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I just completed Scott Westerfeld's YA trilogy Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. They were a really fun read, although I can't say how much I loved the ending of Specials. I need to ruminate on it a bit. It was a little disappointing and part of that is because I very much wanted a Happy Ever After ending. Specials definitely does not give us that and I need to think a little more and sort out my thoughts before I talk anymore about it.
But, what these books did leave me with is an interest in the body as read through ideas of a utopian or dystopian future. How is the body understood or re-imagined to fit in with the philosophical changes in a future society? How is the body re-created, alienated or mechanized? How do those changes/differences reflect the interior ideas of the new society; do they? Are the physical adjustments representative of mental/intellectual changes? Westerfeld deliberately connects the changes in the physical body with changes in the mind. The physical differences between Uglies, Pretties and Specials are markers for the differences in the way that they understand and interact with the world. Within the individual 'types' there are also subdivisions that further finesse those pre-determined thought processes and their social ramifications.
In Westerfeld's future these categories of human are determined and managed by an unseen government body. When children (Littlies) reach the age of twelve they are sent to Uglyville, a series of dormitories, where they are officially known as Uglies until they reach their sixteenth birthday. At the age of sixteen the Uglies are whisked away to the City Hospital where they are essentially re-created. Their bodies are heavily augmented to match the pre-determined standards for beauty set in place by the 'Pretty Committee', a world wide organization whose job it is to decide what the standard of beauty will be for each generation. Sixteen marks the time when Uglies become Pretty and move to New Pretty Town to party until they reach another set age when they go for a second surgery and become Middle Pretties. Middle Pretties live in the suburbs with their children and families. Middle Pretties will then become Later Pretties, also known as crumblies. At what point in one dies of old age, I have no clue.
What we learn later is that along with changing the body, the mind is also altered to make the Pretties manageable and vapid. They are clueless, floating, 'bubbleheads' interested in nothing besides a good time. Specials are enhanced for superhuman speed, strength and sensory perception. They are the ones who make sure that everything stays as it is. The interesting part, however, is that the Specials are also manipulated/brain washed to keep them in-line and under control. I guess it wouldn't do any good to have these superbeings running around with free will or the ability to really think for themselves.
The arc of the novels is the way that Uglies to Specials deal with the idea that the government is changing people without their knowledge (everyone is aware of the physical operation but not that their brains are also being changed).
These changes are all a result of an Apocalyptic event that occurred in the 'Rusty' era and brought about the downfall of civilization as we know it. The operations are an attempt to control the human race to ensure that the planet is not overrun and destroyed as it almost once was.
So now I'm interested in the idea of these futures (utopian and dystopian) as it relates to controlling the mind, body and nature. I have a few other texts (and I mean both literature and film media) randomly in mind: Westerfeld's books, of course; 1984, Johnny Zed, Blade Runner, Minority Report. Unfortunately, I haven't read much sci-fi in a very long time and I wonder if any of you can suggest reading material, academic or fiction, on the subject.
And also what do you think on the subject? What do you think about these kinds of bodily transgressions? Is there a correlation between utopian futures and agricultural communities? Are dystopian futures automatically mechanized, urban cityscapes or the post-apocalyptic remnants of our current society? As we move closer to the cusp of the Apocalypse do we disassociate our minds from our bodies so that these urban futures are marked by the commercial commoditization of the physical form (and I mean literally the buying, selling, replacement of body parts for other than medical emergencies, etc.)?
Does our growing comfort with plastic surgery flag this sort of future? As respect for the natural world wanes, or our hubris in believing that we can control it grows, are we headed for the type of future where we are implanted with chips and our bodies become less and less our own? I was actually very surprised to find in Westerfeld's future that people weren't chipped. They wore rings, bracelets and collars. All it took to run away was enough guts to face the ferocious wild.
These are really rough thoughts. I only finished Specials last night, so bear with me and share ...
But, what these books did leave me with is an interest in the body as read through ideas of a utopian or dystopian future. How is the body understood or re-imagined to fit in with the philosophical changes in a future society? How is the body re-created, alienated or mechanized? How do those changes/differences reflect the interior ideas of the new society; do they? Are the physical adjustments representative of mental/intellectual changes? Westerfeld deliberately connects the changes in the physical body with changes in the mind. The physical differences between Uglies, Pretties and Specials are markers for the differences in the way that they understand and interact with the world. Within the individual 'types' there are also subdivisions that further finesse those pre-determined thought processes and their social ramifications.
