Diary (February 22, 2020)

Online diary of Karl Jones for February 22, 2020.

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Diary

Anathem

I sometimes wonder if Stephenson wrote Anathem specifically for bright young people.

The tip-off is the lack of obscenity. (Stephenson, of course, has a certain gift, or at least penchant, for obscenity.)

True, lack of obscenity is appropriate, given the protagonist’s character.

But then, none of the characters use obscenity anywhere in the novel, to speak of, nor does the narrative voice. (Several instances obscenity are handled in mild or clinical terms. These exceptions highlight the general rule.)

Furthermore, Stephenson chose to write in the Erasmasian mode. He could easily have slipped in plenty of funny dirty phrases and still given us Arbre. (The Slines should have belched obscenities non-stop, for starters.) But he didn’t. He scrubbed the dirt for this one.

So I’ll renew my surmise: Anathem was written for gifted young adults.

• https://bbs.boingboing.net/t/kevin-kelly-discusses-fall-or-dodge-in-hell-with-author-neal-stephenson/163102/18

User j9c replied:

Yes, I had the same inkling.

Checklist for the text:

• lack of profanity
• lack of sex scenes (mostly, and when present, referred to obliquely)
• young protagonists
• “ coming of age” theme
• lots of references to schools, teachers, lessons, classes, students, learning (calca), proofs, examinations
• adventures

• Comment @ Boing Boing

Authors

User mclemens wrote: "Fall, to me, felt like two different books smooshed together, both of which needed a firm guiding hand and a reduction of about 30%. I’m genuinely curious about the editing process for books of any author of significant success."

I feel the same way about Seveneves.

He should have written and published the first half (which stands on its own), thereby forcing himself to slow down and think before writing and publishing the second half (which is a mash of brilliant but incomplete ideas which do not stand on their own, with or without the first half).

Still and all, I admire that he is willing to experiment. Other than his works keep getting longer (I crave short shories, dammit), Stephenson does not appear to be in a rut.

Which is unusual: most writers have one story to tell, over and over, and if they are gifted they find diverse ways to engage our attention.

Frank Herbert? Rut. And no engaging stylist: apart from putting science into science fiction, his primary gift to literature is the epigraph.

John Varley? Christ, I love, I adore his early short stories – nothing finer – but I couldn’t bear Steel Beech … it’s got all the same short story ideas bloated up in a big “I can write as many words as I want” uber-novel-cake.

Stephenson? Stepheson keep confounding his readers with … well, call it what you will.

I am reminded of Neil Young’s career.

• Comment @ Boing Boing

Fiction cross-reference

• Gnomon algorithm
• Gnomon Chronicles

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Karl Jones (nonfiction)