men,
if un-intellegent, while the king of Karhide is not
only insane but rather stupid". [4] -- Pp. 19-20.
It was clear that Estraven had no loyalties at all.
I said in faint disgust, "It must be difficult to
serve him, if that's the case".
I'm not sure that I've ever severd the king", said the
king's prime minister. "Or ever intended to. I'm not
anyone's servant. A man must cast his own shadow. ..."
[Note that the "shadow" metaphor is mentioned again
in the next chapter "The Place in the Blizzard"]
A further example of what Estraven meant by "patriotims"
(and amplication of how "wrong" Ai's reply to "What is
patriotism?" was):
[The sailor that rescued Estraven]: "It's not Sixth
Hour yet", and yet answering another, "What affair
of mine is that? The king exiled him, I'll follow
the king's order, no lesser man's".
So, against radio commands from Tibe's men ashore
and against the arguments of his mate [I assume
ships-mate, and not a "kemmer"], who feared
retribution, that officer of the Kuseben Patrol
took me across the Gulf of Charisune and set me
ashore asafe in Shelt Port in Orgoreyn. Whether
he did this *shifgrethor* against Tibe's men who
would kill an un-armed man, or in kindness, I do
not know. Nusuth "The admirable is
in-explicable".
-- P.78.
{Back to SHIFGRETHOR discussion}
Next: Time.
NOTES (this section only)
[3] Here we notice the way that the two views of
patriotism are played out against each other. On
the one hand Ai views it as loyalty to one's country
-- that is united in a cultural, linguistic, and
historical sense. Estraven (and presumably his fellow
citizens) define it by their fear of the other. The
irony here is that a person from a galactic empire
(100 light years across) expresses an almost nostaglic
sense of patriotism, while on this tiny little world
the petty-minded natives can only see their own bickering
and fighting for favor with the king, or at least not
being attacked by other "nations".
This goes back to the cultural homo-geneity of Karhide.
The people vary in height, but not by much, their
behaviour (so far, it seems) is governed by strict
structures of socially acceptable practice. (This
is made even more apparent in the next chapter
"The Place Inside The Blizard" -- as cautionary
tale (esp the interpretation of "incest" -- v. odd,
will require some thought!).
{Back to the TEXT}
[4] At this point, I will refrain (slightly)
from connecting the dialog to the politics of Nixon,
Vietnam, etc. There could however be an imlication about
democracy vs communism. If we read the "general
interest" to be a "world-view" (which I think *is*
valid), then the "local interest" goes back to
nationalism -- and hence the almost rabbid isolationism
of Karhide. This is made all the clear by the word
"subordinating" when speacking about the Orgata.
And Estraven use of "sane if un-intellegent" shows us
his view (predjudice) against prefering the general to
the local (indeed this point is hammered home in the
next paragraph) -- Estraven puts his onwn, private (local)
interests ahead of those of the public (general).
Odd thought: The name Estraven "Est" "raven" hmm, wonder
if there's a connection or intention there?
"EST" could be the cult-like "E.S.T. training" and of
course raven - a mysterious, black bird of note at least
in Poe's poem of the same name.
{Back to the TEXT}
Next: "Time".
{Back to the START of the Le Guin Section}
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Time
See also: {Time & Truth}
Again the problem of tim appears (most cogently, need re-read
the whole thing from a "time" POV) in the section of
the fastness; esp, P. 59. This goes back to the feel of
the place (Rer/HanHanddara/Otherhord) as sort of a Buddhist temple
-- trying to lose one self (the "un-trance"). This also
goes back to "they always live in year zero". Very odd,
as if "just by saying it is so, they can fix their time.
(THis goes doubly back to the "illusion" of immortality
that they preceive in Ai's "time-dilution" via lightspeed
travel). hmmm
Also, this goes to the idea of the foretellers as being
sought after since they can tell the "people who live in
year zero" about the FUTURE. (spooky music in background)
P.61 - ref to taoism/i ching. Hmmm. What *is* she sayin???
(how old was she when she wrote this?? Hmm, 40 years old
apparently!
Near the bottom of P.70, Faxe (facsimille?) seems to be
saying that the "foretelling" is not so much as asking a
question and then looking into the future, but by asking
the question and DETERMINING an answer, that they are
CREATING that future.
And then the thing about "not asking the wrong question".
And the divinely mystical statement:
"To exhibit the perfect use-less-ness of knowing the
answer to the wrong question".
