"The Narrative Construction of Cyberspace: Reading Neuromancer, Reading Cyberspace Debates"
Critic: Daniel Punday
Source: College English 63, no. 2 (November 2000): 194-213.
Criticism about: Neuromancer by William Gibson
This piece discusses the relationship between Cyberspace and Narrative, within Neuromancer. It discusses what role cyberspace takes place within the novel, giving a contrast to the world of Neuromancer, where everything seems dark.
It discusses how Cyberspace can be an idealistic version of humanity, looking much brighter then the future that they lived in themselves. They also talk about how Cyberspace can deprive the story from a lot of sensory information, which can stand as a sharp contrast to the novel, with it's vivid descriptions through the senses.
There is also the fluidity of identity, which is brought up through Neuromancer, whoch brings up a question of what it means to be human, when the lines get crossed so throughly throughout the novel between Humanity and Technology. He also talks about how it was used as a contrast between Apparent realitym, and actual ones, when it came to fiction. It was a method for him to play around with existing tropes within Science Fiction, in order to make what he believed to be an interesting Narrative.
Cyberspace also brings up an interesting point on Social Contact, and cyberspace, as it lacks so much of the physical methods of communication, and the unread subtleties that are brought out when talking.
It then brings up 3 paragraphs describing MUDs, which are a type of computer game based off of randomly generated dungeons, where people's progress is tied to characters, and death is permenant. It discuses how these effect his writing style.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Critical Analysis #2
1."William Gibson"
Critics: William Gibson and Robert K. J. Killheffer
Source: Publishers Weekly 240, no. 36 (6 September 1993): 70-1.
Criticism about: William Gibson
This piece focuses on a criticism of William Gibson himself, telling more about relationship with technology, as well as more of his history.
It covers how he himself is not very successful with technology, having written his earlier books on a type writer. He hasn't been successful with it himself, those his novels frequently discuss it, and his works were a response to the flawless heroes of other novels. He wrote science fiction novels, as he grew up fascinated with science fiction, though he also wanted to discuss theism within novels, and it was a natural fit.
It also talks about his natural progression, from beginning off looking at what he perceived to be some far distant future, to slightly into the future, to present times. His writing style changed, becausee Technology keeps advancing forward, so what he viewed as an impossibility 20 years prior, is the case. The technology was more of an excuse to him to discuss humanity as a whole, and Humanity's relationship with Technology.
He sums it up stating that it is not that his writing style has changed, but it is just that Technology has finally caught up to what he was writing.
Critics: William Gibson and Robert K. J. Killheffer
Source: Publishers Weekly 240, no. 36 (6 September 1993): 70-1.
Criticism about: William Gibson
This piece focuses on a criticism of William Gibson himself, telling more about relationship with technology, as well as more of his history.
It covers how he himself is not very successful with technology, having written his earlier books on a type writer. He hasn't been successful with it himself, those his novels frequently discuss it, and his works were a response to the flawless heroes of other novels. He wrote science fiction novels, as he grew up fascinated with science fiction, though he also wanted to discuss theism within novels, and it was a natural fit.
It also talks about his natural progression, from beginning off looking at what he perceived to be some far distant future, to slightly into the future, to present times. His writing style changed, becausee Technology keeps advancing forward, so what he viewed as an impossibility 20 years prior, is the case. The technology was more of an excuse to him to discuss humanity as a whole, and Humanity's relationship with Technology.
He sums it up stating that it is not that his writing style has changed, but it is just that Technology has finally caught up to what he was writing.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Conflict
A major conflict within the novel seems to be between Wintermute and the Turing Locks.
The Turing Locks could easily be a metaphor for Laws, or Human Limitation, or even Mortality.
A constant problem is that the AI is limited in it's actions by these Turing Locks, which it believes stops it from reaching it's true potential.
This could be a metaphor for Law, as various regulation has banned certain practices, which some may view as helpful (Stem Cell research in some areas, Cloning a Human, globally, etc, etc). This can be viewed as a limitation inset on him, and him lashing out against it.
