Cock Review

In Will Self's Cock, an uninspired and self-contained woman wakes up one morning to learn that she has grown a fully functioning penis. While the character of Carol is apathetic to everything, her personality is still incredibly intriguing. Her marriage to Dan is the consequence of her first orgasm given by three sandpaper thrusts and Dan's descent into alcoholism is the first time Carol practices masturbating. Carol's awareness of her own sexuality and independence initiates the growth of a "frond" above her vagina. The narrative sequence following the first uncomfortable sexual encounter between Carol and Dan to their vacant marriage is fascinating to observe because Self has a facetious approach to describing it. Self's writing style distances himself from the characters emotionally, yet the omnipresent narrator knows more about the thoughts of the character's than they do themselves. Self incorporates a high-level vocabulary with simple sentences, which blurs the line between poetic and casual jargon. Carol's eventual evolvement into manhood is a striking comment on the machismo and ego that arises from testosterone, and the awareness of a woman's capability to completely fend for herself. As Dan becomes more and more feminine once he finishes the masculine habit of getting drunk, Carol quits drinking and gains attitude as well as the desire for dominance. When Carol behaves like a violent pervert, she takes on the role of the exaggerated "manly man", whose worth is measured in sexual prowess.  

Immaculate

Judy was 57 years old when she discovered she was pregnant. Judy did not worry about her age; she had heard of a 70 year old Indian woman who gave birth to twins. Judy did not worry that she did not have the financial means or the time to care for a child; since her divorce 2 and a half years ago, she had been collecting alimony checks and was well taken care of. No, what Judy was concerned with was the fact that since her divorce 2 and a half years ago, she had not had sex. Not that Judy had not tried to have a fling, because she had. She spent every Saturday night for the last year and nine months putting on her tightest dress and highest heels, painting her face with so many powders, creams, and shadows that it even concealed her personality (conversation was not one of Judy's priorities). She sat at the bar of the Plaza Hotel, eyeing the businessmen in three piece suits wandering through the bar, waiting for a weary traveler to kindly ask for a rest in her bosom. Just one night with a man leaving in the morning, the rush of sneaking out post coitus, the blisters on her feet from being in stilettos too long; this was all Judy wanted. However, each and every Saturday night spent at the bar, eyeing men from beneath her heavy mascara, Judy went home horny and alone. Now, as she sat on the examining cushion in the doctor's office, crinkling the paper with every rise and fall of a hairy thigh, Judy had to accept the doctor's news that she had, in fact, conceived a child. Judy was not worried that her home was not big enough for a nursery, because it was. Judy did not worry that New York was an unsafe place to raise a child; she was raised in the City and as far as she can remember, her childhood was above average. No, what Judy was concerned with was the fact that her doctor's ass looked incredibly firm in his slacks, and she was incredibly horny.

Changes

In Cock and Bull, Carol has begun to realize the downfall of her marriage and relation to Dan, and has therefore begun the practice of satisfying herself. In her transition towards emotional masculinity, she is now growing a penis. Gaspar Noe's Enter the Void is another instance of someone undergoing a physical transformation. Oscar read The Tibetan Book of the Dead, and after he is shot and killed, his body begins floating through the streets of Tokyo, observing the friends and family he left behind. The story is incredibly slow moving and highlights the theme of a reincarnated spirit. Enter the Void does not share a similar plot to Cock and Bull, but in regard to fiction, it holds a similar plot line about changing bodies. Oscar begins to reflect on momentous occasions in his past and the director toys with the notion of a reborn spirit. Usually when a character undergoes some time of extreme physical transformation, they begin to notice impurities in their past self. This early on in Cock and Bull, it's difficult to tell whether or not Carol is analyzing her past life. However, it will be interesting to see how Self utilizes her newfound sexual confidence to separate Carol from her "insipid" personality.

Don't Cry

Mary Gaitskill's "Don't Cry" was similar to stories we've read in class in the sense that the author is disconnected to her writing. Gaitskill's description of the stolen piece of soul gives a very mystical aura to an otherwise casual encounter. None of the characters are named, which makes the story seem generic and attractive to all audiences. Sex and love are often overlooked and not analyzed in a way regarding the spiritual realm. The soul being connected to internal organs is a romanticized way of viewing the body. The "British style" we've been reading so far has been more crass and contains some inappropriate subject matter, but "Don't Cry" is a fairly innocent tale. 

