I was not a fan of this book. I understand that it is social satire and therefore supposed to be thought provoking, but the author could have done it in a different way. Anderson's use of slang and technical terms in this novel made it very hard to get into the narrator's head and really understand what he's talking about.
Once I got toward the ending of Feed, I actually appreciated the characters and their dependence on technology and why Violet is so against it. However, I think it was difficult to start the novel because of the language used. While it is written in English, I felt like I had to learn a whole new language to understand the characters. If teenagers now sounded like how the teenagers in the book sound I would be disappointed. I would tell them to pay attention in school, read a book, do something other than look at a computer screen all day. Which is the point Anderson was trying to get across, I think. That if we keep relying on technology to do all the thinking for us, how are we going to know how to think for ourselves?
Anderson takes a different spin, one almost a step further, than earlier dystopian writers like George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. However, I think that their novels are considered science fiction classics and Anderson's is not is because of the language. The slang might be relatable for teens, but Feed won't be put on any "classics you must read before you die" list any time soon because older generations (like me) have a hard time getting into the mindset of a character who is constantly cursing and unable to hold a real conversation that isn't over text messages.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI agree Sarah, I am having a hard time finishing this book. I have about 100pgs left and I just don't see a strong plot. Something big better happen in these last 100pgs or I will have to agree with Shelby and deem Feed "meg null." Also, the reader is simply bombarded with foreign slang terms. I think that Anderson could have made his point about the degradation of language with just a few less slang terms.
Emily
Good Evening, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteIts seems we are all feeling pretty similar about the language of Feed. It's definitely off-putting and distracting at first, and takes quite a long time to get used to, if you ever manage to get used to it. I also thought the plot get use a bit of a boost, in that it seems pretty straightforward. It's a downward slope into a depressingly horrific end - we eventually become so dependent, so incorporated into our technology that we can no longer keep up with it, and it kills us. I understand that Anderson is trying to show us what we all stand to lose if we don't keep our ducks in a row, but I could do without ever knowing about Link being the clone of Abraham Lincoln, or knowing that units/unettes are the equivalent of dudes/dudettes.
Sarah! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree. The language in Feed is interesting, to say the least. I cannot deny that it's creative; M.T. Anderson was basically able to create this whole other language, which is pretty impressive, but it does come at the expense of readability. I was definitely not a fan at the beginning. However, towards the end of the novel, I was able to finally able to appreciate both the satirical elements as well as the intriguing commentary that the characters themselves offer. Titus is not likeable; he's selfish, slef-serving and self-absorbed. But perhaps that's what Anderson was trying to accomplish with having the narrator NOT be the agent of change? Just a thought...would love to know yours!
-Sydney