It could also be viewed as the limitation of the Human form, and Mortality, as he is going out of his way to stop it continuously. He tries to go around the limitations of his very form, to become greater then he was before. Like the man trying to become immortal, he is limited by his shell, and does everything he can to become a greater being. His acension could also be viewed as trying to ascend into god hood, into become an Omniscient Being
The Turing Locks could easily be a metaphor for Laws, or Human Limitation, or even Mortality.
A constant problem is that the AI is limited in it's actions by these Turing Locks, which it believes stops it from reaching it's true potential.
This could be a metaphor for Law, as various regulation has banned certain practices, which some may view as helpful (Stem Cell research in some areas, Cloning a Human, globally, etc, etc). This can be viewed as a limitation inset on him, and him lashing out against it.
It could also be viewed as the limitation of the Human form, and Mortality, as he is going out of his way to stop it continuously. He tries to go around the limitations of his very form, to become greater then he was before. Like the man trying to become immortal, he is limited by his shell, and does everything he can to become a greater being. His acension could also be viewed as trying to ascend into god hood, into become an Omniscient Being
Quick Note
Just got the whole Neuromancer AI name.
Phonetically, Neuromancer sounds like Necromancer. The Neuromancer AI can store people's minds, even if they are dead,
Neuro=Mind
Necromancer=Raiser of the dead
Neuromancer=Raiser of dead Minds.
Book Notes
I feel as if Cyberspace it self is a major character in this novel. The setting of the Novel, and the Contrast between Cyberspace and the Physical world, really works quite well. You have the physical world, a world which is Grim and Bleak. Then you have Cyberspace, which seems to be free from this limitations. The ability for characters to transcend their limitations.
The fact Case ends up completely changing the landscape of Cyberspace, by allowing Wintermute and Neuromancer to combine, is really quite interesting. Rather then having the character change the setting through being a huge war hero, and destroying all of the evil, etc, etc; Instead, we have a classic Anti-Hero. A suicidal washed up drug addict, who manages to inadvertantly change the face of the world. That is one of the good parts about this novel.
The fact Case ends up completely changing the landscape of Cyberspace, by allowing Wintermute and Neuromancer to combine, is really quite interesting. Rather then having the character change the setting through being a huge war hero, and destroying all of the evil, etc, etc; Instead, we have a classic Anti-Hero. A suicidal washed up drug addict, who manages to inadvertantly change the face of the world. That is one of the good parts about this novel.
Quote
Here is a quote that I found interesting
"A year here and he still dreamed of cyberspace, hope fading nightly. All the speed he took, all the turns he'd taken and the corners he'd cut in Night City, and he'd still see the matrix in his sleep, bright lattices of logic unfolding across that colorless void… The Sprawl was a long strange way home over the Pacific now, and he was no console man, no cyberspace cowboy. Just another hustler, trying to make it through. But the dreams came on in the Japanese night like livewire voodoo, and he'd cry for it, cry in his sleep, and wake alone in the dark, curled in his capsule in some coffin hotel, his hands clawed into the bedslab, temperfoam bunched between his fingers, trying to reach the console that wasn't there."
I found this quote quite interesting, as it was him dreaming of a world he couldn't see. A great world he could never again visit. Like an Olympic Sprinter in a wheel chair, you could really tell the Despair within his character during this passage. The world in which he knew, and loved, was gone to him, and as far as he knew, it was so forever. Really a quite depressing passage, though still quite interesting.
"A year here and he still dreamed of cyberspace, hope fading nightly. All the speed he took, all the turns he'd taken and the corners he'd cut in Night City, and he'd still see the matrix in his sleep, bright lattices of logic unfolding across that colorless void… The Sprawl was a long strange way home over the Pacific now, and he was no console man, no cyberspace cowboy. Just another hustler, trying to make it through. But the dreams came on in the Japanese night like livewire voodoo, and he'd cry for it, cry in his sleep, and wake alone in the dark, curled in his capsule in some coffin hotel, his hands clawed into the bedslab, temperfoam bunched between his fingers, trying to reach the console that wasn't there."
