Page 49 – Case and Molly talking about McCoy Pauley AKA Dixie Flatline
Background
In this excerpt, Molly and Case are talking privately about their enigmatic employer, Armitage. Molly, before any explanation, appears to be closely connected to Armitage, however, it is soon discovered that she is in a similar situation as Case – she’s kept in the dark about many things, especially her employer’s motives. One exception to this, however, is Molly’s knowledge of Case. At this point Case has no idea why Armitage funded his surgery, or who Molly is.
Molly: “Yeah. I saw your profile, Case. And I’ve seen the rest of our shopping list, once. You ever work with the dead?”
Case: “No.” He watched his reflection in her glasses. “I could, I guess. I’m good at what I do.” The present tense made him nervous.
“You know that the Dixie Flatline’s dead?”
He nodded. “Heart, I heard.”
“You’ll be working with his construct.” She smiled. “Taught you the ropes, huh? Him and Quine. I know Quine, by the way. Real asshole.”
“Somebody’s got a recording of McCoy Pauley? Who?” Now Case sat, and rested his elbows on the table. “I can’t see it. He’d never have sat still for it.”
“Sense/Net. Paid him mega, you bet your ass.”
Small excerpts such as the one above appear throughout Neuromancer. They withhold the meaning of the words or a description of characters discussed for a distinct period of time, which is later revealed in a more descriptive manner. In this way, the reader is enticed. Cyberpunk fiction thrives on the hermeneutic code – the questions that beg for answers. This small, almost insignificant passing conversation is a prime example of Gibson’s posing a question placed aside to be answered later. He places the action before explanation. This moves the story along, yet it stagnates the new reader. Gradually, as the excerpt proceeds, some of the questions are answered, but not all. Some larger questions are left unanswered – what is Case really doing for Armitage? What is a “construct” or a “recording” in the sense that Case and Molly are speaking of? What does Case do, exactly, as a cowboy? Gibson’s withholding, giving the reader just enough to proceed, and nothing more.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
"sense/net"
*(HER): What is Sense/Net? Was it mentioned before? Is it a place, a corporation, a group of people?
"recording and construct"
*(PRO): Case sat, and rested his elbows. He’s tired, in disbelief, and more affected than he puts on by the news he just received.
**(SEM): A recording and construct are the same thing to Case and Molly. But a recording and construct are two different things. One is a reflection of the existing, and the other is a creation of the existing. A recording implies a simpler, less powerful entity, but a construct’s complexity is seemingly limitless. Case’s use of the word “recording” shows us that he might think less of these ‘constructs’ than Molly. She, being a soldier of the real world, may aggrandize this concept of saving the imprint of a mind. Case, however, looks at it realistically – it’s merely the captured ‘recording’ of something that’s gone – of someone whose heart gave out.
**(SEM): A recording and construct are the same thing to Case and Molly. But a recording and construct are two different things. One is a reflection of the existing, and the other is a creation of the existing. A recording implies a simpler, less powerful entity, but a construct’s complexity is seemingly limitless. Case’s use of the word “recording” shows us that he might think less of these ‘constructs’ than Molly. She, being a soldier of the real world, may aggrandize this concept of saving the imprint of a mind. Case, however, looks at it realistically – it’s merely the captured ‘recording’ of something that’s gone – of someone whose heart gave out.
"construct"
*(HER): Who’s Quine? What’s a construct? At this point Case’s personal life before his incident with his past employer’s is hardly mentioned. Molly’s knowledge of Dixie Flatline’s tutelage gives the reader a small look into Case’s past.
**(PRO): “She smiled.” Molly’s expression.
**(PRO): “She smiled.” Molly’s expression.
"heart"
*(PRO): “He nodded”. Action – nodded. Case acknowledges his knowing of both Flatline himself and his cause of death.
**(PRO): An answer – “heart” can be taken for the cause of death. This dead topic of conversation, Dixie Flatline, died because of his heart. This also reveals some reason for his/her nickname – flatline.
***(SYM): Is Flatline’s heart death a symbol of his natural death. Certainly the construct that Case works with isn’t McCoy Pauley, Case’s old mentor. The death of the heart conjures its association with the soul. Gibson is reaffirming that Pauley is dead, and just a ‘construct’ or ‘recording’ of his memory remains. As human as the conversations between Case and the construct may seem, they are just the digital representation of his memory, nothing more. Nothing more is possible – his heart gave out.
