Scan barcode
A review by neuro_chef
Babel by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
“The empire in which the sun never sets!” I first heard that phrase in 6th grade English when my Syrian teacher thrillingly exclaimed it, as if he was a part of that history; somewhat proud that his own country was considered part of an empire. I thought nothing of it, on the contrary, his pride seeped over to me as I parroted the same “fun fact” over at my family’s dinner table. It’s not until I became much older that I realized how depraved his statement really was. How was he so proud of the empire that stole his land and exploited his people? Proud of the empire who’s greedy hands pushed it to the other side of the world? The more I thought about it the more it perplexed me. Reading Babel brought me as close as I’d ever been to an answer.
The violent plundering of the British empire left ripples that are still very much felt today, generations after its end. Unfortunately, there are those who seem to conveniently forget this, blaming the state of many countries and their people on some immutable biological or cultural factor, waving away the centuries of exploitation that the empires of old subjected onto those lands, exploitation that still lives on till this day, due to the willful ignorance of those who would rather chalk up failed states to the shortcomings of individuals rather than a product of a cancerous system. Babel's central thesis lies at the heart of this idea; utilizing a setting and infrastructure indicative of dark academia (A sub-genre that directly affirms the underlying dogma of western superiority and eurocentrism) to directly subvert these viewpoints and shed light on how, even in modern times, the shadow of the European empires looms large, and leaves in its wake a sense of western cultural superiority that both stems from that injustice and simultaneously denies its existence.
Languages are a vector for people to explore and express their deepest thoughts, they are the gateway between the internal and external, between our minds and the worlds we inhabit, and perhaps most pertinent to this discussion: between people. The environment in which a certain language develops is generally the main driving factor for the differentiation of the language from others, with said language being developed in order to describe the state of the world in which the speaker is experiencing. This also goes the other way, wherein a language that someone learns directly influences their way of thinking. This idea is exemplified in the idea of untranslatable phrases and words, which are certain phrases that mean something in a language that cannot be translated to another without losing some or all of its meaning (For example: la douler exquise in French). Kuang utilizes this idea of the untranslatable phrases as the main fantastical element within the book. I don't want to spoil how this works as its one of the most captivating elements of the book, and I would be remiss to ruin that experience for you.
Our main characters are a diverse group from a variety of different backgrounds. They were not placed in order to increase diversity cookie points and for the author to clap herself on the back for being so progressive that she added a character with a darken skin tone, but rather to provide a plethora of different experiences of how racism and sexism can manifest itself, even (and especially) at the most prestigious institutions in the world. Kuang uses her experience and time in Oxford to directly inspire the fictional stories that we read before us, which turns a fantasy novel into something eerily realistic and plausible. The characters are mainly used as vectors through which to convey the different themes and conflicts of the story. While this takes away from their overall characterization and the sense that these are real, living people, I felt it was a necessary sacrifice that strengthens the story overall by not bogging the reader down in details that play little to no role within the story.
Colonialism comes in many forms, most pertinent of which is that of the culture; invading a people's very self-perception and leading them to believe that the occupying force is that of Good, of Justice and Freedom, of labelling any differences as barbaric, any
The violent plundering of the British empire left ripples that are still very much felt today, generations after its end. Unfortunately, there are those who seem to conveniently forget this, blaming the state of many countries and their people on some immutable biological or cultural factor, waving away the centuries of exploitation that the empires of old subjected onto those lands, exploitation that still lives on till this day, due to the willful ignorance of those who would rather chalk up failed states to the shortcomings of individuals rather than a product of a cancerous system. Babel's central thesis lies at the heart of this idea; utilizing a setting and infrastructure indicative of dark academia (A sub-genre that directly affirms the underlying dogma of western superiority and eurocentrism) to directly subvert these viewpoints and shed light on how, even in modern times, the shadow of the European empires looms large, and leaves in its wake a sense of western cultural superiority that both stems from that injustice and simultaneously denies its existence.
Languages are a vector for people to explore and express their deepest thoughts, they are the gateway between the internal and external, between our minds and the worlds we inhabit, and perhaps most pertinent to this discussion: between people. The environment in which a certain language develops is generally the main driving factor for the differentiation of the language from others, with said language being developed in order to describe the state of the world in which the speaker is experiencing. This also goes the other way, wherein a language that someone learns directly influences their way of thinking. This idea is exemplified in the idea of untranslatable phrases and words, which are certain phrases that mean something in a language that cannot be translated to another without losing some or all of its meaning (For example: la douler exquise in French). Kuang utilizes this idea of the untranslatable phrases as the main fantastical element within the book. I don't want to spoil how this works as its one of the most captivating elements of the book, and I would be remiss to ruin that experience for you.
Our main characters are a diverse group from a variety of different backgrounds. They were not placed in order to increase diversity cookie points and for the author to clap herself on the back for being so progressive that she added a character with a darken skin tone, but rather to provide a plethora of different experiences of how racism and sexism can manifest itself, even (and especially) at the most prestigious institutions in the world. Kuang uses her experience and time in Oxford to directly inspire the fictional stories that we read before us, which turns a fantasy novel into something eerily realistic and plausible. The characters are mainly used as vectors through which to convey the different themes and conflicts of the story. While this takes away from their overall characterization and the sense that these are real, living people, I felt it was a necessary sacrifice that strengthens the story overall by not bogging the reader down in details that play little to no role within the story.
Colonialism comes in many forms, most pertinent of which is that of the culture; invading a people's very self-perception and leading them to believe that the occupying force is that of Good, of Justice and Freedom, of labelling any differences as barbaric, any