Jaak Tomberg MIT

8/11/2019 Jaak Tomberg MIT

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On the Status of Science Fiction and Realism in the Age of DissolvedTechnological AuraJaak Tomberg

In his article Fear and Loathing in lobali!ation" #$%%&'( first )ublished in the maga!ine

*e+ Left Revie+" but then re)rinted in his larger uto)ia,centered stud- Archaeologies ofthe Future"( Fredric Jameson( )robabl- one of the most +ell,kno+n theorists of cultural)ostmodernism( makes an intriguing comment about one of .illiam ibson/s latest novels(0attern Recognition #$%%$' 1 a comment +hich( if to be studied more closel-( might haveinteresting conse2uences concerning the relationshi) bet+een #contem)orar-' realism andscience fiction( the )ossible future )ers)ectives of both genres( and the em)irical conditionof our cultural realit- toda-3

Jameson notes that there is a great contrast bet+een the novel/s thoroughl-namedro))ing st-le1 its main character( 4a-ce( is a )eculiar intuitive cool hunter" +ho( inthe logo,filled +orld of toda-( has commodit- bulimia"( allergic )h-sical reactions to+ardsbad fashion( logos and advertising( and is therefore fre2uentl- em)lo-ed in the advertising

industr- as a )h-sical indicator of +hat might and +hat might not a))eal to the generalconsum)tive cultural unconsciousness" of the future 1 and bet+een the main focal )ointof its narrative content1 4a-ce is em)lo-ed to find the author of anon-mous film stri)s()ublished in the internet( +hich( in their minimal st-le( are devoid of #)o)'culturalreferences of an- kind3 According to Jameson( this contrast( and the fact that 4a-ce/s talentitself lies half+a- bet+een #future,oriented' tele)ath- and old,fashioned aestheticsensibilit-( sus)ends ibson/s novel bet+een Science Fiction and realism"i3 The )articularconte5t of this assertion needs no dee)er e5)loration at this e5act )oint 1 Jameson doesn/tseem to develo) it an- further 1 but +hat matters is the assertion itself( if taken to a moregeneral level( and its )ossible literar-,theoretical conse2uences concerning the status ofmimetic re)resentation of our cultural realit- toda-3 One other +ell,kno+n theorist( thistime mainl- of )ostmodernist )oetics( 6rian 7c8ale( has also noted in an intervie+ that

since Jameson said these things about science fiction and realism( .illiam ibson( formerl-most +ell,kno+n as a c-ber)unk science,fiction author of the 9%s and :%s(

has gone on to +rite entirel- contem)orar- novels( set in the immediate )resent( involvingno )ro;ection of future alternatives at all3 *evertheless( these novels have an entirel-science fiction feel(" es)eciall- 0attern Recognition( ibson/s $%%& novel about :3 This can be seen as confirmation that Jameson+as right( and that ibson has reached the conclusion that the onl- +a- to +rite sciencefiction no+ is to +rite immediatel- contem)orar- novels3"ii

First of all( it has to be noted that both these remarks on the convergence of science fiction

and realism 1 as +ell as some of 6audrillard/s kno+n comments on the )ostmodernscience,fictionali!ation of realit- itselfiii1 are thoroughl- em)irical in kind3 The- are )urel-#ade2uate' descri)tions 1 there/s a talk about a feel" here( and a lack of directl- s)elt,outtheoretical or )hiloso)hical content3 7- main aim in the follo+ing )resentation is to)ro)ose one )ossible version of this content3 In other +ords 1 if the contem)orar- realistnovels +hich aim to ade2uatel- describe the immediate contem)orar- +orld reall- feel"science,fictional( +ould it then be )ossible to detect and )oint out the )oetic( cultural or
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)hiloso)hical as)ects surrounding these novels or the )resent cultural realit- +hich directl-)rovide" this feeling?

To tr- to )rovide an ans+er( it is first necessar- to e5)lore the re2uired literar-( culturalor )hiloso)hical )re,conditions +hich enable the convergence of the science,fictional feel"and the classic( mimetic( realist literar- )ractice3 8ere I +ould like to turn to one of themost,kno+n theories of science,fiction and begin +ith outlining the basic nature of theaforementioned science,fictional feel"( as it a))ears in or constitutes #traditional' sciencefiction3 For Darko Suvin( in his groundbreaking surve- 7etamor)hoses of ScienceFiction"( the necessar- structural com)onent and the dominant formal device of sciencefiction is an element #+hich he calls the novumiv' that causes the effect of cognitiveestrangement3 This effect( not far removed from 6recht/s @erfremdungseffekt #+hich thelatter defined as a re)resentation ,,,B +hich allo+s us to recogni!e its sub;ect( but at thesame time makes it seem unfamiliar"v'( ma-( in science fiction( a))ear on various degreesof magnitude(

running from a minimum of one discrete ne+ invention" #gadget( techni2ue()henomenon( relationshi)' to the ma5imum of a setting #s)atiotem)oral locus'( agent