**(PRO): An answer – “heart” can be taken for the cause of death. This dead topic of conversation, Dixie Flatline, died because of his heart. This also reveals some reason for his/her nickname – flatline.
***(SYM): Is Flatline’s heart death a symbol of his natural death. Certainly the construct that Case works with isn’t McCoy Pauley, Case’s old mentor. The death of the heart conjures its association with the soul. Gibson is reaffirming that Pauley is dead, and just a ‘construct’ or ‘recording’ of his memory remains. As human as the conversations between Case and the construct may seem, they are just the digital representation of his memory, nothing more. Nothing more is possible – his heart gave out.
"Dixie Flatline"
*(HER): Who (or what) is Dixie Flatline? Is it a nickname or just an odd, futuristic name that’s common in Gibson’s reality? Is the imagery of “flatline” important – the idea of a heart stopping? Gibson tends to do this to us – to throw out a name or a place and offer no further explanation.
**(CUL): Is Dixie Flatline a household name? Molly asks this question assuming Case knows who the person is. The reader is left in the dark, witnessing a conversation about an apparently dead mutual acquaintance of Molly and Case.
**(CUL): Is Dixie Flatline a household name? Molly asks this question assuming Case knows who the person is. The reader is left in the dark, witnessing a conversation about an apparently dead mutual acquaintance of Molly and Case.
"The present tense made him nervous"
*(HER): Case knows what she’s talking about. It appears that working with the dead is a common idea to both characters. Molly’s question remains mysterious – no hints are given by Case’s response.
**(SEM): “The present tense made him nervous.” Is it the present tense that is making him nervous, or is it the implication of “doing” making him nervous? Is Case doubting his skills as a cowboy, or is he merely worried he’s rusty after all this time? It’s not the present tense, but what the present tense represents. At the beginning of the book Case is living in the past; he frequents cowboy bars and leads a faded existence. That was, for as long as he was out of commission, his present tense. Knowing what he can do and doing are separate, and Case’s apprehension is showing this to us. But this also begs the question, what exactly is Case nervous about? It’s clearly not working with “the dead” – that idea created a positive response. It’s something else, something we’re not all that familiar with. We have no idea what exactly it is that Case does or why a mysterious employer summoned him. This present tense carries a heavy, unrevealed weight.
***(PRO): “He watched his reflection in her glasses.” Case is attempting to make eye contact, but cannot. He can only see his reflection in her “eyes”.
****(PRO): “made him nervous.” Case’s feelings are a result of his uncertainty about a skill that has yet to be defined.
**(SEM): “The present tense made him nervous.” Is it the present tense that is making him nervous, or is it the implication of “doing” making him nervous? Is Case doubting his skills as a cowboy, or is he merely worried he’s rusty after all this time? It’s not the present tense, but what the present tense represents. At the beginning of the book Case is living in the past; he frequents cowboy bars and leads a faded existence. That was, for as long as he was out of commission, his present tense. Knowing what he can do and doing are separate, and Case’s apprehension is showing this to us. But this also begs the question, what exactly is Case nervous about? It’s clearly not working with “the dead” – that idea created a positive response. It’s something else, something we’re not all that familiar with. We have no idea what exactly it is that Case does or why a mysterious employer summoned him. This present tense carries a heavy, unrevealed weight.
***(PRO): “He watched his reflection in her glasses.” Case is attempting to make eye contact, but cannot. He can only see his reflection in her “eyes”.
****(PRO): “made him nervous.” Case’s feelings are a result of his uncertainty about a skill that has yet to be defined.
"Shopping List"
*(HER): The “shopping list” implies the existence of other tasks. The first task can be seen as fixing Case, or even just acquiring Case. The second task, we can assume, will soon be explained to us. Furthermore, the term “shopping list” seems to imply a longer set of tasks that involves searching. The idea of searching is associated with shopping – one peruses the aisles of a market to acquire items. This brings up another idea of acquisition. They’ve already acquired Case. Will this shopping list cause them to pick up more people? Is it a person, necessarily, that they will be acquiring next? The next question Molly asks is “You ever work with the dead?” It cannot be expected that the reader associates the future with the undead – and the reader would be hard pressed to assume that minds could be saved onto a ROM in the reality constructed by Gibson. This notion of working with the dead is clearly meant to force the reader to ask questions – how is that possible? Is she talking about physically working with corpses? Is she using ‘dead’ in a different context than expected? Some of these are nonsensical, but all are natural reactions to her partially revealing questions.