I found this quote quite interesting, as it was him dreaming of a world he couldn't see. A great world he could never again visit. Like an Olympic Sprinter in a wheel chair, you could really tell the Despair within his character during this passage. The world in which he knew, and loved, was gone to him, and as far as he knew, it was so forever. Really a quite depressing passage, though still quite interesting.
Critical Analysis #1
1.The Rise of Cyberpunk
Critic: Mikal Gilmore
Source: Rolling Stone, No. 488, December 4, 1986, pp. 77-8, 107-08.
This article is talking about the rise of Cyberpunk in Science Fiction genre, and how it seems to be picking up.
The main point seems to be, that it is percieved that Science Fiction has been in a tail spin for the past while, and that the introduction of Cyberpunk seems to have revtalized the genre. It then speaks out about Neuromancer, and speaking about the innovation the novel presented within the genre, allowing a tone which tended to be quite different then that of most other science fiction novels as the time. It gave some background information on William Gibson, and his less then traditional roots. His raising in Virginia, his lack of formal education at the beginining, his unwillingness to right formal papers, his moving to Canada to dodge the draft, his family in Vancouver, and his eventual success within writing, after being picked up by Isaac Asimov's Sci Fi Magazine.
The Analysis then goes into a traditional fashion, talking about how bizzare and great the future of Neuromancer looked like, (This was written shortly after Neuromancer's release), and how it would help revive Science Fiction.
Critic: Mikal Gilmore
Source: Rolling Stone, No. 488, December 4, 1986, pp. 77-8, 107-08.
This article is talking about the rise of Cyberpunk in Science Fiction genre, and how it seems to be picking up.
The main point seems to be, that it is percieved that Science Fiction has been in a tail spin for the past while, and that the introduction of Cyberpunk seems to have revtalized the genre. It then speaks out about Neuromancer, and speaking about the innovation the novel presented within the genre, allowing a tone which tended to be quite different then that of most other science fiction novels as the time. It gave some background information on William Gibson, and his less then traditional roots. His raising in Virginia, his lack of formal education at the beginining, his unwillingness to right formal papers, his moving to Canada to dodge the draft, his family in Vancouver, and his eventual success within writing, after being picked up by Isaac Asimov's Sci Fi Magazine.
The Analysis then goes into a traditional fashion, talking about how bizzare and great the future of Neuromancer looked like, (This was written shortly after Neuromancer's release), and how it would help revive Science Fiction.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
On Cyberware
I've read through this book, and the standing detail that seperates it from modern technology is the prevalance of Cyberware.
This seems to be the deciding factor of Cyberpunk, and thusly, I've been doing some research on the real life equivelant, Prosthetics.
The field seems to be quite advance, though the major problem is that their is no real technology at this point, which allows electronic devices to directly interface with nerves. We are one breakthrough away from developing a system where a prosthetic limb directly interacts with the body, rather then through minor pumps. Where moving a prosthetic hand is like moving an actual one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW78wbN-WuU
This seems to be the deciding factor of Cyberpunk, and thusly, I've been doing some research on the real life equivelant, Prosthetics.
The field seems to be quite advance, though the major problem is that their is no real technology at this point, which allows electronic devices to directly interface with nerves. We are one breakthrough away from developing a system where a prosthetic limb directly interacts with the body, rather then through minor pumps. Where moving a prosthetic hand is like moving an actual one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW78wbN-WuU
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Second Blog Entry.