#main character or characters'( and


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cou)le of +ell,kno+n contem)lations on a certain distance( or lack thereof( might hel) us 1s)ecificall-( .alter 6en;amin/s conce)t of aura and Fredric Jameson/s conce)t of thetechnological sublime3

.alter 6en;amin uses the term aura)rimaril- in the conte5t of characteri!ing thesource of the uni2ueness or authenticit- of a +ork of art and defines it as the uni2ue

)henomenon of distance( ho+ever close the +orkB might be"

viii

3 This distance oncegenerated the +ork/s e5istence in time and s)ace( its uni2ue e5istence at the )lace +here itha))ens to be"ix( granted it its historical authorit-( immersed it in tradition( and caused therituals oriented to+ards it3 6en;amin used such a conce)t of s)ecific distance in order totake notice of its +ithering in the era of mechanical re)roduction3 The techni2ue ofre)roduction detaches the re)roduced ob;ect from the domain of traditionC"x thereb-rendering the ob;ect too close" and de)riving it of its aura

333the contem)orar- deca- of the aura ,,,B rests on t+o circumstances( both of +hich arerelated to the increasing significance of the masses in contem)orar- life3 *amel-( thedesire of contem)orar- masses to bring things closer" s)atiall- and humanl-( +hich is ;ustas ardent as their bent to+ards overcoming the uni2ueness of ever- realit- b- acce)ting its

re)roduction3 ,,,B To )r- an ob;ect from its shell( to destro- its aura is the mark of a)erce)tion +hose sense of universal e2ualit- of things" has increased to such a degreethat it e5tracts it even from a uni2ue ob;ect b- means of re)roduction3"xi

Even though 6en;amin said these things in the middle of =:&%s( historicall- thus 2uite farfrom the cultural and scientific develo)ments of toda- and in the general frame+ork ofto)ics +hich onl- interest me here b- +a- of an indirect analog-( +hat might still remainrelevant in contem)orar- anal-sis is the basic mechanism of a certain #aural' distance andits dissolution +hich I +ill a little further on a))l- in the conte5t of a closeness and)roliferation of a different kind3

.hereas for 6en;amin various re)roductive technologies +ere the cause of the

colla)se of the aura +hich earlier granted the +ork of art its uni2ue e5istence( technolog-itself #and not onl- re)roductive( but of an- kind' can also be characteri!ed b- the)ossession of an aura of its o+n 1 of a s)ecific distance that it maintains to+ards the ones+ho e5)erience the cultural realit- +hich it no+ thoroughl- )enetrates3 This aura 1 b-nature at once fascinating and terrif-ing( attractive and estranging 1 is( of course( differentfrom 6en;amin/s original conce)t and can in m- mind first be described +ith the su))ort ofJameson/s notion of the technological sublime3

The sublime +as for 6urke an e5)erience bordering on terror( the fitful glim)se( inastonishment( stu)or and a+e( of +hat +as so enormous as to crush human life altogethera descri)tion then refined b- ant to include the 2uestion of re)resentation itself( so that

the ob;ect of the sublime becomes not onl- a matter of sheer )o+er and of the )h-sicalincommensurabilit- of the human organism +ith *ature but also of the limits of figurationand the inca)acit- of the human mind to give re)resentation to such enormous forces3 ,,,BThe otherof our societ- ,,,B is no longer *ature at all3 ,,,B I am an5ious that this otherthing not overhastil- be gras)ed as technolog- )er se( since I +ill +ant to sho+ thattechnolog- is here itself a figure for something else3"xii


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Jameson/s notion of the technological sublime doesn/t therefore im)l- that technolog- itself+ith its inner nature" should someho+ be considered ungras)able but rather thattechnolog- re)resents something +hich in itself is e5actl- thatC and )recisel- the hint of theungras)able nature of this something else is the source of +hat I +ould call technolog-/saura 1 a certain estranging but necessaril- mesmeri!ing distance from an- re)resentation oftechnolog-3