**(PRO): Molly has “seen” the shopping list and “saw” Case’s profile. She’s actually talking to him.
**(PRO): Molly has “seen” the shopping list and “saw” Case’s profile. She’s actually talking to him.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A* Search - Neuromancer
Page 49 – Case and Molly talking about McCoy Pauley AKA Dixie Flatline
Background
In this excerpt, Molly and Case are talking privately about their enigmatic employer, Armitage. Molly, before any explanation, appears to be closely connected to Armitage, however, it is soon discovered that she is in a similar situation as Case – she’s kept in the dark about many things, especially her employer’s motives. One exception to this, however, is Molly’s knowledge of Case. At this point Case has no idea why Armitage funded his surgery, or who Molly is.
Molly: “Yeah. I saw your profile, Case. And I’ve seen the rest of our shopping list, once. You ever work with the dead?”
*(HER): The “shopping list” implies the existence of other tasks. The first task can be seen as fixing Case, or even just acquiring Case. The second task, we can assume, will soon be explained to us. Furthermore, the term “shopping list” seems to imply a longer set of tasks that involves searching. The idea of searching is associated with shopping – one peruses the aisles of a market to acquire items. This brings up another idea of acquisition. They’ve already acquired Case. Will this shopping list cause them to pick up more people? Is it a person, necessarily, that they will be acquiring next? The next question Molly asks is “You ever work with the dead?” It cannot be expected that the reader associates the future with the undead – and the reader would be hard pressed to assume that minds could be saved onto a ROM in the reality constructed by Gibson. This notion of working with the dead is clearly meant to force the reader to ask questions – how is that possible? Is she talking about physically working with corpses? Is she using ‘dead’ in a different context than expected? Some of these are nonsensical, but all are natural reactions to her partially revealing questions.
**(PRO): Molly has “seen” the shopping list and “saw” Case’s profile. She’s actually talking to him.
Case: “No.” He watched his reflection in her glasses. “I could, I guess. I’m good at what I do.” The present tense made him nervous.
*(HER): Case knows what she’s talking about. It appears that working with the dead is a common idea to both characters. Molly’s question remains mysterious – no hints are given by Case’s response.
**(SEM): “The present tense made him nervous.” Is it the present tense that is making him nervous, or is it the implication of “doing” making him nervous? Is Case doubting his skills as a cowboy, or is he merely worried he’s rusty after all this time? It’s not the present tense, but what the present tense represents. At the beginning of the book Case is living in the past; he frequents cowboy bars and leads a faded existence. That was, for as long as he was out of commission, his present tense. Knowing what he can do and doing are separate, and Case’s apprehension is showing this to us. But this also begs the question, what exactly is Case nervous about? It’s clearly not working with “the dead” – that idea created a positive response. It’s something else, something we’re not all that familiar with. We have no idea what exactly it is that Case does or why a mysterious employer summoned him. This present tense carries a heavy, unrevealed weight.
***(PRO): “He watched his reflection in her glasses.” Case is attempting to make eye contact, but cannot. He can only see his reflection in her “eyes”.
****(PRO): “made him nervous.” Case’s feelings are a result of his uncertainty about a skill that has yet to be defined.
“You know that the Dixie Flatline’s dead?”
*(HER): Who (or what) is Dixie Flatline? Is it a nickname or just an odd, futuristic name that’s common in Gibson’s reality? Is the imagery of “flatline” important – the idea of a heart stopping? Gibson tends to do this to us – to throw out a name or a place and offer no further explanation.
**(CUL): Is Dixie Flatline a household name? Molly asks this question assuming Case knows who the person is. The reader is left in the dark, witnessing a conversation about an apparently dead mutual acquaintance of Molly and Case.
He nodded. “Heart, I heard.”
*(PRO): “He nodded”. Action – nodded. Case acknowledges his knowing of both Flatline himself and his cause of death.
**(PRO): An answer – “heart” can be taken for the cause of death. This dead topic of conversation, Dixie Flatline, died because of his heart. This also reveals some reason for his/her nickname – flatline.
