Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site rti-sel.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!mcnc!rti-sel!wfi From: wfi@rti-sel.UUCP (William Ingogly) Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Re: Samual Delany's Dahlgren Message-ID: <350@rti-sel.UUCP> Date: Tue, 13-Aug-85 16:01:43 EDT Article-I.D.: rti-sel.350 Posted: Tue Aug 13 16:01:43 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 19-Aug-85 07:18:08 EDT References: <124@nte-scg.UUCP> Reply-To: wfi@rti-sel.UUCP (William Ingogly) Distribution: net Organization: Research Triangle Institute, NC Lines: 47 [from Tim Ryan] >> ... _Dhalgren_ ends up being a circle -- the main character ends up >> leaving the city, only to be in the same situation that he was in at >> the start of the novel. I don't think there was a "moral" to the >> story, either. I saw the story more as a character study. ... >> I certainly agree with the original >> poster and with you that _Dhalgren_ is a bizarre novel. For a short, >> classic piece of Delaney, I recommend "Time Considered as a Helix of >> Semiprecious Stones." ... I personally enjoyed reading "Nova" too, although some of the other people in this group thought it was not one of Delaney's best. It's been quite a few years since I read it, though so I'm not sure what my reaction would be on rereading it. I have to admit I've yet to make it through "Dhalgren;" I'm currently trying it again (but then it took three aborted attempts to get through Thomas Pynchon's "V" :-). The requirement that the novel contain conflict(s) and a denouement is (to the best of my recollection) a more or less European literary tradition. There's a Japanese novel, for example, with a title that has the word "mountain" in it, that is about an old man's experiences as he awaits his death (I can't remember the title or author, unfortunately). The effect is that of a chunk lifted out of the old man's life; this kind of fiction can seem boring to a Western reader who expects a novel to build to one or more climaxes before things are wrapped up at the end (note of course that a lot of 20th century European and American fiction departs from this model, "Dhalgren" being one example). Our definition of Good Story has been conditioned by our experiences as members of 20th century Western society, and we bring to our reading of fiction (SF as well as other genres) certain expectations based on that conditioning that are just as rigid as the Japanese Noh fan's expectations when he goes to view a play. I suspect the difficulty a lot of us have with "Dahlgren" is related to the strength of that conditioning and the difficulty we have in stepping outside its rigid bounds to appreciate a work of art that was crafted to approach the human experience in a different way. I expect I'll end up liking "Dahlgren;" if not, I'll at least appreciate the craftsmanship that went into it. In any case, I'll work for the enjoyment (but part of the kick in reading such a book for me is my response to the demands the author puts on me as a reader). -- Cheers, Bill Ingogly