tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518835947947433157.post7913846428790647100..comments2021-09-09T21:16:02.942-07:00Comments on Writing (about) Time: Thoughts Concerning Temporal Play in Contemporary Narratives: Butler as StorytellerMelissa Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13372494777317072570noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518835947947433157.post-51706556003985970962016-02-03T15:21:48.486-08:002016-02-03T15:21:48.486-08:00I have to laugh at myself. You cited Benjamin'...I have to laugh at myself. You cited Benjamin's idea that "the rise of telecommunications during and after WWI [. . .] robs us of communicable experience." When I was reading the novel, I became very frustrated at Dana and Kevin's inability to find a copy of pass or free papers. I couldn't imagine why Kevin had gone to the library to check out books; why didn't they just look at the Library of Congress website (by the way, I looked and couldn't find one there either)? Then I remembered that the story was set in 1976, so I was frustrated that Butler chose to set her book in 1976. Why set a book thirty years in the past? At some point, I decided to check the copyright date; while the date for the reader's guide is 2003, the novel was originally published in 1979! I felt silly. But reading the novel was, in fact, a type of time travel even for us. I was having difficulty relating to Butler's storytelling because I was limiting myself to 21st century telecommunication. And I think that novel would not have worked today with our vast telecommunication possibilities; a couple Google searches, a payment of $9.99 to Ancestry.com and Dana would have been armed with so much more information that the story would not have needed to continue past the conception of her ancestor. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17140944873258565457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8518835947947433157.post-9684485859405363012016-02-02T14:46:04.868-08:002016-02-02T14:46:04.868-08:00I like how you seem to bridge the gap between nove...I like how you seem to bridge the gap between novelist and storyteller, somewhat going against what Benjamin argues is true today. Someone can be both. I used Kindred and Benjamin's article in my own post, but I focused on Dana instead of Butler as a storyteller. Your analysis of how racism fits into this conversation on storytelling is also really interesting. Why do you think Benjamin makes a divide between storyteller and novelist? Kristina Kastlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07580807881489622895noreply@blogger.com