There WAS a blog here! Where did it go? Oh well.
This is just the introductory stuff. We meet Eric and we meet Dr. Randle, and we meet Ian. What do you think so far? How is this like Alice in Wonderland? (Okay, not so much, not yet)
keep reading!
18 comments:
I’d first like to point out the recurrence of the letter “E” and its phonetic sound in all four of the protagonist’s names in the books that we have read. Eric Sanderson is the protagonist in our current novel. Eiji Miyake was the protagonist in Number 9 Dream. When pronounced phonetically, Oedipa (E-di-puh) Mass from The Crying of Lot 49 utilizes the letter “E” for the beginning of her name. And lastly, the letter “E” would only play a role in If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler if the person reading the novel happened to have a name that started with the letter “E” such as Ethan or Edwina. Nonetheless, this recurrence may or may not be significant in our overall understanding of the post-modernism genre. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Shying away from pointless repetitions, the first 30 pages of Raw Shark Texts is very intriguing to say the least. Hall intertwines point-by-point, intricate and exact detail of everything going on in the world of Eric Sanderson with witty thoughts by Eric interspersed within the lines. Despite this, the narrative so far isn’t as exciting or engaging as I’d like it to be. Especially with other books of the post-modernist genre like Number 9 Dream and Crying of Lot 49, there is something constantly affecting the protagonist and his or her world. As we see him now, Eric has stowed all of the letters in a little drawer and is essentially just trying to live his life as it is. He really has no incentive to go back and even take a first look at any of the letters or open anything from the Frist Eric Sanderson.
In terms of how the story is related to Alice in Wonderland, there really isn’t that much at this point. So far, we have Ian the ginger cat that has a resemblance to the “Cheshire Cat”, (or Garfield for that matter). There is also the whole scene with the little notes that say, “_____ me” which is similar to the moment in Alice’s story when she first falls down the rabbit hole and finds the bottle of liquid that says “drink me” and the plate of food that says “eat me”. Other than that, we still must wait to see more resemblances between the stories.
This book is very engaging so far. I can see the events perfectly clear as if i were watching a movie. I see the main character being played by James McAvoy, for some reason. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered and the author doesn't wait to present them. The beginning of this book is off to a great start and I hope it follows through.
Adam, the letter E.... really? hahah
I haven't seen many allusions to Alice in Wonderland yet, past the inmate objects telling Eric to do things to them, but perhaps this will change as the story progresses. I really enjoyed this reading and it did pull me in, as others have said. From thievery first page, I wanted to know what would happen next, and that hasn't changed as the story continued. I instinctively mistrust Dr. Randle, but I'm not sure if that's based on anything; it's probably just because of other books like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The idea behind this book is simple, and incredibly engaging: what would you do if you woke up and didn't know who you were? But it manages to be engaging without simply relying on this idea and not giving any content. I can't wait to see what happens next.
OMG ADAM GET OVER NUMBER 9 DREAM already because if you dont then we have serious problems lmao jk, but seriously get over that book. This book is so good. I have to admit its been the best one in this class. Right away it caught my eye when the protagonist says on page 3, "This is how my life started, ,my second life." i grew myself more curious as to what this actually meant. Then later in the book we are told that there has been an accident at sea and i was just like woah O.O. To the whole Alice and wonderland i have no clue where they are in the book. Probably because i dont remember the movie. Overall it has been amazing 33 pages and i look forward to meeting the shark .
I really like this book so far. It's nice that it's so fast paced because it makes doing homework so much nicer. The concept is really cool. I like that he can't remember anything important but he can remember random movie facts. I also like Ian he reminds me of my cat. My cat is also ginger tomcat and he can look "bored, irritated and smug all at the same time" (pg. 24). Although I feel like that's a trait all cats have. I also really like the word puzzle things. The one on page 16 was a little difficult. I figured out the homo habilis part but I couldn't figure out the Australopithecus part. As for the Alice and Wonderland there's the stuff we pointed out in class like Ian being the Cheshire Cat and the USE ME and DRIVE ME on page 10.
I really find this book interesting because in any other book the reader gets to know the background of the character from the beginning of the first chapters. With Eric knowing absolutely nothing about his life just waking up in a bedroom it will be interesting to find out why he doesn't remember the information and what his past was. I really liked the letter that he received from the first Eric and the information about not coming back and that nothing would help with what is wrong with Eric. The Alice in Wonderland references are that Ian is like the Cheshire cat and the DRIVE ME and USE ME notes are like the DRINK ME and EAT ME notes .