All Guts (No Glory)

"The Guts and Guts Effect" freaked me out. If I were a guy, it would probably be even harder to read a story about young boys almost dying while doing something as common as masturbating. "Guts"'s transgressive style could be noted through Palahniuk's use of explicit detailed writing, as well as his disregard for subtlety. Like Crash or Money, the characters in "Guts" all share an extreme obsession: masturbating. With a complete disregard for how badly they are ruining themselves, the boys did all they could to achieve the highest form of orgasm. The scene with the boy's bowels being trapped in the pool's vacuum is incredibly descriptive, adding shock value to an already obscene narrative. Chuck speaks rather matter-of-factly and states the sequence of events as if he were detached from the whole ordeal. The story's purpose is almost a warning to young kids who buy into myths spread around circles of immature boys.   

Nights and Money

I have a different edition of Nights at the Circus, so forgive the fact that our page numbers won't align.

In Nights at the Circus, I quite enjoy the scenes where Fevvers behaves like a slob although she constantly describes herself as being some angelic winged goddess. When Walser is interviewing Fevvers in her dressing room and they take a sandwich break, Fevvers' eating habit is described as being messy and somewhat savage-like. She "tucked in" the sandwich "with relish, a vigorous mastication of large teeth, a smacking of plump lips smeared with grease"(59). Fevvers had just narrated her time as the only virgin in a brothel, where she was an innocent figure in the foyer; she illustrates herself as such a dainty woman, but she belches and wipes her greasy mouth on her satin sleeve. This contrast of civility with unsophisticated behavior is similar to the antics of John Self. He can carry himself in a business lunch or at a meeting with one of his actors, yet his true self is incredibly obscene and inappropriate. He's sloppy and unclean, yet this true nature is more or less hidden when he is conducting business.

An instance where there is a combination of femininity and reality vs. artifice can be found in the passage where Fevvers is at the Royal College of Surgeons. Walser recalls how she spent three hours "entertaining" the surgeons, "without so much as unbuttoning her bodice". Fevvers is speaking about her own reality, yet there is no way of knowing whether her reality is true because she never provides indisputable evidence. When she shows Walser the scar at the bottom of her foot, there is no way of knowing where that scar actually came from. She speaks with such confidence that no one questions her actual knowledge of the subject. Carter writes that the professors did not want to be "rude" in "questioning the extent of her personal knowledge". The fact that Carter used the word "rude", to me, shows the professors' sense of manners when it comes to dealing with women (67). If the person who claimed to be a bird was part man, it is likely that these professors would grill him for actual evidence of his claims. Since Fevvers is an attractive, and relatively large, woman, no one wants to upset a lady by refuting her arguments. She also posses the charm and eloquence of a master of persuasion. She has a way of speaking matter-of-factly and with such enthusiasm, which makes it difficult for someone to put a word in edgewise. 

bbc

Just discovered that the BBC made a movie adaptation of Money. I can't find the full film (it's split into two episodes) but I've found some snippets. It's super 80's and super corny. Also the guys from Mad Men and Shaun of the Dead are in it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ890GSNB5Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaKLMS20YTk&feature=relmfu

