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mamimitanaka's review
5.0
Oh gee another total nonstop banger from Gaddis, I'm so surprised. Granted it's maybeeee not as pulled together by a solid emotional core as his other novels [though the last third more than makes up for that imo] but it doesn't matter much when this just has every quality of what generally makes his work electrifying - a seamless balance between vivid realism and bonkers absurdism that never compromises the effects of either complete with an absolutely mind-boggling talent at the art of transition, as full of roaring comedy and goofiness as it is pulsating dread and doom, with characters as conversely lovable and insufferable as anyone you're going to meet in real life. And, of course, some of the best written dialogue you'll ever read in the English language, with those characters' voices so distinct and defined you may as well be listening to real people speak, even while so much of this never shies away from out-and-out parodic farce. In theory, this could have been Gaddis treading water, seeing as it plays on many of the same ideas and structural flourishes as J R and Carpenter's Gothic, but there's enough working for it on its own merits to feel like a distinct and important piece of his ouvre, despite consensus of it being a lesser work. But even if it is a retread of sorts, I think after a lifetime of writing Gaddis had completely earned it at this point - this does in part read like an established master writing the most deranged and rollicking iteration of his own style that he could think of, and the effort pays off as one would expect from a writer of this caliber this late in the game.
There's a part of me that feels like I shouldn't be as keen on Gaddis as I am... satire is very blatantly one of his primary modes of literary conduct, and while I'm a big fan of comedic work, satire tends not to be my bag because it tends to come with this implicit manner of aloofness bordering on emotional coldness, as well as a striking out at "the masses" which imo is often unnecessarily and mean spiritedly digging at the symptoms of late stage capitalism rather than the diagnosis itself. And Gaddis for sure is all of these things, no doubt an utterly insufferable elitist snob, which is about as antithetical to my values on literature [and art in general] as one could get - however, what elevates Gaddis' satire for me is that he never stops just at his criticism of the rabble, but mines deeply and deliberately into the very structures that cause people to worship products and just generally act terribly to one another. This actually may be his most complete novel in terms of actually tackling an anti-capitalist worldview, because it has the strongest acknowledgment of all his works that human barbarism is not created in a vacuum but instead arises directly from systems of state power in which these things are not anomalies but directly built into the machinery of, which Gaddis in this book uses the apparatus of American law as a convenient vehicle for. The capitalist state is not "broken", what makes it frightening is that it works perfectly, and thus it's perfectly easy for even the people who think they're set against it to be swept up into its jaws and work the system or else doom will befall them. The sense of inevitability I get from this book, in contrast to some of his earlier works, is less that "humans inevitably suck" and more like "humans inevitably suck under a system which literally prioritizes that they Inevitably Suck or else survival is impossible". His characters are also not one-dimensional caricatures and there's very much a lot of depth and care that went into writing these people, which is important since the satire would fall flat and just become another mean spirited and aimless critique without their human impact. So while Gaddis' work remains bleak, I don't really think it's his obligation to provide a Cogent and Structured rebuttal to how all this works, as I've said before if he wanted to do that he'd be a philosopher not a fiction author, he was simply portraying the world as he saw it, with a righteous disdain toward an apparatus that he thought was killing people's ability for love, connection and culture [and what does capitalism do if not stifle all of those things?]
As far as symbolism and atmosphere and like Pure Aesthetic it might actually be my favorite besides The Recognitions, like that book it's very indebted to this atmosphere of religious apocalypse and the judgment of the wicked from the divine [God and The Law are often wonderfully juxtaposed here, in a manner that's perhaps not too subtle but who needs subtlety anyways]. Also like his debut Gaddis builds the mechanics of the novel out of his literary influences and references them in ways largely absent from the previous two novels, and it was refreshing to see a return to that especially in the way it informs the fire-and-brimstone subtext and the sense of Biblical dread overriding much of the narrative. I love the way the imagery of the pond next to Oscar's estate is played in the novel, almost like this divine connection to God and the natural world that lies just outside the bounds of the main cast but they are so imprisoned in the world of law and bills and bureaucracy that they can only see from the inside looking out, unable to really be one with it, making Oscar and Christina's predicament feel like a prison of the mind as much as an actual claustrophobic entrapment. As far as form it's not quite as innovative as his previous books but there's still a lot going for it - Oscar's play adds a lot to the thematic content and subtext, and many of the legal documents interspered throughout the narrative, while at times utterly mind-numbing [intentionally so, but nevertheless], are also home to some of Gaddis' best moments of black comedy.
I think overall too that this may be his most accessible novel to a first time reader, though at the same time I'm not sure I'd recommend starting with it - despite all the legal jargon and absurdism, it maybe has the most easily graspable narrative core of all his works, but concurrently that narrative may not be as thoroughly appreciated without a former knowledge of Gaddis' literary history [he definitely seems to be an author best suited for a chronological reading, which I definitely plan to do while rereading him at some point]. But either way, this is yet another immense achievement from one of post-war America's greatest minds, and is entirely worth your time if you're into this sort of thing. Probably not his greatest work overall, but not a single Gaddis book isn't some level of amazing - trying to rank or classify them by quality is a moot point.