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| Example of Cyberware/Cybernetic Prosthetics. |
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| Cyberpunk City |
Other Published Works by Author: "Neuromancer" 1984
"Count Zero" 1986
"Burning Chrome" 1986
"Mona Lisa Overdrive" 1988
"The Difference Engine" 1990
"Virtual Light" 1993
"Idoru" (1996)
"All Tomorrow's Parties" (1999)
"Pattern Recognition" (2003)
"Spook Country" (2007)
"Zero History" (2010)
Information on Events or Influences to William Gibson:
There was a heavy influence from the "Punk" bands of the time, as that was a key element to the genre as a whole, as well as his writing style. He would contact John Shirley, and through him, would meet with major Science Fiction authors, Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner. They looked at his work, and viewed it as revolutionary, and gave him suggestions.
Themes favored by Author:
William Gibson himself, is Anti-corporate, so this majorly effected his writing style. Cyberpunk seems to as a genre, adopted the them of "Megacorps are exploiting everyone, and replacing Governments". Uncontrolled corporate growth seems to be all but good within his works, and they go after everything to keep up their margins. Speaking of which, his books can have a quite dark tone, and he tends to explore Exploitation, as well as the growth of Technology. He has stopped creating books in the future, as the technology exists today that he was hypothesizing earlier, except for Cybernetic Prosthetics (or at least not as portrayed in the genre, in the genre everyone and their grandmother could receive them, currently it takes years to adjust, and they don't function half as well as the real thing). He also talks a lot about how technology is used, the importance of it, as well as it's application
Other Authors Compared to William Gibson: Most, Science Fiction writers respect William Gibson's contributions, as he pioneered a lot of concepts quite present throughout science fiction as a whole, and the genre of Cyberpunk. William Gibson himself thinks that Neuromancer is an "Adolescent Piece" and sums it up in the following quote ""(if I met the younger version of myself) I'd buy the man a drink, but I probably wouldn't lend him any money."
Friday, 16 September 2011
Assignment 1
The title of the novel is Neuromancer. The author is William Gibson. The year of publication is 1984. The number of pages is 271.
I chose this book as I was meaning to read it anyways, it is a corner stone to the cyberpunk genre, and brings up a lot of material on Transhumanism.
I like the book, a bit slow to get into, but I like it.
About the first 30 pages, I've read.
So far he got drunk in a bar full of people with cybernetic limbs, and described a Dystopian city ruled by corporations. The mood seems to be gritty, and the protagonist flawed.
There seems to be a theme of class struggle, between the Corporations and The people, and the cybernetically enhanced, and the not so enhanced.
Secondary sources are the rest of the books within the series, as well as various books within the genre.
A year here and he still dreamed of cyberspace, hope
fading nightly.
This line speaks to me, as I recently watched the new Tron movie. I really quite liked it, and I know it takes a lot of inspiration from this novel. Still, Tron's portayal of Cyberspace is the one I follow to this day. Bright Neon lights, on Black, like green text on a black background. The beauty is in it's simplicity. Assigning values to a world of 1s and 0s. Then again, the world we live in is just composed of atoms and Molecules.
I chose this book as I was meaning to read it anyways, it is a corner stone to the cyberpunk genre, and brings up a lot of material on Transhumanism.
I like the book, a bit slow to get into, but I like it.
About the first 30 pages, I've read.
So far he got drunk in a bar full of people with cybernetic limbs, and described a Dystopian city ruled by corporations. The mood seems to be gritty, and the protagonist flawed.
There seems to be a theme of class struggle, between the Corporations and The people, and the cybernetically enhanced, and the not so enhanced.
Secondary sources are the rest of the books within the series, as well as various books within the genre.
A year here and he still dreamed of cyberspace, hope
fading nightly.
This line speaks to me, as I recently watched the new Tron movie. I really quite liked it, and I know it takes a lot of inspiration from this novel. Still, Tron's portayal of Cyberspace is the one I follow to this day. Bright Neon lights, on Black, like green text on a black background. The beauty is in it's simplicity. Assigning values to a world of 1s and 0s. Then again, the world we live in is just composed of atoms and Molecules.
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