Hey all! Sorry my post is late this week, I was in Portland all break and without internet.
Regardless, here is what I think about Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age thus far:
I really dislike science fiction, so I found it extremely difficult to invest myself in Stephenson’s novel. I tried to look at the positive aspects of the text, however, and the one thing I did like was Stephenson’s use of crosscutting. I never got too restless while reading the text, because Stephenson jumps around from situation to situation. This writing style kept me on my toes as a reader. On the flip side, however, I strongly disliked the way in which Stephenson summarizes each section. The brief summaries caused me to lose interest, because Stephenson always told me, as the reader, what was going to take place before it actually did.
One central theme in Stephenson’s The Diamond Age is certainly the role of technology in a society. More or less, characters in the text, such as Hackworth, define themselves through the technology they interact with on a daily basis. For me, one quote that summarizes the idea of technology being a defining source in a society appears on page 48. In this particular extract, Harv is answering Nell’s question of how many threads compose thing, that Nell confuses as a mite, that he is secretly working on in bed. He responds by saying, “You got it all wrong. It’s not that the thing has threads in it –it is threads.” I’m not sure if this is a misreading, but I took this to mean on a larger scale that in the setting of this particular text, technology is not a part of society, it in itself is society.
Another issue that Stephenson introduces in the text is hierarchy and social structure. Near the beginning of the text, Bud is fearful for his wellbeing after he realizes that he shot and mugged an Ashanti. Bud realizes that the only way he can protect himself from danger is by becoming a member of a recognized organization. In the end, Bud is unable to do so and because of this he ends up losing his rights and standing a trial. More or less, similar to the role of technology in the text, categories define people. Essentially, the characters in the text define themselves by the groups that they belong to. I feel that the categories function similar to self-fulfilling prophecies in the sense that once you belong to a certain group you no longer are eligible to advance. This is of course not the case when Nell, a character who is a member of the poor class, is given access to Hackworth’s infamous book.
Another extract of the text that really interests me appears on page sixty two. In this particular section, Hackworth is describing his surroundings as he visits Dr. X. When describing his surroundings, Hackworth makes the following remark: “Hackworth had enjoyed San Francisco and was hardly immune to its charm, but Atlantis/Shanghai had imbued him with the sense that all the old cities of the world were doomed, except possibly as theme parks…” According to Baudrillard, amusement parks are meant to show members of society what is real verses what is not. More or less, a person who goes to an amusement park is meant to realize that what he or she is experiencing is a source of entertainment, a fantasy; it is in no way real. Amusement parks are key to a society, because they are used to convince individuals that if Disney Land is not reality everything outside of Disney Land must be reality. I think this theory applies to this particular extract in the text, because Hackworth is implying that the old cities that have not been taken over by technology are simply not real. More or less, this implies that an abundance of technology is what defines a society as a branch of reality.
Well that’s all I have for now. I confess that Stephenson’s The Diamond Age reminded me of why I so strongly hate science fiction novels haha. See everyone in class!
Hi Cassie,
I was interested in the same passage on page 62. I agree with what you said; it seems like, the farther away from reality things become, the more real they become and,thus, make the original less real. If the original “old” cities are becoming the amusement parks, the fantasy, then technology must have become the determinant of “realness.” I think we see this technology as “norm” in Bud’s character, too. He has installed a skull gun into his forehead and altered his body in other ways as well, in order to, in his view, be more powerful in society. What will become of humanity if technology begins to take over our bodies?
Hi Cassie-
I also liked the use of concise chapters. It effectively shifts the reader’s attention and sets up a nice pace to the story. However, I was too was put off by the chapter titles/summaries. It was only after I did a little research that I realized Stevenson was playing with the conventions of the Victorian novel, specifically The Old Curiosity Shop.
Although I appreciate the attempt, it fell flat. Victorian conventions could easily translate into a contemporary piece of realistic fiction, but in a work of science fiction they become consumed. So much of the reader’s attention is invested in imagining and orientating themselves with the bizarre world that is being created. As a result, so many other parts of the work are overlooked.
Beth