***(SYM): Is Flatline’s heart death a symbol of his natural death. Certainly the construct that Case works with isn’t McCoy Pauley, Case’s old mentor. The death of the heart conjures its association with the soul. Gibson is reaffirming that Pauley is dead, and just a ‘construct’ or ‘recording’ of his memory remains. As human as the conversations between Case and the construct may seem, they are just the digital representation of his memory, nothing more. Nothing more is possible – his heart gave out.
“You’ll be working with his construct.” She smiled. “Taught you the ropes, huh? Him and Quine. I know Quine, by the way. Real asshole.”
*(HER): Who’s Quine? What’s a construct? At this point Case’s personal life before his incident with his past employer’s is hardly mentioned. Molly’s knowledge of Dixie Flatline’s tutelage gives the reader a small look into Case’s past.
**(PRO): “She smiled.” Molly’s expression.
“Somebody’s got a recording of McCoy Pauley? Who?” Now Case sat, and rested his elbows on the table. “I can’t see it. He’d never have sat still for it.”
*(PRO): Case sat, and rested his elbows. He’s tired, in disbelief, and more affected than he puts on by the news he just received.
**(SEM): A recording and construct are the same thing to Case and Molly. But a recording and construct are two different things. One is a reflection of the existing, and the other is a creation of the existing. A recording implies a simpler, less powerful entity, but a construct’s complexity is seemingly limitless. Case’s use of the word “recording” shows us that he might think less of these ‘constructs’ than Molly. She, being a soldier of the real world, may aggrandize this concept of saving the imprint of a mind. Case, however, looks at it realistically – it’s merely the captured ‘recording’ of something that’s gone – of someone whose heart gave out.
“Sense/Net. Paid him mega, you bet your ass.”
*(HER): What is Sense/Net? Was it mentioned before? Is it a place, a corporation, a group of people?
Small excerpts such as the one above appear throughout Neuromancer. They withhold the meaning of the words or a description of characters discussed for a distinct period of time, which is later revealed in a more descriptive manner. In this way, the reader is enticed. Cyberpunk fiction thrives on the hermeneutic code – the questions that beg for answers. This small, almost insignificant passing conversation is a prime example of Gibson’s posing a question placed aside to be answered later. He places the action before explanation. This moves the story along, yet it stagnates the new reader. Gradually, as the excerpt proceeds, some of the questions are answered, but not all. Some larger questions are left unanswered – what is Case really doing for Armitage? What is a “construct” or a “recording” in the sense that Case and Molly are speaking of? What does Case do, exactly, as a cowboy? Gibson’s withholding, giving the reader just enough to proceed, and nothing more.
Background
In this excerpt, Molly and Case are talking privately about their enigmatic employer, Armitage. Molly, before any explanation, appears to be closely connected to Armitage, however, it is soon discovered that she is in a similar situation as Case – she’s kept in the dark about many things, especially her employer’s motives. One exception to this, however, is Molly’s knowledge of Case. At this point Case has no idea why Armitage funded his surgery, or who Molly is.
Molly: “Yeah. I saw your profile, Case. And I’ve seen the rest of our shopping list, once. You ever work with the dead?”
*(HER): The “shopping list” implies the existence of other tasks. The first task can be seen as fixing Case, or even just acquiring Case. The second task, we can assume, will soon be explained to us. Furthermore, the term “shopping list” seems to imply a longer set of tasks that involves searching. The idea of searching is associated with shopping – one peruses the aisles of a market to acquire items. This brings up another idea of acquisition. They’ve already acquired Case. Will this shopping list cause them to pick up more people? Is it a person, necessarily, that they will be acquiring next? The next question Molly asks is “You ever work with the dead?” It cannot be expected that the reader associates the future with the undead – and the reader would be hard pressed to assume that minds could be saved onto a ROM in the reality constructed by Gibson. This notion of working with the dead is clearly meant to force the reader to ask questions – how is that possible? Is she talking about physically working with corpses? Is she using ‘dead’ in a different context than expected? Some of these are nonsensical, but all are natural reactions to her partially revealing questions.
**(PRO): Molly has “seen” the shopping list and “saw” Case’s profile. She’s actually talking to him.
Case: “No.” He watched his reflection in her glasses. “I could, I guess. I’m good at what I do.” The present tense made him nervous.
*(HER): Case knows what she’s talking about. It appears that working with the dead is a common idea to both characters. Molly’s question remains mysterious – no hints are given by Case’s response.