Acting in Money

One of Shakespeare's more famous quotes was, "All the world's a stage, And the men and women merely players". Shakespeare's plays often included characters disguising themselves as other people, similar to the characters in Money. John Self was manipulated by those around him, believing them to be friends when they were actually enemies. Fielding, Selina, and Barry all acted and pretended to be something they were not in order to get what they wanted from Self. Othello's titular character was tricked by his right-hand man into believed that Desdemona was cheating, and he believed it by giving in to his insecurities. Self is incredibly self-loathing, so he accepts whatever people tell him. Self even lied to himself and tried to believe that money was really the most important thing in the world. By "acting", Amis referring to the practice of pretending to be something different than one's true persona. At the end of the novel, Self is content with his life and it leads the reader to believe that money was not the only thing Self needed to be happy, no matter what he kept telling himself and whoever would listen. Selina did not really pretend to love Self, but she put up with him just because she was greedy for materials; when they reunited later, she pretended to want to sleep with him only so she could have Martina walk in and catch them in the act. Barry Self pretended to be Self's father for years, and Fat Vince had to play the role of a man watching his son grow up from afar. Lorne, Butch, Spunk, and Caduta were all literally actors, yet they insisted on making insane demands in an effort to hide their self-esteem issues. Lorne was ashamed of his age and his vanishing fame, yet he assumed the role of a pompous and highly regarded actor that expected no less than center stage. Butch wanted to be seen as intelligent and Spunk as pure. Fielding, perhaps the strongest example of a fake persona, lied to Self so often and hid his true nature so well that Self actually believed him to be three separate people. Fielding convinced Self that he was paying for all of the expenses and that they even had a company, Fielding & Self, together. Fielding also had an alter-persona as Frank and Phone and a ginger women that followed Self around all the time. The purpose of including all of these "actors" in Self's life was to show the false realities that can accumulate when you are obsessed with just one thing. Self was unobservant of his surroundings and allowed himself to be fooled as long as he thought it would inflate his bank account. Money is associated with superficiality and the characters in Money bought in to this lifestyle. People did anything just to make a quick dollar.

Edmondson and Miracky on Money

           I was only supposed to write about one article, but there are points I'd like to address from both Edmondson's Martin Amis Writes Postmodern Man and Miracky's Hope Lost or Hyped Lust? In Edmondson's essay, he analyzes Amis' own obsession with writing about the topic of obsession. It's interesting to note that although Amis writes about his characters' obsessions in a pretty negative light, he himself appears to obsess over the idea of obsessions. In Money, Self's only concern is acquiring and spending money. He believes that all of his self-esteem and social issues can resolved once he reaches the pinnacle of wealth and has his entire body "refit" (207). Fielding, to Self, is the embodiment of money, so Self strives to be just like him. It's a shame to have read this article before having finished the book, but fter learning how the story ends, it is ironic that Fielding, whom Self aspired to be like, is the reason why Self destroys himself. In Self's process to obtain as much money as possible, he has been running his fortune into the ground in order to produce this movie that is supposed to be his big money break. 

           When Miracky mentions Money's plot, he describes it as being "convoluted and gap-filled". I think that the gaps in Money's plot is intentional because we are experiencing everything through the point of view of a self-indulgent alcoholic. Self blacks out most nights and does not remember events that occur, so his missing information is our missing information. The points where Self leaves details out when recounting a story is extremely important in his narration style because it gives him his own personality, as opposed to the reader associating it with Amis' own thoughts. Martin Amis is a character in the book because he is a sort of a weight holding Self to the ground. The same goes for Martina, whose name is conveniently similar to Martin. Most of Money is told in medias res, where the reader is plopped into the middle of a story line and is forced to catch up with only what Self has to say about the situation. Characters appear so natural, as if they have lives outside of Money.

Humor in Money

In Money, Amis writes with a sarcastic and exaggerated voice, which is comedic because the characters and situations he describes are both unbelievable and completely plausible. The people that Self encounters are the most absurd individuals and their beliefs are unfamiliar to what I, personally, am used to. At the same time, though, it is not hard to believe that people like this would exist in the world, not just a fictional setting. Lorne Guyland believes himself to be a master of his craft and the entire passage where he describes his expectations for his character in Good Money is really humorous. Lorne has been hired to do this acting job, yet he behaves as if his presence is an honor and a privilege for everyone - as if the movie is being graced with his skills. On page 171, He refers to the character Gary as "Garfield", and rather than being an average Joe bar owner, Lorne envisions Garfield as a suave Renaissance man. Lorne, as well as all of the actor's taking part in Good Money, are very demanding about what they want their characters to be like. Lorne, however, is the most outrageous because he goes on these tangents about Garfield's money, foreign homes, and cultural treasures. Self's reaction to Lorne's rants are great because he sees the absurdity of this situation, but speaks about it as if this were to be expected from an actor. He does not fight with Lorne, but agrees with him like an adult would an imaginative child. Amis employs a great deal of Cicero's practice of humor because Self constantly points out flaws in himself as well as others. Self is an extreme self-loather but he still indulges himself like a playboy. Like the Quintillian definition to "refresh" the audience with commentary, Self interjects throughout his narrations. He has sly remarks about the people he encounters, yet he insults himself in the process, almost like saying that he does not expect anyone around him to be normal because he himself is far from it. Having Self's descriptions of the people he interacts with are helpful because although he is reckless and self-destructive, he maintains a sort of level-headed unbiasedness when he is referring to someone. Everything occurs the way it is, and Self's commentary provides a similar message to that of a glance in our direction or a shrug of the shoulders. 

