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Liz
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Post subject: Gordon Dahlquist Q&A #14  Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:54 am |
| JDZ Moderator |
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Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:13 pm
Posts: 12112
Location: The Left Coast
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ONBC: Many of our members have commented on your use of religious references. Can you comment on the religious symbolism in the story?
GD: In all honesty, symbolism as such doesn't interest me so much, and religious symbolism in particular – there's just too much of a heavy-handed tradition of it for me. Most of those references in Glass Books – the angel clock in the train station or the statue of the martyr in the square, for example – are more cultural references than strictly religious, that is, more about how cultures display that imagery and to what ends, and also to what degree people internalize those images and those ideas for themselves. Also, some of them are simply satirical with regard to Victorian art and iconography.
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You can't judge a book by its cover.
The only thing that matters is the ending. It's the most important part of the story.
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Theresa
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Post subject: Re: Gordon Dahlquist Q&A #14 Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:09 pm |
| JDZ Web Designer |
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Joined: Sun May 01, 2005 1:21 am
Posts: 17323
Location: Houston, Texas
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Very interesting. And a bit surprising, especially with that hideous martyr statue in the square. It receives several mentions in the course of the story; I thought it might play a larger role than just a cultural reference.
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DeppInTheHeartOfTexas
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Post subject: Re: Gordon Dahlquist Q&A #14 Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:01 pm |
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 10:43 pm
Posts: 10375
Location: Austin
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All the code/control names were biblical references as well, weren't they? This answer surprised me just as the one about colors did.
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Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -
Wow! What a ride!
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gemini
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Post subject: Re: Gordon Dahlquist Q&A #14 Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 12:21 pm |
Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:28 pm
Posts: 3908
Location: Florida
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I can see where a story based on a process which actually changes human beings from what they were born, to something else (glass), might have religious conotations like competiing with the creator. I do understand where he might want to write a strictly science fiction story without weighing in on religious values that might distract from the plot.
Then there is the suxual aspect used in the process which is used to seduce, good VS evil. It is difficult to not internalize these images as religious symmetry.
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"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." Will Rogers
Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.
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trygirl
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Post subject: Re: Gordon Dahlquist Q&A #14 Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:23 pm |
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 10:48 am
Posts: 1048
Location: in the shade
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I must have internalized too much because I saw these references as more than just cultural or satirical.
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I'm not a brand, I'm more of a variety. - Johnny Depp
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