**(SEM): “The present tense made him nervous.” Is it the present tense that is making him nervous, or is it the implication of “doing” making him nervous? Is Case doubting his skills as a cowboy, or is he merely worried he’s rusty after all this time? It’s not the present tense, but what the present tense represents. At the beginning of the book Case is living in the past; he frequents cowboy bars and leads a faded existence. That was, for as long as he was out of commission, his present tense. Knowing what he can do and doing are separate, and Case’s apprehension is showing this to us. But this also begs the question, what exactly is Case nervous about? It’s clearly not working with “the dead” – that idea created a positive response. It’s something else, something we’re not all that familiar with. We have no idea what exactly it is that Case does or why a mysterious employer summoned him. This present tense carries a heavy, unrevealed weight.
***(PRO): “He watched his reflection in her glasses.” Case is attempting to make eye contact, but cannot. He can only see his reflection in her “eyes”.
****(PRO): “made him nervous.” Case’s feelings are a result of his uncertainty about a skill that has yet to be defined.
“You know that the Dixie Flatline’s dead?”
*(HER): Who (or what) is Dixie Flatline? Is it a nickname or just an odd, futuristic name that’s common in Gibson’s reality? Is the imagery of “flatline” important – the idea of a heart stopping? Gibson tends to do this to us – to throw out a name or a place and offer no further explanation.
**(CUL): Is Dixie Flatline a household name? Molly asks this question assuming Case knows who the person is. The reader is left in the dark, witnessing a conversation about an apparently dead mutual acquaintance of Molly and Case.
He nodded. “Heart, I heard.”
*(PRO): “He nodded”. Action – nodded. Case acknowledges his knowing of both Flatline himself and his cause of death.
**(PRO): An answer – “heart” can be taken for the cause of death. This dead topic of conversation, Dixie Flatline, died because of his heart. This also reveals some reason for his/her nickname – flatline.
***(SYM): Is Flatline’s heart death a symbol of his natural death. Certainly the construct that Case works with isn’t McCoy Pauley, Case’s old mentor. The death of the heart conjures its association with the soul. Gibson is reaffirming that Pauley is dead, and just a ‘construct’ or ‘recording’ of his memory remains. As human as the conversations between Case and the construct may seem, they are just the digital representation of his memory, nothing more. Nothing more is possible – his heart gave out.
“You’ll be working with his construct.” She smiled. “Taught you the ropes, huh? Him and Quine. I know Quine, by the way. Real asshole.”
*(HER): Who’s Quine? What’s a construct? At this point Case’s personal life before his incident with his past employer’s is hardly mentioned. Molly’s knowledge of Dixie Flatline’s tutelage gives the reader a small look into Case’s past.
**(PRO): “She smiled.” Molly’s expression.
“Somebody’s got a recording of McCoy Pauley? Who?” Now Case sat, and rested his elbows on the table. “I can’t see it. He’d never have sat still for it.”
*(PRO): Case sat, and rested his elbows. He’s tired, in disbelief, and more affected than he puts on by the news he just received.
**(SEM): A recording and construct are the same thing to Case and Molly. But a recording and construct are two different things. One is a reflection of the existing, and the other is a creation of the existing. A recording implies a simpler, less powerful entity, but a construct’s complexity is seemingly limitless. Case’s use of the word “recording” shows us that he might think less of these ‘constructs’ than Molly. She, being a soldier of the real world, may aggrandize this concept of saving the imprint of a mind. Case, however, looks at it realistically – it’s merely the captured ‘recording’ of something that’s gone – of someone whose heart gave out.
“Sense/Net. Paid him mega, you bet your ass.”
*(HER): What is Sense/Net? Was it mentioned before? Is it a place, a corporation, a group of people?
Small excerpts such as the one above appear throughout Neuromancer. They withhold the meaning of the words or a description of characters discussed for a distinct period of time, which is later revealed in a more descriptive manner. In this way, the reader is enticed. Cyberpunk fiction thrives on the hermeneutic code – the questions that beg for answers. This small, almost insignificant passing conversation is a prime example of Gibson’s posing a question placed aside to be answered later. He places the action before explanation. This moves the story along, yet it stagnates the new reader. Gradually, as the excerpt proceeds, some of the questions are answered, but not all. Some larger questions are left unanswered – what is Case really doing for Armitage? What is a “construct” or a “recording” in the sense that Case and Molly are speaking of? What does Case do, exactly, as a cowboy? Gibson’s withholding, giving the reader just enough to proceed, and nothing more.
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