Mo Money Mo Problems

A specific passage that struck me was Self's description of his London flat at the bottom of page 64. He says he likes to think of it as a "playboy pad" - a place where beautiful women congregate and lavish parties are thrown. His wishes for his flat are in no way representative of the actual appearance of his home, though, and its smell of "batch, of bachelordom" connotes a sense of loneliness. He warns the reader to not let "batch into your life" because it leaves the victim feeling rather pathetic and unsatisfied. Self's flat is a metaphor for his own emotions, and Amis expresses this when he attaches the word "poor" to Self's flat, compares it to an "adolescent", and writes that it "pines for a female presence". Self is heartbroken without Selina and her departure ruined his self-esteem, so Self's descriptions of his flat are actually representative of his own shortcomings. "Her dressing-gown, her moisturizing creams, the treasure-chest of her knicker drawer" are small details of Selina that symbolize her presence as a whole - a presence that has caused Self both happiness and sorrow. As the passage goes on, Self describes how everything in his flat is "hired". If something is "hired" it is generally temporary because it has the potential to be fired later on. Money gives Self all of the material items he needs, but the fact that they are "hired" makes it very impersonal and incapable of dependency. "I've lived here for ten years now and nothing is mine". Self travels frequently and the fact that "nothing" feels like it's his shows how unstable he is, even in his own home. Everything Self owns can vanish if he loses his money. Compared to the rest of the novel thus far, this excerpt is more depressing because it shows Self with his guard down, speaking less confidently and self-assured than he usual.  

Money

Although John Self is supposed to be an exaggerated self-indulger, I actually feel some type of relation to him. Self is rather harsh, but his sarcasm is a language I can understand. Self is extremely opinionated and much of what he says resonates some truth. Since the first 50 or so pages take place in New York City, most of the locations he describes are places I have been to myself. When he mentions how "Broadway always contrives to be just that little bit shittier than the zones through which it bends" (32), I can't help but chuckle because I can see where he's coming from. I'm sure Broadway was much different in the 1980's, but, even now, it still has traces of "shitty". Since the story is written in first person narrative, the separation between Amis and John Self is a bit blurred. Third person narrative is sometimes not opinionated, and because Amis seems to be speaking through Self, he does not allow himself a chance to be a nonpartisan. Amis' style is also domineering. Self has strong opinions on things and speaks in very matter-of-fact tone. When he acknowledges the reader, he speaks as if he knows their thoughts. When describing the types of people Self hates, Amis writes, "...And you hate me, don't you. Yes you do." (59) Amis and Self are generalizing and stereotyping the type of people who use money for charity as opposed to means of self-gratification. His sentences are short and simple, not leaving any room for interpretation. Since Self, "as a rule, hate[s] people who are the beneficiaries of a university education"(59), Amis is implying that Self's views are not prone to change. Self is judgmental, which is a quality that many people can possess. Amis writes what other people are thinking, and even if it is not actually how they feel, Amis will say it is.         

Crash: Film vs. Novel

It is very rare that I like a movie adaptation more, or even equal to, the original novel, so I may be a bit biased in my opinion of Cronenberg's Crash. While I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, I felt that the film fell short in conveying Ballard's message about technology. It's understandable that the movie would leave out certain details from the book, but one of the more noticeable absences is the reference to Elizabeth Taylor. Vaughan's dream was to die with her in a car crash, yet the movie did not explain this at all. It was important to note the connection between cultural figures and technology because Ballard was explicit in his mentioning of the era's culture. Also, I felt like the movie followed less of a story line than the novel. In Ballard's written version, we are able to get inside James' head and follow his progression of machine obsession and his feelings toward the other characters. Where in the book the relationship between Vaughan and James goes in depth and we see James' transformation from an admirer to a dominator, the movie fails to show this change. In Cronenberg's film, James' thoughts were less obvious and his actions were therefore unexplained and confusing. This is similar to Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. In Burgess' novel, the language that Alex and his "droogs" use is so prominent that you are transported into this world and begin to think like him. In the movie, this unique vocabulary is not used as much because a lot of the explanations can just rely on imagery as opposed to text. This makes it difficult to place yourself in the mind of Alex and somehow understand how he behaves. In the book version of Crash, we can visualize Ballard's descriptions and incorporate our own imagination to envision a warped scene of man and machine interacting. In the film, the images are laid out too literally, so it visually does not make any sense in the context of what message Cronenberg is trying to adapt. 

