Short Attention Span Theater
2 Aug
Summer is always busy in my family, which is to be expected when your parents are both teachers. They always want to drag their kids across the country to see long lost relatives, or just hang out on the beach, and god knows both pastimes were always met with approval by myself and my brother. (Particularly since our family is a trip, on both sides, and blessedly fun to be with. Seems like a rare thing, but hey, I’m a lucky girl.) Even now that I live six hours away from them and my brother has just graduated with his BA, we’re still caught up in the whirlpool now and then, leading to months like this past one.
Which has been great, but insane. Kind of sums up my family in general, though.
Due to the madness, I’ve been a little too distractible to deal with reading full-length novels. Between long car rides and visiting, short stories have been more my deal-appropriate since I’ve just finished the draft of the Audio File project, and am trying to let it cool by concentrating on writing shorts for the next few weeks. So it works out.
I finally got hold of Susanna Clarke’s The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, which was of course wonderful. It’s a bit like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell without the profuse and distracting sidebars, really-bite size chunks of her fabulous world. I was extra happy to see Strange again, since he’s one of my favorite literary characters these days (along with, of course, Arabella), in the title story. It’s wonderful to visit Neil Gaiman’s Village of Wall again in The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse as well. But the “favorite” slot in this one is definitely reserved for Mr. Simonelli, or the Fairy Widower-which is the kind of thing I most like to read. A little dark, a lot of magic, and weirdly whimsical at the same time. She’s fabulous. It’s like Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen had an evil lovechild.
Er. Something to that effect, anyhow.
I really like the concept of redesigning the larger myth of a country into something codified. I know that’s what Tolkien was trying to do, create this entire mythos, and I know Clarke is after it as well. I really wonder what it would look like if someone managed it for America.
You know, apart from American Gods. Which is really as close as we can come, in some ways-but also more like the seminal book in a future/current country-wide attempt. The beginning of something brilliant, and all that.
To switch gears, I also got my copy of Barren Worlds, a Science Fiction anthology from Hadley Rille books. An old writing pal, Sue Penkivech, has a great story in it, so naturally I wanted to see the whole thing in all its radiant printed glory. When it comes to Sci-Fi, I love Herbert, Asimov, and a couple of other classics, and I’m a sucker for the genre in film, comics, and television, but I don’t usually get into reading it in novel form. Short stories, however, I will swallow in one delicious gulp.
Lots of good stuff in this anthology-a really wide spectrum of takes on the rather vague yet inspiring theme. Most of them leave you feeling kind of deflated and/or disturbed, but in that good and thoughtful way. (Maybe that’s why I can’t handle reading too much sci-fi at once-it always makes me thoughtful and I’m kind of a shallow dick? Short stories are the best!) But some of them are hopeful and weirdly uplifting. I’m getting a kick out of the varied emotions with which I come out of each story, and I’m super impressed with the way the editors purposefully chose and ordered them to get that effect. Difficult in any anthology, let alone one with so much material. Well done on all counts.
So of course, after all this I needed to go back to Vonnegut-who is pretty much Home Base for me when it comes to modern Science Fiction. When I was about 15, I had a teacher, Mrs. Paugh, who tried to talk me into reading Sci-Fi more seriously. She gave me this book of short stories she’d had in one of her college courses called Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Of course, I had no idea who Vonnegut was at that age, we hadn’t gotten to Slaughterhouse Five, and I don’t think I would’ve absorbed it if we had. But the title story was, of course, his, and a lot of the others struck such a chord with me that I decided that Sci-Fi was definitely worth a go-at least in short form. (My brother won me over to the novel form with Dune about a year later.) Years later in college I had a bunch of friends who were all about the Vonnegut and went back to him, and realized that he is pretty much love.
Reading the Barren Worlds anthology made me dig out the short story collection of his I got a few years ago called Welcome to the Monkey House. If you want a serious recommendation for awesome short fiction, that’s my first. The man could do everything, and make it his. The surreal war-is-hell vibe he’s so famous for in All the King’s Horses, with its super tense human chess theme, and The Manned Missiles, Cold War emotion and release in letter format. His painfully truthful take on modern literary fiction in Miss Temptation and The Lie. That brilliant humor I love him for-cold and nonjudgmental, yet somehow almost accidentally sympathetic-talking about the delusional housewife in More Stately Mansions. And the perfect Sci Fi dystopian visions of Welcome to the Monkey House and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. And when I say perfect, I really mean it. Those are only just my favorites, but the whole collection is, and I do not say this lightly, totally rad.
This is fun stuff. This is what reading should be all about: having a good time and maybe saying something honest now and then. Tracks and connections that get you to here and there.
All that said, it’s nice to be able to sit down and read a full length novel again, now that I’m home and settled for a bit.
That and, of course, sit down and write something. Before I start twitching.
-Katey
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Now playing: The Charlatans – You’re So Pretty – We’re So Pretty
posted with FoxyTunes
I love Susanna Clarke’s stuff; I managed to get a Strange and Norell/Grace Adieu bag (and some chocolate) buying the short stories, which always helps! I love the accuracy of her Victoriana, and spot on imitation of a Victorian novel (including the insanely long footnotes).
My SciFi preferences run to the Victorians too, with a dash of Edwardian thrown in. I think it’s my love of pulp; but then, I was introduced to the genre by the Star Wars novelisations. Rather less literary than Vonnegut! ^_^
Glad you had a good holiday. I know what you mean about starting to twitch when you don’t get time to write, though!