The technolog- of contem)orar- societ- is therefore mesmeri!ing and fascinating not somuch in its o+n right but because it seems to offer some )rivileged re)resentationalshorthand for gras)ing a net+ork of )o+er and control even more difficult for our mindsand imaginations to gras) the +hole ne+ decentered global net+ork of the third stage ofca)ital itself3 This is a figural )rocess best observed in a +hole mode of contem)orar-entertainment literature 1 one is tem)ted to characteri!e it as high,tech )aranoia" 1 in+hich the circuits and net+orks of some )utative global com)uter hooku) are narrativel-mobili!ed b- lab-rinthine cons)iracies of autonomous but deadl- interlocking andcom)eting agencies in a com)le5it- often be-ond the ca)acit- of the normal reading mind3,,,B It is in terms of that enormous and threatening( -et onl- diml- )erceivable( other

realit- of economic and social institutions that( in m- o)inion( the )ostmodern sublime canalone be ade2uatel- theori!ed3"xiii

Through such contem)lation Jameson considers technolog- as a figure for theincommensurable sublime other" of the )ostmodern #cultural' realit-3 At this )oint it is nolonger difficult to trans)ose this contem)lation to the cognitivel- estranging effect gainedfrom reading science fiction science fiction estranges not so much in its o+n right"( notbecause it invents something ne+"( but because it is the )referred literar- form #and)ossesses( through the novum( the necessar- tools' for the meta)horic re)resentation of thenovelt- inherent in technolog- itself( for the figural de)iction of the infinitel- ungras)ableand therefore al+a-s noveltechnological sublime3 It is )recisel- this 2ualitative novelt- 1 a

certain necessar- cognitive distance from the technological sublime 1 that I +ould like todesignate as the aura of technolog-3

6ut since the time Jameson stated this before =::=( the im)ossible totalit- of thenet+ork of the social and economic institutions of the contem)orar- +orld s-stem hasgained a direct material embodiment" in the form of digital net+orks +hich( through theirconstant )roliferation and infinite ungras)able multi)licit-( directl- and e5)licitl-( +ith nometa)horical transaction of an- kind( em)hasi!e the merel- and resolutel- )articulare5istence of one/s #both ontological and cultural' ever-da- e5istence( and her immediateeffacement +ith the inherent multi)licit- of the technological sublime3 In other +ords( thehigh,tech scientific develo)ments of the )resent late,ca)italist culture have been b- no+ sosmoothl- and thoroughl- integrated to the )erce)tion or understanding of our surrounding

ever-da- that their near,natural and unnoticeable )resence( almost intimate closeness ands)eed aren/t +orth- of mentioning as something directl- novel an-more3 In thecontem)orar- cultural realit- +hich is thoroughl- immersed in and constituted and b-various kinds of #both material and immaterial' net+orks( it is no+ the constant contrastbet+een their infinite multi)licit- and one/s o+n )articular e5istence +hich is al+a-s ne+"and thus )rovokes cognitive estrangement3 7- )ro)osition is that( in 6en;aminian terms(the technological aura( the estranging distance +e have earlier maintained to+ards thetechnolog- that surrounds us 1 but also the some+hat safe )osition from +here to gras)


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and designate our o+n cultural estrangement 1 has in the +ake of advanced technologicalintegration and the )roliferation of digital multi)licit- started to +ither and fade( or tocom)letel- merge +ith realit- itself3 0ut in science,fictional conte5t( the frightening andestranging novelt- of industrial technolog- +hich +as earlier the )rimar- source ofins)iration for creating the science,fictional novum has( through the thorough )enetrationof realit- b- the technological sublime( inse)arabl- s)ilt over to #cultural' realit- as a +hole3Or -et still in other +ords 1 the novum has indiscernibl- merged +ith socio,cultural realit-Cand the ones +ho e5)erience this realit- have been fused into the technological aura34ognitive estrangement must in this conte5t be described as the effect gained frome5)eriencing late,ca)italist cultural realit- itself instead of s)ecific technological)henomena +hich +ere earlier( in the modernist times( the onl- )rivileged #and in itselfalmost isolated' source of novel #science,fictional' estrangement( the late,ca)italist realit-as a +hole( to some degree( no+ al+a-s seems to a))ear to the ones +ho e5)erience it as iffor the ver- first time3 This cultural realit-( being here the ultimate medium in transition"(a))ears( like a novum( itself u) to a degree as if being out of our norm of realit-"3 It is nolonger some s)ecific #scientific or technological' )henomena +hich create the cognitiveestrangement from a safe distance"( but rather the ungras)able( im)ossible totalit- of the

late,ca)italist cultural realit- that em)hasi!es the thoroughl- )articular nature of oure5)erience of realit- in an era of the constant )roliferation of digital multi)licit- #the latter(in itself( being a figure for the 6en;aminian sense of universal e2ualit- of things"'30recisel- due to the contrast bet+een this )articularit- and this multi)licit-( realit- a))ears(as 6recht alread- )ut it( familiar but at the same time unrecogni!able"3