That is, that as an example (another cautionary tale?)
to those that would have the ENTIRE future spelled out.
Thus, by exhibiting the idea of such "nothingness"
("Nusuth", bot of P.58) as i'm reading it (non-ado
-- assuming i'm correct in that she's using the tao as
part of (at least) some of the back-story of the novel).
the foretellers "warn" kings and such about the useless
of asking. (hmmm,?)
Next: "Truth and Ignornace".
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Truth & Ignorance
Pp.38&ff.
The King asks "Very well. As your machine what makes
a man a traitor".
And of course gets back a nebulous (and if we look
closely) *relativist* answer. This gives us the
impression that "tratorship" is in the eyes of
a *different* beholder; ie, mo man considers himself
a traitor. (This is arguable, since s/he may be
acting in *self* interest and not give a damn about
either (any) side, dismissing (rationalising) their
actions with "they're all a bunch of insane fools".
Regardless, a telling moment occurs,
"And if there were anything that the Ekumens ?eka-humans? hmmm
wanted from us, they wouldn;t have sent you alone.
It's a joke, a hoax. ALiens would be here by the
thousdand".
Ai: "But it doesn't take a thousand men to open a door,
my lord".
Arg: "It might to keep it open"
Ai: The Ekumen will wait till you open it, sir. It will
force nothing on you. I was sent alond, and remain
alone, in order to make it impossible for you to fear me.
"Fear you?", said the king, turning his shadow-scarred face,
grinning, speaking loud and high. "But I do fear you, Envoy.
I fear those who sent you. I fear liars, and I fear
tricksters, and worst I fear the bitter truth."
-- P.39-40.
And then with the tale of the fore-tellers, it is clear that
Lord Berosty (in his arogance of power?) seeks to know the
day of his death, and the foretellers say on the 19th of
some month (but not which month or year). His lover Herbor
then un-selfishly goes to find out, and is told that Berosty
will die after Herbor. This is "future knowledge" as not
necessarily cautionary tale. I take the "moral" of the tale
that in arrogance Berosty sets in motion his own doom --
obviously since he is obsessed with his on mortality,
and to the extent that (if not already mad) he certainly
goes mad there-after. Also, I take it since the tale
ends "He lived a month thus" (P.46) that the time of the
original event of Herbor was in fact on the 18th/19th,
thus he lived a full (and exactly one) month longer than
Herbor.
This being the second tale (the Place in the Blizzard
being the first), Le Guin seems to be making a special
"thing" out of time. This coupled with the light-speed
thingie, as well as the "simultaneity" communicator.
These are "sort of" in defiance of relativity. I'm not
sure if this is just a "plot element" (ie, "History has
known many liars, Kopernicus, Ralph the Liar, Einstein" ;)
or is supposed to be a future break-thru as necessary
element for space travel. On the other hand, I will be
"watching" for other references to time! (what-ever that is!)
{Back to TIME}
*** NOT SURE where this next thing goes (hmmm, should i
provide a "glossary" -- prob one out on the net!
** VOCAB: Investigaor vs Mobile; note the similarity
of mobile to "missionary" in "spreading the
word" or the "galactic union".
Shifgrether
The word "shifgrether" ???
Ref'd earlier: {Estraven's escape}
Yegey: "I waive shifgrethor". P. 84.
Thirteen
Refered to variously (odd)
Yegey: "I've voted thirteen times now against pressing
the Sinoth Valley dispute. -- P.85
CLearly (to me) the border dispute between Karhide and
Orgoreyn (Soviet Union) is parallel to US vs Russia.
There's even a reference (P.82) "Yegey (Yevgenye in Russian)
looking just as he looked at the Reception of
the *Archipelegan* Ambassador in the Ceremmonial
Hall of the Plaace of Erhenrang seven month before". -P.82.
SITH ref (prob a coinkydink) -- Yegey poured out another
dram around of lifewater.
Orgota nobelmen drink that precious fire, brought 5000
miles over the foggy seas from Sith, as if it were beer"
--P.85.
The wonder of "first contact" P.86&ff -- beauty, 'tis
beauty squared that this wondrous poetess has seen fit
to bestow upon our world. And here I sit, almost half
a century in the future and her words come to me. Guide
me, oh poetess! Oh, muses! (it is enough to drive me
insane -- providing of course i'm not in for it already!)