Huhhh…. so that’s where the Dandy Warhols album name came from! (At second thought, I really should have twigged that that was from something weird. <3 on the Dandys and their weird weird references, plus extra points for not being the Klaxons and reffing a book that they’ve probably never read. Because who reads Gravity’s Rainbow, really? You know, apart from me, just to prove my father wrong). I clearly need to start reading Vonnegut, and not just because of the musical references.
I’ve always been more of a sci fi novel gal more than a short story one (even if the intro was from Anne MacCaffery, scary weird nympho psycho that she is), but it is, weirdly enough, one of the few things I can tolerate in short story form. You know, apart from Joyce, who demands toleration. But the world creation scene setting thing makes it more interesting for me, somehow. So with your recommendation, Vonnegut simply becomes necessary!
I should also check out Sue’s thing sometime, too. On the same principles as why I have a bunch of random CDs from Dunedin because I know guys in the bands. (Dear sweet Vibrasics… I think I did send you that one song. Bless them.) And I guess she was the first of any of the old gang to get something official in print?
On the weirdly good sci fi novel front, have I ever recommended Hyperion by Dan Simmons? It’s definitely something you need about a month to read, because it’s fucking huge (and then there’s a sequel of equal length), but it’s really pretty awesome. The first book is done as a sci fi version of the Canterbury tales, and the worlds are all sort of based around the poetry of Keats (except that it’s only a few hundred years out from now). Plus scary religions and artificial intelligence. Really really good, even though it’s loooooonnng.
A little dark, a lot of magic, and weirdly whimsical at the same time. She’s fabulous. It’s like Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen had an evil lovechild.
Dammit, there’s ANOTHER book that’s going to have to go on my nightstand…. thing is starting to tip in a precarious, frightening sort of literary version of the Leaning Tower.
I’m starting to get a real love for shorts, though… never was much for them before Xyara hooked me on Terri Windling, but… yeah. Now I’m hunting out the good anthologies.
Still haven’t gotten into Sci-Fi much… space ships and futuristic stuff just shatters my suspension of disbelief in a way no amount of mythical creatures ever could. Closest I can claim is a passing enjoyment of Stargate… when I’m in the mood. But, like songs, perhaps it’s not so much that I dislike it than that I dislike all the renditions I’ve encountered…
On Dune – still haven’t read it. Should. Am hoping to hell it’s better than the movies, though. That first one with the echoing-voice-thoughts… I couldn’t even get through it. And for half of it I couldn’t even figure what was going on, although I’ve been informed that it was supposed to be like a six-hour movie and they chopped it into less than half, so that might account for things.
@ Natalie-
I feel you on the Victoriana– that was probably my real introduction to the stuff of SciFi, Verne, Wells, and co., but I was so young it’s sort of a foggy memory. I just never went back to it. (Unlike the horror from the period, both English and American. Mmmm.) I do include some of them in the whole “a few classics” category, however. I feel inspired to remember, so maybe it’s time to go back.
The footnotes are one of my favorite aspects of Clarke’s stuff, too. I like them so much that I get very involved in them and forget what was happening in the main plot. Particularly the ones that go on for a few pages…
That’s rather charming, isn’t it? (Not of me– I’m just scatterbrained. Of HER!)
@ Reenie-
I’m shocked I didn’t blather on at you about the Dandy’s Welcome to the Monkey House issues… but I think the album is older than our acquaintance… or older than us knowing we listen to the same damn music. So that might be my excuse. Anyhow, that story IS something they’d be into. (Is anyone INTO Gravity’s Rainbow?)
But Vonnegut has novels of awesome as well, if you think you’d prefer it! I have many favorites! You have not, however, recommended Simmons. So that goes on the list. It sounds EXACTLY like something I would read– especially if it’s really, really epic. I can’t help myself with the epic. Throw in the Canterbury Tales and some Keats, and I’m done in!
And yes, Sue was the first of us! I have a feeling we have loads more to follow, all things considered. What a weird talent vortex PB was…
@ Meghan-
Let me know what you think after you read Jonathan Strange. The Ladies… might have to be your next gift! She really is brilliant and I can’t help but think you’ll fall in love. I’ve also got Windling anthos on my list (and Susanna Clarke was in a few of those, hey!) thanks to you (and Xy!)
About Dune… okay, that first movie is really more for people who already know the story because… yeah. Left so much out and it’s just WAY too weird a story to manage that. I love it, but only because… I love Dune? (I love Sting as Feyd? YES!) I don’t know. The Sci-Fi channel’s miniseries are actually much better, particularly the Children of Dune one. I have them both… come visit!
But I do recommend giving it a go if you’re ever bored enough, even though I’m not sure you’ll fall in love with it. If only because you can fully appreciate the awesome of the Bene Gesserit. Because dude. Wow. That man was a genius.
Jonathan Strange is next on my list, methinks… right after the couple random researchish books I’m reading (and am almost done with – thankfully light stuff). After that will be Dune. I think Mark has, like, all of them. Some in multiple copies, as he tends to kill them, so I just pick up anything that isn’t falling apart at garage sales as replacement fodder.
Right now I borrowed the audiobook of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff from my father, who has taken to the things since he’s got one of those ungodly commutes. It’s interesting – I’ve never done an audiobook before. I think I’m glad I read it first, but it’s light and makes me giggle on the way home. I might track down a copy of the Anansi Boys on audiobook, as I hear that one is better listened-to than read… although I think we might’ve had that discussion previously! In any event, curious, and that’s an hour a day with which I really could do something more profound than listening to endless repeats of Jewel, Billy Idol, and White Zombie.