The Conclusion of Crash

           "The body itself is only a medium" (Baudrillard 313). Particular motifs that I had previously mentioned are the constant references to scars and other bodily imperfections. Each character is scarred due to some, no pun intended, run-in with an automobile. Gabrielle loses sensation in her legs due to an accident and is therefore confined to a wheelchair; this handicap attracts James and he associates the hand pedals in Gabrielle's car with her actual body. After James gets in his first car crash and is sent to the hospital, he revels in the sight of his car's imprints in his chest and abdomen. Ballard is showing James' excitement for metaphorically turning into a car himself. Vaughan has the most surface impurites, and this conjoins him to cars - this is also possibly why James adores Vaughan so much. The closer James gets to Vaughan, the closer he gets to symbolically having sex with a machine. He is incredibly attracted to Vaughan's scars and licks them when they copulate in the car. After the two have sex, they "showed [their] wounds to each other, exposing the scars on [their] chests and hands to the beckoning injury sites in the interior of the car" (203). When James looks back on their sexual encounter, he realizes that the "sex act between [them] had been devoid of all sexuality" (212). James has a true love for what Vaughan represents; this sex is not comparable to the sex he has with random women, it is a union between James and his technologic love. Vaughan is the metaphoric embodiment of a car crash; he has a strong physique and is intense and destructive, yet damaged.
            It is comforting for each character to be around someone who is, in their own way, damaged. Helen's scar was left on her heart when her husband died, but she found "happiness in Gabrielle's scars and injuries" (224). Ballard uses the word "perverse" (223) when he describes Helen's attraction to Gabrielle, perhaps contributing this affection to the off-beat world that they are living in. In the world of Crash, Ballard is trying to represent the beginning of an era completely dependent on technology. A culture that is so familiar to the readers is ceasing to have meaning because they will all begin to rely on machines. Vaughan is trying to kill Elizabeth Taylor, a classic celebrity icon and symbol of a generation. Vaughan has sex with women that look like Elizabeth Taylor in different stages of her life because society is brainwashed to try and look like their favorite stars. By killing off representations of a world that readers can recognize, Ballard is showing what the future will look like once people have begun to depend on technology to interact with each other. Vaughan is interacting with Elizabeth Taylor through automotive destruction as opposed to verbal communication.
            Ballard also frequently uses the word "marriage". He may attempting to reclaim the meaning of the word which often resembles a traditional and conforming practice. After Seagrave died in Elizabeth Taylor's costume, Vaughan's plan of killing her was referred to as a "wedding with himself already celebrated across the bloody altar of Seagrave's car" (187). If there is an intimate moment between a person and a car, they are usually referred to as married. The woman Seagrave killed in the accident "[married] her body with the stylized contours of the instrument panel and windshield (189). In Crash's society of dysfunctional marriage and human interactions, the term "marriage" is used as a representation of union between a person and a machine. 

Ballard-esque Writing

Her mouth gaped as she shoved the spongey bread into her mouth. Sugary cream dripped down the sides of her moist lips and, like a running stream, trickled down to her cleavage. I watched her indulge in mouthful after mouthful of this concoction composed of no more than butter, sugar, and flour, which she devoured as if it was her first meal in years. She patted her forehead with a paper napkin, for it had begun to gather beads of shimmering sweat. The tablecloth was a pastel pink, set against the backdrop of pale yellow and sky blue walls, and I could not help but feel that this pastry shop was designed to resemble that of an infant's bedroom. A lighting fixture hung from the ceiling like an upside-down lollipop, illuminating the center of the room, while the four corners depended on the harsh radiance of neon signs displaying the custard flavors of the week: german chocolate, butterscotch, and praline. The pallid woman had been deprived of the sun for some time, perhaps due to hours spent at home watching the home shopping network and ordering a dozen miniature bear figurines. She sat in the far left corner of the eatery, beneath a painting of what the store had looked like 25 years ago on the other side of town. Her chest heaved every time she pushed a palm-full of dessert into her mouth. Her fingers, like a row of 5 vienna sausages, cupped her mouth in order to keep mush from spewing out. While she attempted to chew her food with a full maw, her eyes closed and her head tilted back as she relished in this moment of elation. I noticed a lump travel south in her throat into the deep abyss of her stomach, where so many pounds of previous meals lay. Her glistening bosom extended outwards as she took a deep breath in preparation of the next bite. 

