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3.01 AVERAGE
3.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Phantastical cavalier philosophising, studded with rainbow diamonds
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
philosophical, dreamlike, dystopian, sci fi - had a Gulliver's Travels feel with a lot of different philosophical threads
actual rating: 2.5
This was equal parts bizarre and fascinating but ultimately what made me round down instead of up was her use of what I would call purposely obtuse language which just made my eyes glaze over a lot of the time. Much like another classic sci-fi novella I read recently [A Week in the Future by Catherine Spence] this is less a 'story' and more just a thinly veiled philosophical diatribe for the author to tell the reader her thoughts and opinions on certain subjects. I think it worked less well here than in A Week in the Future because while Spence was very straightforward Cavendish seems to always use 5 words when one will do which makes this short work particularly hard to get through.
I do think there are some fascinating parts of this story however. There's a lot to be explored both in terms of gender roles [the obvious power fantasy of both ruling a world and saving this world, combined with her feeling that she has to create an entirely new world in order to have any sort of power that she can't have in this one] as well as queer themes [the main character meets Cavendish's own self insert midway through the novel and there is a lot of no-homo level references to them being 'platonic lovers' 'despite them both being women' which I found very interesting], but ultimately it's just not very good at keeping the reader's attention and even though it was incredibly short I found myself bored out of my mind for the majority of the book.
I would still recommend this for people interested in classic sci-fi works by female authors because as I said before there's a lot to unpack here on that particular topic, but as far as being an interesting and entertaining narrative in its own right I think it's pretty dull and oftentimes very confusing on a philosophical level.
This was equal parts bizarre and fascinating but ultimately what made me round down instead of up was her use of what I would call purposely obtuse language which just made my eyes glaze over a lot of the time. Much like another classic sci-fi novella I read recently [A Week in the Future by Catherine Spence] this is less a 'story' and more just a thinly veiled philosophical diatribe for the author to tell the reader her thoughts and opinions on certain subjects. I think it worked less well here than in A Week in the Future because while Spence was very straightforward Cavendish seems to always use 5 words when one will do which makes this short work particularly hard to get through.
I do think there are some fascinating parts of this story however. There's a lot to be explored both in terms of gender roles [the obvious power fantasy of both ruling a world and saving this world, combined with her feeling that she has to create an entirely new world in order to have any sort of power that she can't have in this one] as well as queer themes [the main character meets Cavendish's own self insert midway through the novel and there is a lot of no-homo level references to them being 'platonic lovers' 'despite them both being women' which I found very interesting], but ultimately it's just not very good at keeping the reader's attention and even though it was incredibly short I found myself bored out of my mind for the majority of the book.
I would still recommend this for people interested in classic sci-fi works by female authors because as I said before there's a lot to unpack here on that particular topic, but as far as being an interesting and entertaining narrative in its own right I think it's pretty dull and oftentimes very confusing on a philosophical level.
Un libro sobre señoras bisexuales poliamorosas hablando de filosofía y comiéndose la boca en un paraíso antiespecista de 1666
There's not much in this except for a certain confidently smug showing off of the beliefs of a typical English gentry-person of the seventeenth century, but it is remarkable that such a thing, couched in this super-imaginative sci. fi. veneer, exists at all. It is remarkable enough and, mercifully, short enough--to keep the novelty from wearing too thin for one to get to the end.
It did make me pause to consider if my own literary works manage to supersede the confidently smug beliefs of my culture, class, belief system, and historical moment to create something resembling a worthwhile work of art. Time will tell, I suppose.
It did make me pause to consider if my own literary works manage to supersede the confidently smug beliefs of my culture, class, belief system, and historical moment to create something resembling a worthwhile work of art. Time will tell, I suppose.
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I was interested in reading Margaret Cavendish's The Blazing World (1666) as an early example of feminist science fiction — a precursor to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) — and an oft-cited example of early utopian, speculative and interstitial fiction.
Editor Kate Lilley calls The Blazing World, "...a narrative of the liberty of the female soul and the emancipatory possibilities of utopian speculation and writing specifically for women."
It starts off with an intriguing story. A woman who is abducted and then shipwrecked lands in a fantasy world populated by bear, fox and bird-men and becomes their Empress. It made me think of China Miéville's Bas Lag fantasy world populated by a mish mash of animal and insect men, so I was gratified to find that Miéville references Cavendish in his books Kraken and Un Lun Dun and to find this article "Trans-speciation: From Margaret Cavendish to China Miéville" by Amardeep Singh at The Valve, A Literary Organ.
The middle of the story lost interest for me. There is a long section of back and forth dialogue with philosophical discourse between the Empress and her various subjects (bird, bear and fish-men etc.). Without the effort of a closer reading or knowledge of 17th century discussions of the day, I found this hard to follow and skimmed much of it. In his introduction to a sample of the work in The Faber Book of Utopias, editor John Carey calls The Blazing World "tedious and rambling" and this section in particular "loquaciously unenlightening."
However, the end caught me up again in Cavendish's marvelous meta discussion. She appears as a character in the story and discusses creating worlds in fiction with the Empress.
The "and other writings" are two stories that appeared in Cavendish's publication Nature's Pieces (1656) "The Contract" and "Assaulted and Pursued Chastity." "The Contract" reads a bit like a fairy tale romance with the protagonist rather more empowered but the happily ever after marriage ending intact.
"Assaulted and Pursued Chastity," was fascinating. Our heroine, (Miseria, Affectionata, Travelia — her name changes throughout) goes to extremes to protect her virtue. She shoots a prince, takes poison but is revived, and then dresses as a man and escapes aboard a ship.
It was a great choice by Lilley to include these two works. They gave me a greater appreciation for The Blazing World and better understanding of Cavendish's perspective.
