The Age of Wire and String
Encyclopedia
The Age of Wire and String is Ben Marcus
's first book, published in 1995
. The book is composed of 8 sections, divided into 41 short experimental fictions, which combine technical language with lyrical imagery to form a sort of Postmodern catalog by turns surreal, fantastic, and self-referential.
The rest of the book is divided into eight sections - Sleep, God, Food, The House, Animal, Weather, Persons, and The Society - each including five or six short fictions and ending with a glossary of terms. These terms are either invented (e.g. "CLOTH-EATERS" or "GERVIN"), or redefinitions of known words and concepts (e.g. "CARL - Name applied to food built from textiles, sticks, and rags.").
Ben Marcus
Ben Marcus is the author of three books of fiction, Notable American Women, The Father Costume, and The Age of Wire and String. His new novel, The Flame Alphabet, will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in January of 2012...
's first book, published in 1995
1995 in literature
The year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....
. The book is composed of 8 sections, divided into 41 short experimental fictions, which combine technical language with lyrical imagery to form a sort of Postmodern catalog by turns surreal, fantastic, and self-referential.
Contents
The book begins with an "argument", which sets the terms and the tone for the rest of the book:
This book is a catalog of the life project as prosecuted in the Age of Wire and String and beyond, into the arrangements of states, site, and cities and, further, within the small houses that have been granted erection or temporary placement on the perimeters of districts and river colonies. The settlement, in clusters and dispersed, has long required a document of secret motion and instruction – a collection of studies that might serve to clarify the terms obscured within every facet of the living program.
The rest of the book is divided into eight sections - Sleep, God, Food, The House, Animal, Weather, Persons, and The Society - each including five or six short fictions and ending with a glossary of terms. These terms are either invented (e.g. "CLOTH-EATERS" or "GERVIN"), or redefinitions of known words and concepts (e.g. "CARL - Name applied to food built from textiles, sticks, and rags.").
External links
- The Age of Wire and String - Dalkey Archive PressDalkey Archive PressDalkey Archive Press is a publisher of fiction, poetry, and literary criticism in Illinois in the United States, specializing in the publication or republication of lesser known, often avant-garde works...
information page and excerpt.