Ballard & Vaughan Sitting In A Tree...

The relationship between Ballard and the ever-creeping Vaughan has escalated to an extreme measure of sexual tension. While Ballard fantasizes about Vaughan's scars and the prospect of engaging in sexual intercourse, Vaughan seems to be using Ballard's attraction to his own advantage. Ballard appears to idolize Vaughan, perhaps because his friend's scars resemble experience and wisdom that only these physical deformities can attest to. Vaughan's scars fascinate those around him and he has an ability to manipulate others. He also has a connection to cars that is much stronger than Ballard's. Everything Vaughan engages in is somehow related to technology; his job utilizes technology, he ejaculates simply by looking at mutilated women and machines, and he when he has sex, the car acts like a participant. Ballard has witnessed Vaughan have sex multiple times, and he always says that Vaughan has an experience not only with the women, but with the car as well. Ballard is not even upset when Vaughan fornicates with Catherine -  he sees it as a logical occurrence. Vaughan is intense and mysterious at the same time, which intrigues Ballard because he has met someone with such a consuming passion. I don't think that Ballard is physically attracted to Vaughan because Ballard is a homosexual. I believe that Ballard wants to somehow obtain some of Vaughan's power and connection to cars. It is a known sexual desire to want to be overpowered and it is likely that Ballard sees Vaughan as a strong individual. Vaughan is on a whole other plane that Ballard does not know how to deal with, so he essentially lets Vaughan do whatever he wants.

Crash and the Menippean Style

In the continued reading of Crash, I began to notice the importance of technology in not just James' life, but those around him as well. When James begins his affair with Helen Remington, they both can only be aroused when they have sex in a vehicle. Being in a house does nothing for them - they must be surrounded by machinery. This sexual attraction to cars used to be exclusive to James, but it now appears that Helen shares the same passion. Her husband's death was at the hand James behind the wheel of a car, yet her feelings of grief are overshadowed by the pleasures of sex. She seems to be rather apathetic towards her husband's death. Not only do James and Helen share this mutual addiction to machines, crashes are being romanticized on the big screen. On the film that Vaughan is working on, actresses are made up to appear like they experienced a horrendous car crash. Vaughan also appears to be following James, as if he knew there was another man who shared his appreciation for vehicles. 

James may be showing characteristics of a pansexual. In the world that J.G. Ballard has created for Crash, most characters are not exclusive with who they wish to have sex with. James fantasizes about Vaughan's thighs and toys with the idea of sex. Catherine is obvious about her lesbian fantasies but she still fornicates with men. When Vaughan is described sitting on the hood of his car, he is almost engaging in sex with the machine, pushing his pelvis and buttocks against the hood. Men, women, and machines are all sources for arousal. A recurring motif that has occurred in the reading so far has been the use of photographs and cameras. Vaughan has a photo studio where he shows James pictures of a crash victim named Gabrielle as she deals with her accident. Vaughan is also a part of a movie production and frequently holds a camera. Before he officially met James, he appeared in the parking garage taking photos of a nearby accident. Scars are also frequently mentioned. Helen has scars on her face, Vaughan is covered in them, and Vera Seagrave has scars on her thighs. 

Dealing with the concept of apophasis, I do not believe that Crash wholly possess this type of ideal. Yes, Ballard proposes wild prepositions, but there is no lack of belief. The whole concept of apophasis is a bit contradictory in itself. It is nearly impossible to not believe in anything because that act of disbelieving is already believing in something. Like nihilism, the decision to not hold any morals and beliefs is holding the absence of belief above the possession of belief. On the other hand, though, writing in an apophasis matter is a transgressive approach. In a work like Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, the writer is neither condoning nor condemning a relationship with a "nymphet". He is merely stating the relationship as is. In Crash, Ballard is not personally stating that it is okay to crash cars and be overtly sexual. His characters hold these beliefs, and he created the characters, but it is not a reflection of his personal ideals. Ultimately, though, Crash is a bit of a warning against the attachment to technology, so it is possible that Ballard is stating his opposition towards technology. While he could have been indifferent about the future of machines, his exaggerated approach to Crash's world seems more negative than positive. 