There's a part of me that feels like I shouldn't be as keen on Gaddis as I am... satire is very blatantly one of his primary modes of literary conduct, and while I'm a big fan of comedic work, satire tends not to be my bag because it tends to come with this implicit manner of aloofness bordering on emotional coldness, as well as a striking out at "the masses" which imo is often unnecessarily and mean spiritedly digging at the symptoms of late stage capitalism rather than the diagnosis itself. And Gaddis for sure is all of these things, no doubt an utterly insufferable elitist snob, which is about as antithetical to my values on literature [and art in general] as one could get - however, what elevates Gaddis' satire for me is that he never stops just at his criticism of the rabble, but mines deeply and deliberately into the very structures that cause people to worship products and just generally act terribly to one another. This actually may be his most complete novel in terms of actually tackling an anti-capitalist worldview, because it has the strongest acknowledgment of all his works that human barbarism is not created in a vacuum but instead arises directly from systems of state power in which these things are not anomalies but directly built into the machinery of, which Gaddis in this book uses the apparatus of American law as a convenient vehicle for. The capitalist state is not "broken", what makes it frightening is that it works perfectly, and thus it's perfectly easy for even the people who think they're set against it to be swept up into its jaws and work the system or else doom will befall them. The sense of inevitability I get from this book, in contrast to some of his earlier works, is less that "humans inevitably suck" and more like "humans inevitably suck under a system which literally prioritizes that they Inevitably Suck or else survival is impossible". His characters are also not one-dimensional caricatures and there's very much a lot of depth and care that went into writing these people, which is important since the satire would fall flat and just become another mean spirited and aimless critique without their human impact. So while Gaddis' work remains bleak, I don't really think it's his obligation to provide a Cogent and Structured rebuttal to how all this works, as I've said before if he wanted to do that he'd be a philosopher not a fiction author, he was simply portraying the world as he saw it, with a righteous disdain toward an apparatus that he thought was killing people's ability for love, connection and culture [and what does capitalism do if not stifle all of those things?]
As far as symbolism and atmosphere and like Pure Aesthetic it might actually be my favorite besides The Recognitions, like that book it's very indebted to this atmosphere of religious apocalypse and the judgment of the wicked from the divine [God and The Law are often wonderfully juxtaposed here, in a manner that's perhaps not too subtle but who needs subtlety anyways]. Also like his debut Gaddis builds the mechanics of the novel out of his literary influences and references them in ways largely absent from the previous two novels, and it was refreshing to see a return to that especially in the way it informs the fire-and-brimstone subtext and the sense of Biblical dread overriding much of the narrative. I love the way the imagery of the pond next to Oscar's estate is played in the novel, almost like this divine connection to God and the natural world that lies just outside the bounds of the main cast but they are so imprisoned in the world of law and bills and bureaucracy that they can only see from the inside looking out, unable to really be one with it, making Oscar and Christina's predicament feel like a prison of the mind as much as an actual claustrophobic entrapment. As far as form it's not quite as innovative as his previous books but there's still a lot going for it - Oscar's play adds a lot to the thematic content and subtext, and many of the legal documents interspered throughout the narrative, while at times utterly mind-numbing [intentionally so, but nevertheless], are also home to some of Gaddis' best moments of black comedy.
I think overall too that this may be his most accessible novel to a first time reader, though at the same time I'm not sure I'd recommend starting with it - despite all the legal jargon and absurdism, it maybe has the most easily graspable narrative core of all his works, but concurrently that narrative may not be as thoroughly appreciated without a former knowledge of Gaddis' literary history [he definitely seems to be an author best suited for a chronological reading, which I definitely plan to do while rereading him at some point]. But either way, this is yet another immense achievement from one of post-war America's greatest minds, and is entirely worth your time if you're into this sort of thing. Probably not his greatest work overall, but not a single Gaddis book isn't some level of amazing - trying to rank or classify them by quality is a moot point.
dooo's review
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dllh's review
4.0
If you want to dip your little toe into the waters of Gaddis's work, this is where to start. You get a sense of his humor and cleverness from this book without the huge investment his other longer books require. It's a good book but probably not a great one.
jeremyhornik's review
5.0
Oh my God this book is hard to read. Gaddis not only knows a lot of words, he's happy to leave out the quotation marks to indicate someone is speaking. (Incidentally, every book I've ever read that left out quotation marks was brilliant. They have to be, because they're practically unreadable.) Anyhow, it's brilliant. There's a legal opinion that is dry, dry, dry and hilarious, and there's deep sadness and crushing emotion, and it made me read (eventually) every other book Gaddis wrote.
PS They're all good, and they're all too hard for you to read. You probably shouldn't try.
PS They're all good, and they're all too hard for you to read. You probably shouldn't try.
bae0fpigs's review
challenging
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kwarnimont's review
THE FORMATTING!!!! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO READ WITH THIS FORMATTING
kingkong's review
5.0
The real tragedy is that Oscar never got to perform his play with Sir John Nipples