Let's Not Drag Star Trek Into Gibson
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by Ann Y. Mous
__Science Fiction. This genre of literature is probably the most
misunderstood. Many people relegate it to pop-fiction/sensationalism. Others narrowly
define as any novel that occurs in space. Still others dismiss it because they feel
it is written and read by a bunch of withdrawn egghead scientists and not true writers
or aesthetes. However, science fiction is much more than just science. Like Star
Trek, it can be exciting and space centered but still have an important underlying
theme that is creatively but coherently displayed. Science fiction is actually a
wide-ranging, multidimensional genre that can be fascinating.
__The genre consists of various sub-genres, such as and cyber-punk which is characterized
by youth, music, and an inclination for brains over brawn in cyber-punk heroes. Gibson's
Neuromancer has been described as the cyber-punk bible but it's an incoherent bible
only translatable by a cyber-punk priest. One thing that makes Gibson's novel so
difficult to understand is his style. He has a choppy abrupt style that is distracting.
This style is probably intended to keep the novel fast paced but only accomplishes
in blurring clarity. When Corto dies for example, it is not obvious exactly how he
dies until a few chapters later when it is mentioned he has become a satellite to
the space island. In addition there is the " jargon" in the novel. If the
jargon in the novel were explained the plot would be easier to follow. Scientific
and technical jargon are not uncommon in science fiction novels but they are usually
defined with some device by the writer. There are a number of devices to explain
jargon without overtly stating the term's definition. For example in Stephenson's
Snow Crash he explains what an avatar means to the metaverse by explaining the difference
between Hiro's avatar and everyone else's avatars , and by explaining the difference
between an avatar's capabilities and a real human's capabilities. Jargon has two
faces; it can either include one in a elite group that fully understands it and can
quickly and efficiently communicate using it , or it can exclude those who would
like to communicate with the elite group. Gibson's jargon definitely excludes. It's
unclear whether or not the jargon is adapted from actual cybernetic terms or pure
literary inventions. In either case, a definition by the author would be very illuminating
for the computer illiterate. For example the term construct is not clear at first.
In order to understand the plot the reader needs to understand that a person does
not have a one to one relationship with his construct; one person can have a number
of different constructs. Once this concept is clear the Sense/Net operation becomes
an integral part of the plot instead of pointless action.
__Finally there is no apparent meaning to the novel, no conclusion about the themes
involved. There are two major themes introduced in the novel : the concept of the
matrix and the concept of artificial intelligence. Gibson's novel could explore a
number of questions. What effect will the matrix have on relationships ? How will
the matrix effect those who regularly use it ? Is it healthy, in mind and body, to
live in a virtual world the majority of the time? Will any artificial intelligence
ever become autonomous ?, Should we rely on artificial intelligence ? Is there some
essential factor that humans have that no matter how autonomous an artificial intelligence
becomes it can never obtain ? Is the fact that an artificial intelligence might lack
certain human qualities important ? However, even though Gibson's novel raises these
questions very little time is spent actually discussing them. Instead the bulk of
the novel is concerned with his cyber-punk inventions and action. Finally , the conclusion
of the novel is ambiguous about what the artificial intelligence has become. The
intelligence simply states that it has found another intelligence like its self from
the nineteen seventies and now it has someone with which to converse.
__Gibson's style, perhaps which can be argued is the style of cyber-punk, limits
the already limited audience of science fiction. Neuromancer perpetuates the myth
that science fiction is only read by withdrawn isolated scientists or computer fanatics.
This is a pity because science fiction can be so ...fascinating.