1982, Janine
Encyclopedia
1982, Janine is a novel
by the Scottish author Alasdair Gray
. His second, it was published in 1984, and remains his most controversial work. Its use of pornography
as a narrative
device attracted much criticism, although others, including Gray himself, consider it his best work.
d, alcoholic and approaching fifty, his problems coalesce in a long night of the soul in a hotel room in Greenock
.
McLeish attempts to spend the night assembling an intricate pornographic fantasy
. His cast of characters includes: Janine, based on a childhood memory of Jane Russell
in The Outlaw
; Superb (short for Superbitch); and Big Momma, an obese
lesbian
. All of these are submitted to sadomasochistic practices, parts of which are described at some length. However, McLeish constantly returns to reminiscences of his previous life and lover
s. These prompt his attempted suicide
. Chapter 11 of the novel is a typographical
explosion, with the text splitting into several parallel voices on each page (including that of God
). The crisis concludes with McLeish vomiting up the pills which he had hoped would kill him, and facing the truth of his actions as morning dawns.
1982, Janine polarised critics like few other novels in modern literary history. The paperback
edition of the novel concludes with an appendix of criticism of the work, both for and against. Critics praising the work included Jonathan Baumbach in the New York Times ("1982 Janine has a verbal energy, an intensity of vision") and William Boyd
in the Times Literary Supplement ("His style is limpid and classically elegant"). The Boyd quotation is juxtaposed with one from Paul Ableman
in The Literary Review
criticising the "irritating mannerisms". Peter Levi on the BBC
called the book "Radioactive hogwash", while Joe Ambrose of the Irish Sunday Tribune
(who has expressed virulently critical views on many of Gray's books) called the author "a vainglorious lout" and "a profoundly reactionary penman". J.A. McArdle, however, in the Irish Independent
wrote: "I have read reviews of these books which makes me suspect that the commentators had never read them. 1982, Janine is not pornography but a thoughtful and sad study of the human predicament; to be trapped in a world where the little man, woman or country will always be exploited by the big bullies."
In an introduction to the 2003 Canongate Classic edition, Will Self
argues that the controversial pornographic fantasies illustrate McLeish's repression of his past real love affairs, reflect his reactionary
political stance, and show the effects of his childhood experiences. McLeish's linking of sex with the idea of "homecoming" originates in his difficult relationship with his mother.
Self also notes the significance of the title, 1982 being "a point at which Scotland could be said to have reached just one of its many nadirs". This lowpoint included the destruction of the coal
industry which had employed McLeish's father, under a Conservative
government of which McLeish is a supporter.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the Scottish author Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray
Alasdair Gray is a Scottish writer and artist. His most acclaimed work is his first novel Lanark, published in 1981 and written over a period of almost 30 years...
. His second, it was published in 1984, and remains his most controversial work. Its use of pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
as a narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
device attracted much criticism, although others, including Gray himself, consider it his best work.
Plot summary
The novel is narrated by Jock McLeish, a supervisor of the installation of alarm systems. DivorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d, alcoholic and approaching fifty, his problems coalesce in a long night of the soul in a hotel room in Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
.
McLeish attempts to spend the night assembling an intricate pornographic fantasy
Fantasy (psychology)
Fantasy in a psychological sense is broadly used to cover two different senses, conscious and unconscious. In the unconscious sense, it is sometimes spelled "phantasy".-Conscious fantasy:...
. His cast of characters includes: Janine, based on a childhood memory of Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
in The Outlaw
The Outlaw
The Outlaw is a 1943 American Western film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jane Russell. The supporting cast includes Jack Buetel, Thomas Mitchell, and Walter Huston. Hughes also produced the film, while Howard Hawks served as an uncredited co-director...
; Superb (short for Superbitch); and Big Momma, an obese
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. All of these are submitted to sadomasochistic practices, parts of which are described at some length. However, McLeish constantly returns to reminiscences of his previous life and lover
Sexual partner
Sexual partners are people who engage in sexual activity together. The sexual partners can be of any gender or sexual orientation. The sexual partners may be in a committed relationship, either on an exclusive basis or not, or engage in the sexual activity on a casual basis...
s. These prompt his attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Chapter 11 of the novel is a typographical
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
explosion, with the text splitting into several parallel voices on each page (including that of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
). The crisis concludes with McLeish vomiting up the pills which he had hoped would kill him, and facing the truth of his actions as morning dawns.
Literary significance & criticism
On the first hardback and paperback editions, Gray wrote that "This already dated novel is set inside the head of an ageing, divorced, alcoholic, insomniac supervisor of security installations who is tippling in the bedroom of a small Scottish hotel. Though full of depressing memories and propaganda for the Conservative Party it is mainly a sadomasochistic fetishistic fantasy. Even the arrival of God in the later chapters fails to elevate the tone. Every stylistic excess and moral defect which critics conspired to ignore in the author's first books, Lanark and Unlikely Stories, Mostly, is to be found here in concentrated form." In a 2000 interview, Gray said "When writing the pornographic parts of 1982, Janine I was deliberately shocking myself. Though I think it my best novel I cannot now reread it - I'm back to being as old fashioned as I was before imagining it."Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
edition of the novel concludes with an appendix of criticism of the work, both for and against. Critics praising the work included Jonathan Baumbach in the New York Times ("1982 Janine has a verbal energy, an intensity of vision") and William Boyd
William Boyd (writer)
William Boyd, CBE is a Scottish novelist and screenwriter.-Biography:Of Scottish descent, Boyd spent his early life in Ghana and Nigeria, in Africa...
in the Times Literary Supplement ("His style is limpid and classically elegant"). The Boyd quotation is juxtaposed with one from Paul Ableman
Paul Ableman
Paul Ableman was an English playwright and novelist. He was the writer of much erotic fiction and novelisations, and a freelance writer who turned his hand to non-fiction....
in The Literary Review
The Literary Review
The Literary Review is an American literary magazine founded in 1957. The quarterly magazine is published internationally by Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey...
criticising the "irritating mannerisms". Peter Levi on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
called the book "Radioactive hogwash", while Joe Ambrose of the Irish Sunday Tribune
Sunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...
(who has expressed virulently critical views on many of Gray's books) called the author "a vainglorious lout" and "a profoundly reactionary penman". J.A. McArdle, however, in the Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
wrote: "I have read reviews of these books which makes me suspect that the commentators had never read them. 1982, Janine is not pornography but a thoughtful and sad study of the human predicament; to be trapped in a world where the little man, woman or country will always be exploited by the big bullies."
In an introduction to the 2003 Canongate Classic edition, Will Self
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
argues that the controversial pornographic fantasies illustrate McLeish's repression of his past real love affairs, reflect his reactionary
Reactionary
The term reactionary refers to viewpoints that seek to return to a previous state in a society. The term is meant to describe one end of a political spectrum whose opposite pole is "radical". While it has not been generally considered a term of praise it has been adopted as a self-description by...
political stance, and show the effects of his childhood experiences. McLeish's linking of sex with the idea of "homecoming" originates in his difficult relationship with his mother.
Self also notes the significance of the title, 1982 being "a point at which Scotland could be said to have reached just one of its many nadirs". This lowpoint included the destruction of the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
industry which had employed McLeish's father, under a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government of which McLeish is a supporter.
Further reading
- Gray, Alasdair. 1982, Janine. Canongate Classics (2003). Introduction by Will Self. ISBN 1-84195-346-6.