It seems that onl- in the basic frame+ork of this )eculiar thinking it is )ossible tothink the sus)ension of borders" bet+een #contem)orar-' realism and science,fiction( tothink the notion that the directl- mimetic re)resentation of cultural realit- necessaril-)roduces a science,fictional feel" 1 and to )rovide a theoretical insight to the above,citedem)irical assertions b- Jameson and 7c8ale3 It is in the light of this argument that +emight inter)ret 7c8ale/s above,cited statement that ibson has reached the conclusion

that the onl- +a- to +rite science fiction no+ is to +rite immediatel- contem)orar- novels3In su))ort of this line of thought( I +ould no+ like to give some short literar-

e5am)les from ibson/s recent novels +hich might illustrate the abovementioned science,fictional" feel in the fabric of ever-da- realit-

She turned on the bedside lam)( illuminating the )revious evening/s em)t- can of AsahiDraft( from the 0ink Dot( and her sticker,encrusted 0o+er6ook( closed and slee)ing3 Sheenvied it3"xiv

She kno+s( no+( absolutel-( hearing the +hite noise that is London( that Damien/s theor-of ;et lag is correct that her mortal soul is leagues behind her( being reeled in on some

ghostl- umbilical do+n the vanished +ake of the )lane that brought her here( hundreds ofthousands of feet above the Atlantic3 Souls can/t move that 2uickl-( and are left behind( andmust be a+aited( u)on arrival( like lost luggage3"xv

Through this evening/s tide of faces unregistered( unrecogni!ed( amid hurr-ing blackshoes( furled umbrellas( the cro+d descending like a single organism into the station/sairless heart( comes Shin-a Gama!aki( his notebook clas)ed beneath his arm like the egg ofsome modest but moderatel- successful marine s)ecies3"xvi


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40Hs for the meeting( reflected in the +indo+ of a Soho s)ecialist in mod )ara)hernalia(are a fresh Fruit T,shirt( her black 6u!! Ricksons 7A,=( anon-mous black skirt from aTulsa thrift( the black leggings shed +orn for 0ilates( black 8ara;uku schoolgirl shoes3 8er)urse,analog is an envelo)e of black East erman laminate( )urchased on e6a-,if not

actual Stasi,issue then +ell in the ball)ark3"

xvii

It is here( in the sim)le descri)tions of the ever-da-( that +e can trace the com)letemergence of cultural realit- +ith Jameson/s technological sublime( the cognitiveestrangement generated b- the sim)le mimetic" re)resentation of contem)orar- realit-itself3 In the first t+o e5am)les( the science,fictional feel" is generated b- re)resenting theemotional,sub;ective facult- #e3g3 env-( souls' through thoroughl- technological imager- ormeta)hors #the closed and aslee) state of the 0o+er6ookC souls being reeled in like lostluggage'In the third( this #the heart of the stationC notebook as the egg of some marines)ecies' is com)lemented b- the thoroughl- fragmentar- )erce)tion of +hat could becalled the technological sublime #the contingent details of the cro+d in the station as a kindof self,o)erating machine in its o+n rightC the undetectable nature of the faces in the

cro+d'( and the )redominantl- visual or aural" flo+ of time that Jameson took notice of inibson/s earlier c-ber)unk novels of the 9%s3xviiiIn the fourth e5am)le #as a bit in the first'(cognitive estrangement is created b- the staggering densit- of )ro)er names 1 clothingitems and accessories here not onl- being described through common names but b- theirim)lied smooth integration into +ell,kno+n #)ro)er' brand names( the )ro)er name heres-mbolicall- designating infinitel- more than the common name +ould #this is a territor-that Jameson has alread- e5)lored'3

It is )robabl- )ossible to bring more e5am)les here( and to name more novum,likesources or factors of realist cognitive estrangement in ibson/s te5t( but it is moreim)ortant to em)hasi!e that these e5cer)ts should be considered as neither solel-science,fictional nor solel- ade2uatel- real in regard to the cultural condition de)icted but

indiscernibl- both at the same time in this res)ect +e might as +ell be dealing +ith a ne+literar- form evoked b- a change in the cultural condition( b- the dissolution of thetechnological aura3

Finall-( and in a different line of argument to +hich I have little s)ace to devote here(the ungras)able nature of the late,ca)italist technological sublime and its indiscerniblefusion +ith cultural realit- should not onl- be thought in terms of s)atialit-( but also and asmuch in terms of tem)oralit-3 6rian 7c8ale( dra+ing a firmer line of division bet+eenrealism and science fiction than I do here( has alread- devoted a thought to this( noting theinca)abilit- of realism to gras) the s)eed of change of contem)orar- technologicaldevelo)ments