In Westerfeld's future these categories of human are determined and managed by an unseen government body. When children (Littlies) reach the age of twelve they are sent to Uglyville, a series of dormitories, where they are officially known as Uglies until they reach their sixteenth birthday. At the age of sixteen the Uglies are whisked away to the City Hospital where they are essentially re-created. Their bodies are heavily augmented to match the pre-determined standards for beauty set in place by the 'Pretty Committee', a world wide organization whose job it is to decide what the standard of beauty will be for each generation. Sixteen marks the time when Uglies become Pretty and move to New Pretty Town to party until they reach another set age when they go for a second surgery and become Middle Pretties. Middle Pretties live in the suburbs with their children and families. Middle Pretties will then become Later Pretties, also known as crumblies. At what point in one dies of old age, I have no clue.
What we learn later is that along with changing the body, the mind is also altered to make the Pretties manageable and vapid. They are clueless, floating, 'bubbleheads' interested in nothing besides a good time. Specials are enhanced for superhuman speed, strength and sensory perception. They are the ones who make sure that everything stays as it is. The interesting part, however, is that the Specials are also manipulated/brain washed to keep them in-line and under control. I guess it wouldn't do any good to have these superbeings running around with free will or the ability to really think for themselves.
The arc of the novels is the way that Uglies to Specials deal with the idea that the government is changing people without their knowledge (everyone is aware of the physical operation but not that their brains are also being changed).
These changes are all a result of an Apocalyptic event that occurred in the 'Rusty' era and brought about the downfall of civilization as we know it. The operations are an attempt to control the human race to ensure that the planet is not overrun and destroyed as it almost once was.
So now I'm interested in the idea of these futures (utopian and dystopian) as it relates to controlling the mind, body and nature. I have a few other texts (and I mean both literature and film media) randomly in mind: Westerfeld's books, of course; 1984, Johnny Zed, Blade Runner, Minority Report. Unfortunately, I haven't read much sci-fi in a very long time and I wonder if any of you can suggest reading material, academic or fiction, on the subject.
And also what do you think on the subject? What do you think about these kinds of bodily transgressions? Is there a correlation between utopian futures and agricultural communities? Are dystopian futures automatically mechanized, urban cityscapes or the post-apocalyptic remnants of our current society? As we move closer to the cusp of the Apocalypse do we disassociate our minds from our bodies so that these urban futures are marked by the commercial commoditization of the physical form (and I mean literally the buying, selling, replacement of body parts for other than medical emergencies, etc.)?
Does our growing comfort with plastic surgery flag this sort of future? As respect for the natural world wanes, or our hubris in believing that we can control it grows, are we headed for the type of future where we are implanted with chips and our bodies become less and less our own? I was actually very surprised to find in Westerfeld's future that people weren't chipped. They wore rings, bracelets and collars. All it took to run away was enough guts to face the ferocious wild.
These are really rough thoughts. I only finished Specials last night, so bear with me and share ...
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Date: 2007-03-06 08:20 pm (UTC)From:Xenocide, by Orson Scott Card, has a kick-ass, awesome plot about the genetically engineered superfreaks brainwashed by the PTB. It also has several other plots I found lame and boring.
It's the third in the Ender's Game trilogy, which Card should've stopped writing when he was ahead. Ender's Game is awesome and if you haven't, you should read it. The sequel, Speaker for the Dead, has really badass concepts and really terribly poor execution. The third is Xenocide, and after that I don't rec reading. I tried and failed.
Last comment, sorry. The problem with an issue like the one you posted here is I find it extremely difficult to reply to in any reasonable amount of time. I actually felt similarly about your gender/toy post. I typed several very long replies to that post, didn't get near to what I wanted to say, and ended up deleting them because I knew I wouldn't have time to expound on it properly. I find on lj it works better if you really narrow down the topic, but of course in doing so you lose the richness of a fuller, broader discussion. Eek. Oh, well.