tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3269306468607044272.post4162271694353821946..comments2023-09-08T23:03:38.173-07:00Comments on Speculative Nonfiction: Ballard's Complete Short StoriesMichael Catonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01017910055699348111noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3269306468607044272.post-56271174532798644222011-12-02T06:24:22.185-08:002011-12-02T06:24:22.185-08:00I wouldn't call Ballard "strange." ...I wouldn't call Ballard "strange." <br />I'd call him "uncanny," as in the valley. <br /><br />His settings tend to have one relatively minor alteration that snowballs. Characters are pulled along by these changes. What's interesting about them is rarely their normal lives, often their normal lives are stuck in a rut of some sort, but their reaction to the change. They're lab rats.dbonfittohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08787420987976232701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3269306468607044272.post-5200343777694466602011-12-01T17:29:14.761-08:002011-12-01T17:29:14.761-08:00You're right about the interplay between chara...You're right about the interplay between character and setting, and anyone who writes speculative fiction without playing with setting is missing the point of the genre. In that regard Ballard is doing a good job. But my problem isn't with his characters - it's with reviewers who try to make him seem so strange when these protagonists would fit quite well with mid-century science fiction, which frequently used characters as mouthpieces for the setting (when Ballard wants to do that, he does it more honestly and effectively than most, to his credit). I think a lot of readers, including myself, will indeed identify with the thought trains of his characters, whether they're set pieces or not.Michael Catonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01017910055699348111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3269306468607044272.post-82578217529346181702011-12-01T07:00:58.850-08:002011-12-01T07:00:58.850-08:00Who are you calling old?
I think what you may be ...Who are you calling old?<br /><br />I think what you may be missing with Ballard is that his characters aren't characters. They're setting. His settings are massive, invasive, and alien. The characters rarely affect it, but end up getting absorbed into it (or escaping but being broken and haunted). <br /><br />The Crystal World is supposed to be a parallel set with The Drowned World and The Drought. <br /><br />As best as I can tell, you're not supposed to really identify with his characters. They're wildlife.dbonfittohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08787420987976232701noreply@blogger.com