Friday, January 21, 2011

Self-Referencing

In the hinterlands of Western Kentucky, where the border plummets into the treacherous waters of the Ohio River on one side and ascends into the heavens on the other, snow has fallen.  Thick and layered, white and pure, it covers everything.

"I don't see it," I say to myself as I sit and type this blog.  "I'm just not feeling it."

And so I pause, the cursor blinking steadily, waiting for my next command.  What will I type?  What can else can be said?

Said, perhaps, is the wrong choice of word, given that I'm technically not speaking but writing.  Ah, you say, but does a writer not have a voice?  You've got me there, I say.

The problem is that I've just finished Jeff VanderMeer's The Third Bear, possibly one of the most remarkable books I've ever, as Dave said yesterday, "injected into my brain via my eyeballs."  The creativity has my brain working overtime.  His writing is so absurd and surrealistic that I feel like it's something I would write if I had the skill, the smarts, and the name Jeff VanderMeer.

Yes, but what is your purpose?  My purpose.  My purpose?!  You don't even exist, you're just a plot device in this blog post, no better than any of the other impetuses I've used to create.  How dare you ask me what my purpose is!

L of omphaloskepsis fame has two intriguing posts up, each with great commentary and discussion.  The first is about feminism in sci-fi (linked here), the second is about the blending of genres and the blurred lines between them (linked here).

I did finally get paid today.  Twenty days late, which means I'm technically due another check two days ago, but I'll take what I can get.

And the snow melts.  The river floods.  The earth trembles.  In the multiverse that exists beneath, above, and between the fallen snow a child awakens.  In his mind he sees things as they are for the first time. 

Expect a review on Monday of VanderMeer's phenomenal book.  In the meantime, check out The Sound and the Fury of Kristopher A. Denby.  Kris has started back to college again and has plenty on his plate, all of it quite exciting.  The guy's got tons of movie trailers and reviews for films I've never heard of, plus a pretty sweet collection of STAR WARS fanart.

"I don't see it," I say to myself as I finish typing this blog.  "I'm just not feeling it."  Yeah, well, I'm not helping you anymore.  You're on your own.  Alone.  Forever.

5 comments:

Paula Titus said...

Beautiful. I felt it.

logankstewart said...

Ha, thanks Paula.

Anonymous said...

nice! and not just because you referenced me (thanks for that)...

going to check out Kris now. (I am catching up from being away for a long weekend...sigh..)

L

Kristopher A. Denby said...

This is a very interesting post, Logan. It took me a while to digest it, but I really, really like the abstraction here and I would encourage you to post in this way more often. It's very intriguing, really. A sort of slightly obscured window into your mind.

Thank you so much for plugging my blog. I feel very honored to get a mention amongst such heady ruminating.

Cheers, brother. Keep up the fine work.

logankstewart said...

@L: Thanks, and you're welcome. Hope you like The Sound & Fury...

@Kris: I'm an abstract sort-of fellow, and my mind tends to go this way more often than not. 'Tis a pleasure to link to ye, friend.