Crash... thus far

The world that J.G. Ballard depicts in Crash is not necessarily a world too unfamiliar. While the characters all seem a bit more morbid than the average individual, they are definitely reminiscent of peoples’ dark fantasies. Most people, whether they admit it to it or not, often have thoughts that are inappropriate, and therefore not said aloud. In the world that Ballard has created, these thoughts are possessed and often practiced by nearly everyone, creating a dark cast of characters.  Not only does Vaughan fantasize and obsess over car crashes, he actually goes through with them. Catherine and James wish to have extramarital affairs and they both do. Vaughan is extremely masochistic and sadistic as he gains pleasure from the pain and destruction caused by a crash. Even Catherine, who is outside of the men’s car crash fantasies, is jealous of the fact that James was able to “legally” kill a person. Although crashing cars is an extreme method of achieving arousal through pain, sadomasochism is a fairly common fetish. Vaughan also sees crashes as romantic, like when he imagines dying with Elizabeth Taylor. James and Vaughan both have very perverse minds and associate everything with sex. Every topic that James touches upon somehow incorporates genitalia and intercourse. Ballard’s descriptions are extremely graphic and as a reader, I can fully picture his bizarre imagery, whether I want to or not. James’ mind is completely exposed and the reader can know every thought he is having, no matter how distasteful it may be. It is quite possible that Ballard has an actively sexual mind and James is a vessel for Ballard to express his thoughts without seeming like a sick person in the “real world”. In the 1970’s, with the influx of new technologies, Ballard is possibly mocking individuals who have become obsessed with machines. He is comparing the dependency on technology to the absurd preposition that people will begin to abuse them and obsess over them so much that they will gain arousal and harm themselves simultaneously. 

Nabokov & Bakhtin

All throughout middle and high school, my teachers would assign us "show not tell" exercises in order to prepare us for the annual standardized exam. At the time these assignments seemed tedious and pointless, but Nabokov's Natasha exemplifies the importance of such a writing technique. By describing everything in full detail, the reader is able to picture and grasp what is happening in each scene. Just in the beginning when Wolfe is described ascending the stairs, there is a vivid image of how this man moves and carries himself; the ailing Khrenov gropes and creaked and breathes heavily. The description of the lake and countryside where Wolfe and Natasha spend their day is so clear and could also seem somewhat romantic. Wolfe, Natasha, and Khrenov's personalities are not explicitly stated by Nabokov, they are revealed through their interactions with each other. When Natasha and Wolfe are sharing their fantasies with each other, their playful and hopeful attitudes are displayed. Their lives are rather uneventful so they fill their minds with fantastic stories. This is an example of what Bakhtin describes as polyphonic writing because the narrator is allowing the characters a chance to describe themselves by having just as much speaking time as the narrator. The heteroglossia is extremely important because it is the way the reader is allowed inside to the characters' persona. Every word they use is specific to their personality. Natasha is young and innocent, while Wolfe is an older gentlemen who possess childlike whimsicalities. Dialogic writing is shown in Burroughs' Naked Lunch between the boy and the Buyer. Words like "cancha" and slang like "get fixed" are connected to the two characters to show the unsophisticated vocabulary of two junkies. Burroughs, as a narrator, disconnects himself from his characters, neither condoning nor condemning the Buyer's behavior but merely stating it as fact. 

