Pattern recognition notes

I have been reading Pattern recognition on and off for 2 weeks after a recommendation from Shaun Hydes. Hesitant at first because of my constant frustration with repetitive novels, I found myself not being able to put this book down. Bellow are some key quotes I picked out that might be relative to my symposium, however I have to admit after protagonists journey to Tokyo I started thinking less about how it could influence me and more about the narrative. I have however whilst reading this realised I could use Gibson or other fiction writter depicition of Tokyo’s modern culture within my symposium to try and paint an image within the audiences head rather than just telling them facts. A description that mesmerised me was this one…

“Virtual-looking skyline, a floating jumble of electric Lego.” Here Gibson talks about Tokyo’s city scape. It doesn’t tell us mch about the culture but is a beautiful depiction of the city. I am hoping his next book I am reading ‘Idoru’ will provide more about the culture in Japan.

In terms of ‘Pattern’ recognition as a book I was drawn in by Gibson’s method of writing. I began to think of him as taking the approach of an alien, describing things we experience every day in an uniformed basic way, using terminology  an outsider might adopt when first experiencing object. For example Damien’s computer is never called by it’s name, instead Gibson uses the terminology “Box” to describe it. The modern themes in this book are outstanding, the power of forums and viral videos comes through as does the danger and benefits of being in an online community in which your peers are anonymous.