Although I don’t think I am as intrigued by this book as everyone else is, there are aspects that are really cool. The description of Dr. Randle was really powerful and interesting to imagine. I like Hall’s use of scientific or technological elements to describe the world, the brain or thoughts, or people.
In terms of Alice in Wonderland, there are all of the allusions people already mentioned. But I can add that maybe Eric Sanderson is like Alice, but he is instead investigating reality rather than a dream world (in this section anyway). Alice walks around in Wonderland not knowing where she is, who the characters she meets are, or why things are the way they are. Because Eric doesn’t remember who he is, he is Alice in Wonderland, but in the real world.
From the start the book grabbed my attention. I wanted to know who Eric was, what happened to him, and why it happened eleven times now. The way it's written is almost as if you're seeing it before your eyes instead of reading the words. It feels like a movie. The text translates extremely well. His descriptions of everything from Dr. Randle to Ian are dead on. It isn't over done, it's perfect. You can see it all in your head, or at least I can.
I loved reading the letter. I think it's interesting that Eric is learning everything as we learn it with him. His confusion and his emotions are extremely present. The way the text jumps from one thing to another so quickly makes the reader feel what Eric is feeling. I really enjoy this, it makes me feel even more connected to the character and to the story itself.
It leaves me wanting more, and also with a million more questions as I turn each page.
This book really does read like a movie script. You don't see too many stories that start in media res like this one did, and even less that make it such a jarring entry into the plot. Obviously The Raw Shark Texts is different from other books that we've read due to its being so grounded in what is actually physically happening, well most of the time at least. It's similarity to Alice In Wonderland I believe lies in how there is something more than our reality that is going on, what with Eric's memory erasing every now and then, and him having to leave himself instructions on how to get by and who he needs to help him. I wonder if there is significance to his memories being “consumed” eleven previous times. Also, back on the subject of the first Eric's letters, and the thought that they may not be from the very first and real Eric, something popped into mind is that Eric may have written the letters in accumulation over all of the periods after his memory deserted him.
So far I love this book. I really like how easy to read it is, and how I actually want to keep reading to find out more answers! (Keep in mind, this almost NEVER happens when I read). I found the story sad, but that is a good thing because I enjoy sad books and movies. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like having to recreate myself eleven times, and counting. I really liked the line on page twenty: "-a violent hunt for my own reference material." So perfect for this story. I definitely don't see any reference to Alice in Wonderland... at least not yet. I am looking forward to it though because I love that story. (We should watch it in class).
Overall, I love this book so far, and I hope it stays that way!
I have to say that I really do not like Alice in Wonderland, and I am not looking forward to the Alice in Wonderland allusions. It creeps me out. I guess I'm just gong to have to deal with that throughout this book...
Anyway, I really liked the first chapter. It wasn't a typical, amateur, dragging you through pointless description type of first chapter. It makes you think. Well, it made me think. With every page I turned new questions popped into my mind. Some were answered within the following pages, many were not. I found myself trying to imagine what having no memories would feel like; I tried to picture the emptiness of Eric's mind. I hope Eric opens the other letters soon so that he, and we, will know more about himself, or his 'past self.' I want to get to the weird pages with the picturessss!!!
I really enjoyed the first 33 pages of the book. My favourite was the first sentence. It was engaging and didn't give the story away. Its cool how we learn as he learns. When he opens his eyes "for the first time" is when we open the first page. When eric was talking to Dr. Randle, I thought it was interesting what he thought while he was with her in the meetings. Another thing I liked was how "this" Eric is different from how Dr. Randle described the "past" Erics. He doesn't read all the letters right away, rather he saves them. And I like how he is interested in learning who the "real" Eric is and what his past was like.
I hope the book stays this good!
--Amanda
I wanted to say this for the first reading--Eric Sanderson is being controlled by himself. The mail system must be set up by a network of people working for the first Eric Sanderson, just as Dr. Randle is, but even this new Eric has imposed restrictions on his life very quickly--I'm thinking of page 29, where he describes his weekly routine: "Through these activities I began to develop some parameters, put together a minute but perfectly formed existence...a postage stamp of control."