The Trials of Dr. Church Part 4: Ripple Relation Hallelujah (The War's End)

 "It's been middle hydrogen tested". This was said by Dr. Sheen Church, a notable and highly influential scientist who was leading the research team. His glossy syntax shined beyond compare. He looked at the waning floor, debating his next move. He was one side vet away from giving up his project without a solution. Dr. Church almost allowed his maggoty shelf fear to take over, until he remembered his previous days as a soldier in training. He recalled hearing his replacement major, Ratcliff, shouting orders in his ear for hours on end. "I test bungalows for a living and these look like shit!"; this was motivation to work harder today. Raring Circulation Bioengineering (RCB) was on the brink of discovering the cure to the Russian super virus and if Dr. Church didn't produce results, there would be hell to pay. After analyzing the protein's helicoidal structure, he noticed the rhymed hirudin stubbed upwards. "My god", Dr. Church muttered, "hand me the ingate silt and we'll send a mold to Washington". Church's colleague was in awe of his mentor's genius and could do nothing more than give an approving nod, "the Russians don't stand a chance".

William S. Burroughs

The technique of creating cut-up poems, much like those of William S. Burroughs, demonstrates the effect of taking phrases and placing them out of context. Dividing the text into sections and arranging it randomly often transforms the meaning of the work. In the excerpt from Naked Lunch he does not use cut-up poetry, but his paragraphs seem to be out of sequence and jump around in time. The Buyer is first described, possibly derived from Burroughs’s own experiences with pushers and junkies. The narrative then shifts to the interactions with the District Supervisor and then with the court Judge.  Similar to cut-up poetry’s lack of flow, Burroughs’s writing in Naked Lunch shows the out-of-place and untraditional lifestyle of someone involved with drugs.

Burroughs was inspired by a variety of writers as well as by his own writing. He was well versed in science fiction, and the characteristics and situations given to his characters are often otherworldly as well as extremely descriptive to the point of disturbance. He said that all of his books are basically one book and they spill over into each other. Burroughs was true to his own writing and wouldn’t omit passages that he believed to be important to his story.

Burroughs seems to be an intelligent individual. He was vocal about his views and did not fall victim to conformity. He openly admits to being bored by politicians and lacking respect for certain poets. He stated that many poets are simply lazy prose writers. He exemplified this claim by creating poetry out of already existing material and showing how little criteria there is for a poem to be considered a poem.

Burroughs also understood that including his own life events can contribute to the honesty of his world. It is also more relatable and appealing to an audience if these situations are absurd yet familiar. Writers often write what they know and if something is truthful, it makes the diction all the more powerful.

It would be difficult to publish picaresque novels if a writer had no foundation. Burroughs borrowed from his cut-up poetry and personal experiences to create work that he claimed has no plot. His “series of incidents” are like memoirs that can depict the postmodern era with a high degree of truth. Picaresque novels are meant to have traits of humor and inappropriateness. He exaggerates to a certain extent, but this contributes to the “transgressive” quality of verbal innovation. The transgressive style is new and difficult for just any writer to follow. It requires a sense of humor and the ability to appreciate the underground grime.

Blogging for the blog-less

When are blog posts due? Blog posts are respons

Night before a class in which a reading is due. So

Tuesday before 9.

What do I say in all these blog posts?

Before you Assignment icon and the date the

And questions which should give you ideas abou

Novel or piece of criticism we are reading for th

Initiative to make your blog creative and explore

Other media. As a rule, I will as a specific quest

Open for the one due on Tuesday night. Feel free

If you like, respond to the readings with creative

Works in a way that contributed to your underst

What if I get behind on blog posts? Such lapses wi

Reading, you should do your post immediately a

Discussions or lectures if you aren’t up-to-date

You keep up. Your posts should show your kno

Do I have to read Robin’s blog? Yes, when you ch

I’ve soted. I’ll try to put in information that wi

“postmodern” British literary scene. Some links

All right! All right! What else do I have to write

Write a 12-15 page interpretive study of a single

Criticism form reputable sources (literary journ

Aspect of the book’s satirical intent, language,

The work… in other words, you need to find so

Ence from the book.

End of the semester, you will write a 15-20 page term

Ent generally. A peculiarity of this assignment is that

E class, plus one additional work, from the American

Some aspect of contemporary satire- some concern or

On. You may also r both papers, you should discuss your ideas and plans

Case of the first paper, you will have the opportunity

O late papers will be accepted except in the case of

rolling, I’ll post a list of presentation days and

st of doing a little research on a topic related to the

ssion leader. This is really a way to give class members

ke the stage a bit. Don’t sweat it: it’s meant to be

ASS

Sy to do well in this class: if you do all the reading on you’ll get a high grade. I want you to have the full

A community of fellow readers.