Player Piano
July 9th 2006 10:41
I love Kurt Vonnegut, at the moment he's my all time favourite writer... he sometimes writes with a science-fiction slant but his books reach into wider realms and aren't focused all that much on the science aspect of the genre, it's more about pointing out how fucked up the world is in an absurdist, anti-authoritarian way. Vonnegut rallies against the modern machine, censorship, the hypocrisies of society and the general idiocy of the human race. He does this in an entertaining manner, he makes you laugh and he makes you question basic fundamental parts of our culture that we take for granted. Sometimes he makes me angry, cause I'll be all like 'hey fuck this system that does this shit' but then I'll laugh again at how silly it all is and I'll be all like 'yo Vonnegut you're alright, let's just chill out for a while and watch the idiots go by'. Vonnegut informs and embodies my world view. He'd probably hate to hear that too.
'Player Piano' is Kurt Vonnegut's first novel. It's probably his least straight-out entertaining book that I've read so far, but it's still a good place to start. It takes a leaf from the 1984/Brave New World school of the future but isn't as downbeat as Orwell or as crazy as Huxley. It differs from a lot of his later novels in that it's more science-fiction than literature and in that it's narrative stucture is fairly straight-forward (whereas his later works aren't really all that fussed with following the story from point A to point B). It doesn't really feel that much like a Vonnegut novel at first... I guess he was still finding his feet when he wrote it.
The themes are dealt with in a more straight-forward novel-style manner too... the title 'Player Piano' refers to one of the first cases of machine replacing human. Here the society of Vonnegut's near future are run by an elite of high-IQ scientists... everyone else is provided for but basically useless. Machines take care of pretty much everything. The book follows Paul Proteus, a former member of the elite who grows more and more disillusioned with this society as the book goes on. It isn't as apocalyptic or depressing as the aforementioned Orwell and Huxley books, but it's a very familiar vision of the future all the same, and it's definitely on the money in much the same way.
All the hallmark satirical Vonnegut characters are present, as are their little stories that help make up the bigger thematic picture that the book is presenting. But as the classic Vonnegut novel-structure is far from present his bite doesn't feel as potent as it does in later books, this book's linear structure feels too traditional and I tended to get too hung up on the plot and what was happening to the characters... Vonnegut's later (and best) books tend to jump around a lot in terms of the story's timeline and in those cases I find myself focusing more on what's being said than how it's being said.
Anyway, this book is definitely worth a read if you're a Vonnegut fan or generally a fan of classic science-fiction. You know, the kind of sci-fi that comments on the failings of our society and where it's all heading. Even though 'Player Piano' was written over fifty years ago it's still relevant now, so I think that definitely says something.
TRIVIA: At one point this book was released as 'Utopia 14'. I think 'Player Piano' is a much better title, not as pulpy and rubbish!
Player Piano
'Player Piano' is Kurt Vonnegut's first novel. It's probably his least straight-out entertaining book that I've read so far, but it's still a good place to start. It takes a leaf from the 1984/Brave New World school of the future but isn't as downbeat as Orwell or as crazy as Huxley. It differs from a lot of his later novels in that it's more science-fiction than literature and in that it's narrative stucture is fairly straight-forward (whereas his later works aren't really all that fussed with following the story from point A to point B). It doesn't really feel that much like a Vonnegut novel at first... I guess he was still finding his feet when he wrote it.
The themes are dealt with in a more straight-forward novel-style manner too... the title 'Player Piano' refers to one of the first cases of machine replacing human. Here the society of Vonnegut's near future are run by an elite of high-IQ scientists... everyone else is provided for but basically useless. Machines take care of pretty much everything. The book follows Paul Proteus, a former member of the elite who grows more and more disillusioned with this society as the book goes on. It isn't as apocalyptic or depressing as the aforementioned Orwell and Huxley books, but it's a very familiar vision of the future all the same, and it's definitely on the money in much the same way.
All the hallmark satirical Vonnegut characters are present, as are their little stories that help make up the bigger thematic picture that the book is presenting. But as the classic Vonnegut novel-structure is far from present his bite doesn't feel as potent as it does in later books, this book's linear structure feels too traditional and I tended to get too hung up on the plot and what was happening to the characters... Vonnegut's later (and best) books tend to jump around a lot in terms of the story's timeline and in those cases I find myself focusing more on what's being said than how it's being said.
Anyway, this book is definitely worth a read if you're a Vonnegut fan or generally a fan of classic science-fiction. You know, the kind of sci-fi that comments on the failings of our society and where it's all heading. Even though 'Player Piano' was written over fifty years ago it's still relevant now, so I think that definitely says something.
TRIVIA: At one point this book was released as 'Utopia 14'. I think 'Player Piano' is a much better title, not as pulpy and rubbish!
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