Is this his coping mechanism, or is this a defining trait of the original Eric Sanderson? If it is, it's creepy. It's going to make something bad happen.
p. 30: He isn't going to read the letters?!
p. 31: He isn't going to unlock the door?!
p. 36 He opens the journal!
p. 48:
"'Is there something alive in there?'
Clio nodded. 'Yes.'
'What is it?'
'I don't know,' she said, watching the waters. 'Something from down where it gets black.'
p. 57: The 'creature' in the white noise--he describes it as a living thing
p. 58: AN EYE IT'S THE SHARK'S EYE
p. 60: WHAT'S GOING ON I DON'T EVEN
I think the shark is his coping mechanism, Eric's way of avoiding the truth in his memories--and it's aggressive and mobilized. (p. 64: "The creature will find something I've missed because it never stops looking and its senses are very sharp...I can't stay in this shark cage forever.")
Ludovician-the shark creature menacing Eric's memories. "It feeds on human memories and the intrinsic sense of self [...] a Ludovician might select an individual human being as its prey animal and pursue and feed on that individual over the course of years, until that victim's memory and identity have been completely consumed."
pp 66-67--the 'shark cage'
QWERTY--the flickering light bulb tape is playing a double-encoded Morse/QWERTY message. QWERTY like the keyboard, I'm guessing.
Big toe--The first Eric Sanderson remembered something Clio said, about getting a smiley face tattoo on her big toe so it would "look funny in the morgue".
Dr. Trey Fidorious--the man the first Eric Sanderson tried to find, believing he could help bring Clio back.
UNSPACE--open, abandoned areas in the world.
p. 88:
Okay, I'm into the book now. I'm in this story with Eric for better or worse
I think I missed the Red Queen?
Like I said in class I have never read a book that sucks you in by the first sentence. I felt like I was watching a movie instead of reading a book it was so intense. I was a little disappointed in this reading that Eric did not open up the letters from theh "First Eric." I really wanted to know more about his situation and what exactly causes him to forget major things like who he is. I also liked that Dr. Randle is a girl. When we were first introduced to Dr. Randle I expected Dr. Randle to be a boy, but she wasn't. I am curious and suspicious as to why Dr. Randle doesn't want Eric to read letters it makes me feel like I have to be cautious about developing a relationship with Dr. Randle. I enjoyed the Alice and Wonderland references like the cat and the envelope. I am definitely enjoying the book and can't wait to read more.
I have to say I find this book immensely entertaining. The author does a wonderful job keeping the reader engaged. The prose is beautiful. I only wish I could write in imagery as evocative as this. Hall does a very good job of creating a world in which Eric Sanderson can exist. He uses diction that is able to evoke a very specific image and feeling.
As regards to Alice in Wonderland, it almost seems that the book starts with Sanderson falling down the rabbit hole. He takes directions from himself while not being the same person he once was.
The letters he receives are intruguing. What is it that causes the first Eric Sanderson to cut all ties? How can he predict his own mental breaks? If there were eleven other versions of Eric, how come he is staying "alive" so long? How is it that the letters can come to him, if they have already been received 11 other times? All these questions make the book an engaging novelty to be explored and experienced.
I think that this book is interesting because of how it starts. The characters are pretty chill and Eric is cool. I find it funny that he is really sexual. Other than that i think i can relate to this character. I also liked the scattered out letters on page 16 because it makes the reader think and get more involved with the reading. I like the titles of the chapters because they sound really interesting and intelligent in a way. The letters are important because he writes them to himself, and in my head, that is strange. Overall, I thought that the beginning of the novel was ingaging and interesting. This kept me interested and makes me want to read more.
I'm really enjoying the book thus far. It is so fast-paced and lively that I am totally able to follow and am thoroughly enjoying it. Though the idea of someone constantly having their memory erased is one that I feel like I've come across multiple times in movies, nonetheless it is still a very intriguing concept as it is done in a different way here. I was so eager to know all about Eric from the start, I wanted to know how he could recreate himself so many times. I wanted to know what the people around him thought of it. I wanted to know what he recreated himself to be each separate time, and I have so many more questions, some were answered, some were left unanswered. I didn't see much relation to Alice and Wonderland besides the "USE ME", "DRIVE ME", and "EAT ME" references and as we pointed out in class Ian is the Cheshire Cat.
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