Dothe (hysterical strength; note "hyster" == "fem"),
P.59 (bottom), and then when the
disappearance of kings P. 69, and hence Ai's *** LINK/NOVE to patriotism section.
mis-understanding of patriotism.
to not know is to know, etc. P.70-71.
Pronoun usage: Pp.94-95.
Again "war as purely masculine" thing:
Pp.48 (bottom), P.49 (patriotism as well)
Pp.95-96
War (contemplated, meeting with Yegey & Obsule), P.84
(bottom) to P.85
Shifgrether
The word "shifgrether" ???
Ref'd earlier: {Estraven's escape}
Ignorance
Anyway, at the "Fastness"P.56, Ai admits "I'm exceedingly
ignorant", to which the other replies in great admiration,
"I've lived here 3 years, but haven't acquire enough
ignornace to be worth mentioning". Hmmm, i take this back
to the King fearing "the biter truths". This smacks of
ignorance is bliss (or at the very least ignorance *as*
bliss). Thus, as we grow wiser (more knowledgible) we
realise just how much we don't know. Thus, to be ignorant
(or at least "properly so") *would* be a sign of great
wisdom, and hence achievement. This goes back to the idea
of a "specialist" who knows more and more about less and
less.
Next: Lem, natch!
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Stanislov Lem
In this section: {The Cyberiad} (Robot Stories)
{SOlaris}
Lem: Cyberiad
This section contains NO SPOILERS; but, sub-sections below DO.
This beautiful "fair tales of the future" book concerns a far
future (or a different universe?) where-in the inhabitants
(and main protagonists) are two inventor robots that are in
constant competition with each other.
Lem (like Douglas Adams) has that fanciful turn of phrase
and plot of a poet that takes us on a roller coaster ride
of ideas. One of the more delightful episodes comes when
one inventor tries to create a computer that can create
poetry to "show" the other what a brill inventor he is.
As he progresses to figure out how to program the robot,
Lem tells us that he first reads works on language theory,
and technical matters; but, as he becomes bored with that,
he turns to works on poetry, the aesthetics, etc. And then
when he becomes bored with that, he switches back to the
technical matters. This simple matter has much gainstayed
me in my own works - as i get tired of working on the
"Maths Appreciation", then i switch (for example ;) to
the on-going text on "Science Fiction as Literature", and
by odd thoughts take up writing about the author of
"Solaris" and his Polish book entitled "Robot Stories".
To discuss:
making nothing
SPOILERS in this sub-section.
the conglomerated giant
NO SPOILERS, this sub-section ONLY.
The Priate and the Maxwell's Demon of the Second kind.
the fake human // to John Savage
Next: Niven & Pournell.
Niven & Pournelle
The Mote in God's Eye & The Gripping Hand.
NEXT: Cordwainer Smith.
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Cordwainer Smith
See also: [Paul Linebarger (MAC: sf writers)]
The Instrumentality of man (series/future history)
Under People
See also: {
NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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zzz
NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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NEXT: Aldris: "Cryptozoic".
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Robert Louis Stevenson
"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
published in 1886
Also, compare this with the publication of Mary Shelly's
"Frankenstein - Or the Modern Prometheus" (1918) and her
ideas that the difference between life and death would be
eroded by the march of science. And even more important
that even the scientist involved was powerless to control
his creation. We could take this as a cautionary tale of
how the fruits of the industrial revolution itself were of
a "mixed nature" - one only has to look at paintings of
the time of SMOKE stacks spoling the pristine country-side
to see the reflection of this first falling away of the
Age of Romance's love affair "progress".
Stevenson's ??? text ???
Among Freud's most important (and earliest) publications are:
Studies on Hysteria (with Josef Breuer) (Studien über Hysterie, 1895)
The Interpretation of Dreams (Die Traumdeutung, 1899 [1900])
The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (Zur Psychopathologie des Alltagslebens, 1901)
Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (Drei Abhandlungen zur Sexualtheorie, 1905)
-- src: -[wikipedia]-
Note that his "3 essays on sexuality" were published in 1905,
the same year as Einstein's paper on Relativity.
To the prim and proper "best of all possible *industrial* worlds,
Freud's ideas must have come like a bombshell. Not only had Darwin
told us that we were decended from "lower" forms, and Shelly
and Stevenson had warned us of the possible mis-uses of
science and its effect on man - now Freud said that we
carried "the mindless savage" within each of us, and
it needed no potions or scientific trickery to bring it out.
Jules Verne
H.G. Wells