Cavendish is a fascinating personality and prolific writer. At a time in which it was rare for women to publish and sign their works, Cavendish put herself forward as an author. Like the Lady Gaga of her time, she was an eccentric in dress and action who sought and achieved fame. She wished for her writing to make its mark and has succeeded with writers from Virginia Woolf to China Miéville, if critically, noting her contribution. I'm a fan — and interested in learning more about her life, work, and the era in which she lived.
Pairs well with:
China Miéville's Un Lun Dun, Perdido Street Station and The Scar; Virginia Woolf's The Common Reader and A Room of One's Own; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland; and The Faber Book of Utopias.
Quotes:
"But your creating Fancy, thought it fit
To make your World of Nothing, but pure Wit.
Your Blazing-world, beyond the Stars mounts higher,
Enlightens all with a Celestial Fire."
— William Cavendish
"...although I have neither power, time nor occasion to conquer the world as Alexander and Caesar did; yet rather than not be mistress of one...I have made a world of my own: for which no body, I hope, will blame me, since it is in every one's power to do the like." — Margaret Cavendish
"What a vision of loneliness and riot the thought of Margaret Cavendish brings to mind! as if some giant cucumber has spread itself over all the roses and carnations in the garden and choked them to death." — Virginia Woolf on Margaret Cavendish in A Room of One's Own
"Nevertheless, though her philosophies are futile, and her plays intolerable, and her verses mainly dull, the vast bulk of the Duchess is leavened by a vein of authentic fire. One cannot help following the lure of her erratic and lovable personality as it meanders and twinkles through page after page. There is something noble and Quixotic and high-spirited, as well as crack-brained and bird-witted, about her. Her simplicity is so open; her intelligence so active; her sympathy with fairies and animals so true and tender." — Virginia Woolf on Margaret Cavendish in The Common Reader
Of note:
Cavendish has also been claimed as an early animal advocate and opponent of animal testing.
Editor Kate Lilley calls The Blazing World, "...a narrative of the liberty of the female soul and the emancipatory possibilities of utopian speculation and writing specifically for women."
It starts off with an intriguing story. A woman who is abducted and then shipwrecked lands in a fantasy world populated by bear, fox and bird-men and becomes their Empress. It made me think of China Miéville's Bas Lag fantasy world populated by a mish mash of animal and insect men, so I was gratified to find that Miéville references Cavendish in his books Kraken and Un Lun Dun and to find this article "Trans-speciation: From Margaret Cavendish to China Miéville" by Amardeep Singh at The Valve, A Literary Organ.
The middle of the story lost interest for me. There is a long section of back and forth dialogue with philosophical discourse between the Empress and her various subjects (bird, bear and fish-men etc.). Without the effort of a closer reading or knowledge of 17th century discussions of the day, I found this hard to follow and skimmed much of it. In his introduction to a sample of the work in The Faber Book of Utopias, editor John Carey calls The Blazing World "tedious and rambling" and this section in particular "loquaciously unenlightening."
However, the end caught me up again in Cavendish's marvelous meta discussion. She appears as a character in the story and discusses creating worlds in fiction with the Empress.
The "and other writings" are two stories that appeared in Cavendish's publication Nature's Pieces (1656) "The Contract" and "Assaulted and Pursued Chastity." "The Contract" reads a bit like a fairy tale romance with the protagonist rather more empowered but the happily ever after marriage ending intact.
"Assaulted and Pursued Chastity," was fascinating. Our heroine, (Miseria, Affectionata, Travelia — her name changes throughout) goes to extremes to protect her virtue. She shoots a prince, takes poison but is revived, and then dresses as a man and escapes aboard a ship.
It was a great choice by Lilley to include these two works. They gave me a greater appreciation for The Blazing World and better understanding of Cavendish's perspective.
Cavendish is a fascinating personality and prolific writer. At a time in which it was rare for women to publish and sign their works, Cavendish put herself forward as an author. Like the Lady Gaga of her time, she was an eccentric in dress and action who sought and achieved fame. She wished for her writing to make its mark and has succeeded with writers from Virginia Woolf to China Miéville, if critically, noting her contribution. I'm a fan — and interested in learning more about her life, work, and the era in which she lived.
Pairs well with:
China Miéville's Un Lun Dun, Perdido Street Station and The Scar; Virginia Woolf's The Common Reader and A Room of One's Own; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland; and The Faber Book of Utopias.
Quotes:
"But your creating Fancy, thought it fit
To make your World of Nothing, but pure Wit.
Your Blazing-world, beyond the Stars mounts higher,
Enlightens all with a Celestial Fire."
— William Cavendish
"...although I have neither power, time nor occasion to conquer the world as Alexander and Caesar did; yet rather than not be mistress of one...I have made a world of my own: for which no body, I hope, will blame me, since it is in every one's power to do the like." — Margaret Cavendish
"What a vision of loneliness and riot the thought of Margaret Cavendish brings to mind! as if some giant cucumber has spread itself over all the roses and carnations in the garden and choked them to death." — Virginia Woolf on Margaret Cavendish in A Room of One's Own
"Nevertheless, though her philosophies are futile, and her plays intolerable, and her verses mainly dull, the vast bulk of the Duchess is leavened by a vein of authentic fire. One cannot help following the lure of her erratic and lovable personality as it meanders and twinkles through page after page. There is something noble and Quixotic and high-spirited, as well as crack-brained and bird-witted, about her. Her simplicity is so open; her intelligence so active; her sympathy with fairies and animals so true and tender." — Virginia Woolf on Margaret Cavendish in The Common Reader
Of note:
Cavendish has also been claimed as an early animal advocate and opponent of animal testing.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No