Brian Caswell's Deucalion
The novel Deucalion by Brian Caswell is an interesting example of the science fiction genre. Caswell makes clever references to the past and present. He plays with language, uses stereotypes and the common experiences of the readers, to show alternative perspectives while encouraging the reader to reflect on life in their own time.
Brian Caswell has used many insinuations to precedent occurrences to enhance his writing. Some of these mentions include allusions and allegory, icons and symbols from the past and historical happenings. These are used to allow the reader’s mind to relate and identify with happenings throughout the story, and contemplate and consider future predictions the author has made.
There are strong suggestions of Australian history – the invasion of Europeans upon Indigenous Australians, beginning at the end of the 18th century …show more content…
– in Deucalion. From the many parallels that are evident, the main selections consist of the following: the placing of the Elokoi into reserves, just as the Europeans did two hundred years ago; the racist and condescending treatments experienced by the two native races; and their hunter and gatherer ways of life ceasing to almost non-existence because of the lack of animals (most were wiped out by the invaders, or ran away from the reserves or surrounding areas).
The name ‘Deucalion’ originates from Greek mythology. According to the legend, Deucalion – the son of Prometheus – and his wife Pyrrha, built a giant ship, much like Noah’s Ark, and took refuge in it from the immense flood sent by Zeus. The duo then allegedly became the ancestors of the new human race. This seemingly relates to the novel Deucalion, as, similar to the planet Deucalion, the Deucalion from the myth is the saviour of the human race.
The discovery of ‘Icarus’ – the illegal and highly classified project involving the mixing of Elokoi and human DNA – in the novel, again, is akin to Greek mythology. Daedalus, as the story goes, makes his escaping son: Icarus a pair of wings consisting of wax and feathers, so that he could fly away from Crete (the main Greek island). However, Icarus flew so close to the sun that his wings melted and he plummeted to his death. The segment of the novel could be alluding to the Greek story, in that the Icarus in both cases features boundaries being pushed – the limits of Icarus’ wings and the overstepping of acceptable science.
Karl Johannsen – a slightly egotistical and chauvinistic presidential candidate for Deucalion – was almost certain to win the election when he was abruptly exterminated in a plane crash, arousing speculation as to whether it was premeditated or not. This supposed assassination is not unlike the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, who, although is given credit for abolishing the major American slave trade, was also renowned for his racism. He once quoted, when his opinions were questioned by the Caucasian voters, “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favour of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races - that I am not nor ever have been in favour of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I, as much as any other man, am in favour of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the Negro should be denied everything.” Lincoln considered slavery as evil, but still was blind to racial equality, which leads us to believe that Johannsen could be an alternative portrayal of the moderately two-faced Lincoln. (Both were, after all, politicians.)
The modifying of the regular English language is often used in the genre of science-fiction.
Neologisms – newly manufactured words/expressions – are one of the major alterations, as they allow for intellectual and technical sounding speech. Caswell has used the power of neologisms to his hefty advantage in the writing of Deucalion. A small assortment of neologisms he has used include ‘microlite’, ‘Elokoi’, ‘offworlder’, ‘M.A.B.L.E.’, ‘mindspeech’, ‘Yorum’ and ‘Ocra’. The exact definitions of these words are often unclear when used independently, however, when they are used in sentences, we can make educated guesses as to what they may mean. For example, when ‘Yorum’ is mentioned in the phrase, “she had never heard of an offworlder swallowing more than one bite of the flesh of the Yorum”, is becomes apparent that ‘Yorum’ is a type of foul tasting Deucalion fauna. This statement also carries another piece of information, since Saebi, an Elokoi (the most intelligent and human-like form of life on Deucalion) says it: ‘offworlder’ is most likely a term used by the Elokoi to describe the humans that have arrived on
Deucalion.
These fabricated words help to create a realistic surrounding environment in the narrative, enveloping the reader in an intriguing ambiance. For all the benefits neologisms provide for the text, there is also the disadvantage that they can confuse and cause the reader to become lost in the writing.
Caswell has repeatedly alternated the perspective in his novel. He frequently swaps between the human views on the situation and the native Elokoi interpretations, as is offers the reader the chance to evaluate different opinions featured in the story and how it affects each character. More often than not, Daryl is the starring human, possibly because he appears to be of Indigenous Australian descent – a race known to have received the same treatment as the Elokoi. Chapter 8, entitled Journey, depicts the first few days after the flyer bound for Edison crashed. Daryl, Cael, Elena and Saebi all supply the chapter with their views on the state of affairs. The Elokoi adopt a calm and level-headed attitude towards the circumstances as they have lived on the land their entire lives, whereas the humans are a little more on edge and are worried about their futures.
As well as changing the viewpoint, Caswell also interchanges the usage of personal pronouns/grammatical person. Chapter 7 – Icarus – is entirely narrated by Jane, beginning in third person, however the grammatical person changes approximately halfway through. During the initial half of the chapter, Jane unearths the unlawful project appropriately named ‘Icarus’. This discovery is not related to Jane’s personal life and has an insignificant impact on her emotions, hence the third-person account. In the second half, Jane’s perspective transforms into first person as the text grows to be centred more so on her private life, and the style of writing turns quite emotional. When Jane realises people exactly like her “could be into their second or third generation of hybrids by now” – she could be a mix of Elokoi and human – all of a sudden she felt very close to the Elokoi-human species, as the story began to involve her personal life and safety.
