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wille44's review against another edition
2.0
Any discussion of Bottom's Dream has to start with the disclaimer of how much of the novel one was actually able to get through, so I'll put up front that I read half of this monster. Books 1, 2, 4, and 7 to be precise, and with the blessing of Wood's Afterwords and my own tolerance I consider myself finished with this book. Anyone perusing information or reviews about this book doubtless already know what it entails, and whether or not they want to read it, so I'll just reiterate briefly: Bottom's Dream is unlike any other novel, it is not a narrative or a plot. More accurately it is a mixture of literary theory and criticism, ensconced within a massive linguistic experiment which informs and illustrates the arguments the book makes.
Schmidt's theory is his Etym Theory and his criticism is of the works and style of Edgar Allen Poe, mostly using his 2 novels The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym and The Journal of Julius Rodman to illustrate his points. His critical assessments are almost all delivered through the lens of his Etym Theory, and this theory comprises the majority of the book. Extremely influenced by Freud's work, it holds that writing can be analyzed by peeling apart the etymology of the words used to find alternate meanings in the texts. In action, this ends up being Schmidt spending 1,500 pages explaining how everything is actually about sex and basically making every single word written a sexual pun. What narrative structure there is comprises a Schmidtian stand in character explaining his theory to a couple of Poe translators who push back on his ideas, and their daughter who Schmidt spends the entire book leering at.
His Etym Theory has aged poorly, with thousands upon thousands of nonsensical insights such as Poe's usage of Penguins actually signifying "Penis go in." On top of this is his rewriting of the German language, using heavy punctuation and consistent broken and misspellings to reformat how we read the words he chooses. This is initially fresh and fun and interesting, and his experimental style is certainly engaging. Unfortunately his obsession with tying the majority of his creative wordplay to sexual entendre cheapens it, the fifth time he substitutes "cun" for "cont" in a word the joke wears thin, the five hundredth time it becomes insufferable.
On the whole it's a shame because his style is refreshing and distinct and really lends a kinetic energy to the words themselves that can be a joy to read. His literary chops as well are near unmatched, and his numerous digressions into various literary history and authorial critiques are snappy and insightful. Sadly the whole thing is weighed down by a central theory that feels deflated and psychologically simplistic to a modern reader, and his childlike obsession with sex jokes grows wearying far, far before the end is in sight. An interesting experiment to sample, but one that unfortunately grows torturous the longer you read it.
Schmidt's theory is his Etym Theory and his criticism is of the works and style of Edgar Allen Poe, mostly using his 2 novels The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym and The Journal of Julius Rodman to illustrate his points. His critical assessments are almost all delivered through the lens of his Etym Theory, and this theory comprises the majority of the book. Extremely influenced by Freud's work, it holds that writing can be analyzed by peeling apart the etymology of the words used to find alternate meanings in the texts. In action, this ends up being Schmidt spending 1,500 pages explaining how everything is actually about sex and basically making every single word written a sexual pun. What narrative structure there is comprises a Schmidtian stand in character explaining his theory to a couple of Poe translators who push back on his ideas, and their daughter who Schmidt spends the entire book leering at.
His Etym Theory has aged poorly, with thousands upon thousands of nonsensical insights such as Poe's usage of Penguins actually signifying "Penis go in." On top of this is his rewriting of the German language, using heavy punctuation and consistent broken and misspellings to reformat how we read the words he chooses. This is initially fresh and fun and interesting, and his experimental style is certainly engaging. Unfortunately his obsession with tying the majority of his creative wordplay to sexual entendre cheapens it, the fifth time he substitutes "cun" for "cont" in a word the joke wears thin, the five hundredth time it becomes insufferable.
On the whole it's a shame because his style is refreshing and distinct and really lends a kinetic energy to the words themselves that can be a joy to read. His literary chops as well are near unmatched, and his numerous digressions into various literary history and authorial critiques are snappy and insightful. Sadly the whole thing is weighed down by a central theory that feels deflated and psychologically simplistic to a modern reader, and his childlike obsession with sex jokes grows wearying far, far before the end is in sight. An interesting experiment to sample, but one that unfortunately grows torturous the longer you read it.
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