tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755201066991080505.post7618344592379267603..comments2020-03-03T20:36:44.720+11:00Comments on Known Unknowns: Book Review: C by Tom McCarthyEmmett Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10807858372590246739noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755201066991080505.post-58752131101964413022010-11-21T16:45:27.286+11:002010-11-21T16:45:27.286+11:00Yes, and I think you're right to note that wha...Yes, and I think you're right to note that what's weird about C is that it's really quite conventional--I had expected there to be some kind of formal innovation; instead it seems to me like a fairly simple inversion/negation of the psychological novel. This is the reason, ultimately, that it reminded of Thomas Hardy; C is ultimately a neo-naturalism that attacks humanism (which is good), but ultimately puts nothing new in its place. That's why it isn't nearly as good as something like Evan Dara's The Last Scrapbook, which also represents a genuine attempt to create a new form for literature (and which could also be seen as an attempt to envision and represent the social totality of the modern world, or at least a part of it). C is, in many ways, very much a novel in the tradition of English Victorian doubt, which isn't very interesting to me, but may well be interesting to others.Emmett Stinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10807858372590246739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755201066991080505.post-80163048441622280422010-11-21T06:28:41.493+11:002010-11-21T06:28:41.493+11:00Just finished C last night, and was deeply disappo...Just finished C last night, and was deeply disappointed after reading the various reviews when the book came out. I was expecting something more than a chronologival narrative filled with simplistic recitations of convergences, coincidences, and cryptic commentary. I did enjoy the writing itself at times, but by mid way realized the story really wasn't going anywhere.<br /><br />Oddly, i had just finished re-reading Pynchon's 'The Crying of Lot 49' the week before, and with this earlier masterpiece fresh, i was able to appreciate both what McCarthy was trying to do, but also how strained and ultimately unrewarding it was.cascolyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10450730756232948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755201066991080505.post-13331889338909666742010-09-29T13:01:59.945+10:002010-09-29T13:01:59.945+10:00I like (and McCarthy is admittedly heavy handed wi...I like (and McCarthy is admittedly heavy handed with the idea) Serge's lack of perspective, or depth of field, in several different areas in his life, most pointedly in his early artistic training. This has been an area of concern for some modern social commentators (specifically, the book The Shallows by Nicholas Carr addresses this idea in a popular, non-intellectual manner); that the spread of information and access of information has given the Internet generations an increased breadth of knowledge, but diminishing depth of knowledge. <br /><br />I will certain check out Mr. Dara's book. Thanks for the recommendation!Paul McQuistonhttp://rarelydusty.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755201066991080505.post-61622929410278920562010-09-29T11:21:35.513+10:002010-09-29T11:21:35.513+10:00Interesting. To me, the very idea that you noted (...Interesting. To me, the very idea that you noted ('I enjoyed the idea of the spread of wireless cable technology in the early 20th Century standing as an allusion for the spread of the Internet in the late 20th Century.') is kinda inherently uncool to me, but, yes, everyone is different. I reckon it will definitely seem dated in 20 years, too. That being said, I would HIGHLY recommend Evan Dara's 'The Lost Scrapbook' (1996), which you can get online here: www.aurora148.com. It's fantastic!Emmett Stinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10807858372590246739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1755201066991080505.post-86150601189102883922010-09-28T23:34:17.631+10:002010-09-28T23:34:17.631+10:00I actually enjoyed C quite a bit and found the fin...I actually enjoyed C quite a bit and found the final three sections captivating, but you raise several fair points, especially regarding McCarthy's co-opting of ideas from Luhmann's Systems Theory and Jameson's postmodern work. Whether or not this is "avant garde" is irrelevant to me, and I enjoyed the idea of the spread of wireless cable technology in the early 20th Century standing as an allusion for the spread of the Internet in the late 20th Century. I suppose different strokes for different folks. Who would you suggest for stronger modern avant garde fiction?Paul McQuistonhttp://rarelydusty.comnoreply@blogger.com