Science fiction has ;ustified itself b- giving us tools for thinking about contem)orar-e5)erience( as realism once could( but not longer does3 ood old mimetic realism" hasactuall- become retrograde +ith res)ect to the immediate contem)orar- +orld3 Realism isnot reall- +ell,e2ui))ed to deal +ith change at this )ace( and it inevitabl- lags behind+here +e are no+C it/s not )a-ing attention to the right things or looking in the right)laces3"xix


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4uriousl-( in an intervie+ devoted to his latest novel S)ook 4ountr-( .illiam ibson(commenting his recent turn to contem)orar- novels as something necessar-( has noted thesame inca)abilit- in the case of science fiction

I dont kno+ if Ill be able to make u) an imaginar- future in the same +a-3 In the 9%s

and :%s,,as strange as it ma- seem to sa- this,,+e had such lu5ur- of stabilit-3 Things+erent changing 2uite so 2uickl- in the 9%s and :%s3 And +hen things are changing too2uickl-( as one of the characters in 0attern Recognition sa-s( -ou dont have an- )lace tostand from +hich to imagine a ver- elaborate future3"xx

So it seems it/s not onl- realism but also future,oriented science,fiction +hich ise5)eriencing difficulties in gras)ing the current )ace of the develo)ments of thecontem)orar- cultural realit- toda-3 And it might as +ell be that this ne+ literar- form#)robabl-( as Jameson +ould )ut it( still on its +a- to+ards a defining )ro)er name of itso+n' +hich ibson/s novels hint to+ards and +hich indiscernibl- merges science fictionalcognitive estrangement +ith realist mimetic )ractices( is one of the fe+ mediums toade2uatel- re)resent the em)irical condition of the )resent,da- late,ca)italist culture and

the radical colla)se of the technological aura3


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i Frederic Jameson,Archaeologies of the Future.The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions(London, New York:

Verso, 2005), 390 (m em!"asis).

ii #ee $arina %ris"akova, Jaak &om'er, n *"e '+ia*ion *oward *"e i--ic+* /"o+e. n*erview wi*" 1rian $ca+e

(or*s #emio*ics 3 (200)) "**!:44www.*.ee4"or*ssemio*ics462004mc"a+e."*m+ (accessed 7!ri+ 8, 2009)

iii Jean 1adri++ard, &"e cs*as o- ommnica*ion in The Anti-Aesthetic, ed a+ Fos*er. (New York: &"e New ;ress, 999),

3

iv arko #vin, $e*amor!"oses o- #cience Fic*ion.n *"e ;oe*ics and is*or o- a Li*erar %enre (New aven and London:

Ya+e ?niversi* ;ress), D
http://www.ut.ee/hortussemioticus/1_2008/mchale.htmlhttp://www.ut.ee/hortussemioticus/1_2008/mchale.htmlhttp://www.ut.ee/hortussemioticus/1_2008/mchale.html


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xiv /i++iam %i'son, #!ook on*r (New York: %. ;. ;*nams #ons, 200>),

xv /i++iam %i'son, ;a**ern Ceconi*ion (New York: %. ;. ;*nams #ons, 2003),

xvi /i++iam %i'son, 7++ &omorrows ;ar*ies (Vikin, 999),

xvii /i++iam %i'son, ;a**ern Ceconi*ion (New York: %. ;. ;*nams #ons, 2003),

xviii Fredric Jameson, ;os*modernism, or, *"e +*ra+ Loic o- La*e a!i*a+ism (LondonE New York: Verso, 999), 3

xix #ee $arina %ris"akova, Jaak &om'er, n *"e '+ia*ion *oward *"e i--ic+* /"o+e. n*erview wi*" 1rian $ca+e

(or*s #emio*ics 3 (200)) "**!:44www.*.ee4"or*ssemio*ics462004mc"a+e."*m+ (accessed 7!ri+ 8, 2009)

xx 7cross *"e 1order *o #!ook on*r: 7n n*erview wi*" /i++iam %i'son, "**!:44www.amaGon.com4!4-ea*re."*m+H

ieI?&FdocdI0002>0(accessed 7!ri+ 8, 2009)
http://www.ut.ee/hortussemioticus/1_2008/mchale.htmlhttp://www.ut.ee/hortussemioticus/1_2008/mchale.htmlhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000112701http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000112701http://www.ut.ee/hortussemioticus/1_2008/mchale.htmlhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000112701http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000112701

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