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HAMLET ON THE HOLODECK

Name: HAMLET ON THE HOLODECK
Author: Janet H. Murray
ISBN: 0-684-82723-9

THE FUTURE OF NARRATIVE IN CYBERSPACE

by Janet H. Murray ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1997

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Murray (who has the seemingly oxymoronic title of senior research scientist in humanities at MIT) has produced a provocative yet cautious meditation on the possibilities and ramifications of encounters between traditional literature, characterized by the Melancholy Dane, and emerging computer technologies, represented by the holodeck, a form of virtual reality enjoyed by characters on Star Trek. ``The computer is not the enemy of the book. It is the child of print culture,'' declares Murray. A good portion of this effort ``to imagine what kinds of pleasures . . . a cyberliterature will bring us and what sorts of stories it might tell,'' is concerned with clarifying this emergent field's terminology: for instance, ``constructivism'' is a situation of collective authorship between creator and end-user; and ``cyberdrama'' is a catchall term for digital story forms. Many of Murray's ideas are based not in technology but in literary theory and history. Russian formalist Vladimir Propp's folktale morphologies, Murray suggests, might provide the basis for an algorithm that would allow computers to write stories unassisted, and quotes from Forster's Aspects of the Novel are sprinkled throughout the work. Furthermore, both television and computer programs such as the Artificial Intelligencedriven psychotherapist ELIZA (the subject of the book's most amusing section) are acknowledged for their contributions. The well-known ``fourth wall'' of theater and the attempts of playwrights to subvert it serve as a strong metaphor for Murray in trying to describe how virtual reality and MUDs (Multi-User Domains) may affect the future of narrative. Unfortunately, it is here that her insecurities about authorship are most apparent. Statements on behalf of authors such as, ``If we give the interactor complete freedom to improvise, we lose control of the plot,'' give the reader the strong feeling that, to quote the Bard, Murray ``doth protest too much.'' This control issue notwithstanding, Hamlet on the Holodeck suggests some truly fascinating possibilities for the future of narrative and the imminent arrival of the first ``Cyberbard.''

Pub Date: July 1, 1997

ISBN: 0-684-82723-9

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Free Press

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1997

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.