Discuss a scene you did not like in the book.
BNW is already a super challenging book to read and comprehend. I even have issues with comprehension while I read this book, and I have a B.A in English! One thing that makes this book unnecessarily challenging is the change in format that starts on page 35, and continues to the end of the chapter. The chapter begins following one, cohesive narrative, but then it takes the reader off-guard by introducing a few more different narratives. The narratives are not split up with a distinctive break, other than a space in between the writing. This makes it especially difficult to keep straight which scene we are reading and the next that will be experienced.
I have read a few books where this kind of format is used. However, those books had clearer distinctions between the different scenes. For instance, in Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, the font and the way each character's narrative is written is very unique to that character. So, it is very easy to follow along and not get confused. They also switch between narratives every other chapter. So there is a pattern that a reader can easily follow.
I have not read any books, that I can recall, that have jumped from one scene to the next in the way that BNW has done. We are literally following three or four different scenes that are happening at different places but at the same time. I think it is a very advanced writing skill that most author's have not acquired. I just wish that Huxley had made it more comprehensible. I understand that it may have been a part of his plan to make this chapter a confusing one. If that's the case, he certainly succeeded.
Honestly, I didn't really care for the format that was chosen for the effect that Huxley was going for. I think there was a variety of different ways he could have accomplished the same thing, but at the same time clarifying things more for the reader.
Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteI definitely see your point and I also thought that particular section was hard to comprehend. I remember reading this in high school and my teacher broke this chapter up designed to help us understanding all the intertwining conversation. I can recall reading some books in my post modern class that had this kind of confusion and as a reader it was frustrating to get through. Since I had that kind of breakdown for this chapter from my previous teacher, reading it this time was way more enjoyable and I was able to appreciate the impact and power that I think he was trying to create. Even though as an English major, I love to unpack those kinds of passages; I also think you bring up a good point as to whether or not authors should consider the readability of the narrative they are setting up.
I commented on the changing perspective as well. At first I wasn't sure what was going on, then I expected the order of different points of view to be maintained. I had to read into each paragraph to figure out who was speaking. After a while, though, I thought the alternating paragraphs gave the story a sense of rising tension. I could see those scenes being exciting in a movie version.
ReplyDeleteMy other book, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, changes perspective each chapter; so far there are a half dozen different perspectives, but at least a whole chapter is from the same narrator. Sometimes scenes from earlier in the book are replayed from a different perspective, adding to the overall understanding of the story.
And this is why I wanted you to read this chapter all by yourself. It is hard for us as proficient readers to imagine the experience of less proficient readers--I am hoping to "agitate"--to make you feel what so many of our students feel as they sit in classrooms, with little front loading or during reading strategies--I hope you find value in this expereince--that you will remember it.
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