Brian Caswell’s captivating storyline and usage of specified techniques enhance his writing and permit it to fall under the difficult category of science-fiction text. Through alluding to historical past events/icons, altering language and changing perspective, Caswell has generated an enthralling novel which will be celebrated by many for years to come.
Brian Caswell has used many insinuations to precedent occurrences to enhance his writing. Some of these mentions include allusions and allegory, icons and symbols from the past and historical happenings. These are used to allow the reader’s mind to relate and identify with happenings throughout the story, and contemplate and consider future predictions the author has made.
There are strong suggestions of Australian history – the invasion of Europeans upon Indigenous Australians, beginning at the end of the 18th century …show more content…
– in Deucalion. From the many parallels that are evident, the main selections consist of the following: the placing of the Elokoi into reserves, just as the Europeans did two hundred years ago; the racist and condescending treatments experienced by the two native races; and their hunter and gatherer ways of life ceasing to almost non-existence because of the lack of animals (most were wiped out by the invaders, or ran away from the reserves or surrounding areas).
The name ‘Deucalion’ originates from Greek mythology. According to the legend, Deucalion – the son of Prometheus – and his wife Pyrrha, built a giant ship, much like Noah’s Ark, and took refuge in it from the immense flood sent by Zeus. The duo then allegedly became the ancestors of the new human race. This seemingly relates to the novel Deucalion, as, similar to the planet Deucalion, the Deucalion from the myth is the saviour of the human race.
The discovery of ‘Icarus’ – the illegal and highly classified project involving the mixing of Elokoi and human DNA – in the novel, again, is akin to Greek mythology. Daedalus, as the story goes, makes his escaping son: Icarus a pair of wings consisting of wax and feathers, so that he could fly away from Crete (the main Greek island). However, Icarus flew so close to the sun that his wings melted and he plummeted to his death. The segment of the novel could be alluding to the Greek story, in that the Icarus in both cases features boundaries being pushed – the limits of Icarus’ wings and the overstepping of acceptable science.
Karl Johannsen – a slightly egotistical and chauvinistic presidential candidate for Deucalion – was almost certain to win the election when he was abruptly exterminated in a plane crash, arousing speculation as to whether it was premeditated or not. This supposed assassination is not unlike the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, who, although is given credit for abolishing the major American slave trade, was also renowned for his racism. He once quoted, when his opinions were questioned by the Caucasian voters, “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favour of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races - that I am not nor ever have been in favour of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I, as much as any other man, am in favour of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the Negro should be denied everything.” Lincoln considered slavery as evil, but still was blind to racial equality, which leads us to believe that Johannsen could be an alternative portrayal of the moderately two-faced Lincoln. (Both were, after all, politicians.)
The modifying of the regular English language is often used in the genre of science-fiction.
Neologisms – newly manufactured words/expressions – are one of the major alterations, as they allow for intellectual and technical sounding speech. Caswell has used the power of neologisms to his hefty advantage in the writing of Deucalion. A small assortment of neologisms he has used include ‘microlite’, ‘Elokoi’, ‘offworlder’, ‘M.A.B.L.E.’, ‘mindspeech’, ‘Yorum’ and ‘Ocra’. The exact definitions of these words are often unclear when used independently, however, when they are used in sentences, we can make educated guesses as to what they may mean. For example, when ‘Yorum’ is mentioned in the phrase, “she had never heard of an offworlder swallowing more than one bite of the flesh of the Yorum”, is becomes apparent that ‘Yorum’ is a type of foul tasting Deucalion fauna. This statement also carries another piece of information, since Saebi, an Elokoi (the most intelligent and human-like form of life on Deucalion) says it: ‘offworlder’ is most likely a term used by the Elokoi to describe the humans that have arrived on
Deucalion.
These fabricated words help to create a realistic surrounding environment in the narrative, enveloping the reader in an intriguing ambiance. For all the benefits neologisms provide for the text, there is also the disadvantage that they can confuse and cause the reader to become lost in the writing.
Caswell has repeatedly alternated the perspective in his novel. He frequently swaps between the human views on the situation and the native Elokoi interpretations, as is offers the reader the chance to evaluate different opinions featured in the story and how it affects each character. More often than not, Daryl is the starring human, possibly because he appears to be of Indigenous Australian descent – a race known to have received the same treatment as the Elokoi. Chapter 8, entitled Journey, depicts the first few days after the flyer bound for Edison crashed. Daryl, Cael, Elena and Saebi all supply the chapter with their views on the state of affairs. The Elokoi adopt a calm and level-headed attitude towards the circumstances as they have lived on the land their entire lives, whereas the humans are a little more on edge and are worried about their futures.
As well as changing the viewpoint, Caswell also interchanges the usage of personal pronouns/grammatical person. Chapter 7 – Icarus – is entirely narrated by Jane, beginning in third person, however the grammatical person changes approximately halfway through. During the initial half of the chapter, Jane unearths the unlawful project appropriately named ‘Icarus’. This discovery is not related to Jane’s personal life and has an insignificant impact on her emotions, hence the third-person account. In the second half, Jane’s perspective transforms into first person as the text grows to be centred more so on her private life, and the style of writing turns quite emotional. When Jane realises people exactly like her “could be into their second or third generation of hybrids by now” – she could be a mix of Elokoi and human – all of a sudden she felt very close to the Elokoi-human species, as the story began to involve her personal life and safety.
Brian Caswell’s captivating storyline and usage of specified techniques enhance his writing and permit it to fall under the difficult category of science-fiction text. Through alluding to historical past events/icons, altering language and changing perspective, Caswell has generated an enthralling novel which will be celebrated by many for years to come.