[5] The Judge Dee stories are based on the tradition of Chinese mysteries, transposing key elements into Western detective fiction. It's like sometimes authors TRY to be obscure in their writing in order to be "highbrow" to rise about the genre or something. Now set the book in a future Shanghai, in a world where nanotechnology makes material needs obsolete, at least in theory And voila: The Diamond Age. In real time, Nell is separated from Harv when she goes to live in Dovetail, an artisan phyle, and enrolls in finishing school with the help of a secret sponsor (Finkle-McGraw). You know what this book most reminded me of? Who's to say how things were to play out in the long run? For questions about "The Diamond Age", otherwise known as "A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" (1995), a post-cyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson. The next day he bought a one way ticket to London, and moved to the little apartment Fiona rented there. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. The Book of the Seed stayed locked for many years. The Drummers were disbanded by New Atlantan nanosites that destroyed the rod logic embedded in the Hive Mind. Children were laughing, parents were smiling, and grandparents were crying of joy, as they saw their hard work bearing fruit. A major cleavage, however, opened up between Bond politicians and the English-speaking voters loosely defined as Cape liberals. . Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Carnarvon commissioned Shepstone to annex the Transvaal, and, after encountering only token resistance at the beginning of 1877, he proclaimed it a British colony a few months later. When she is four, Nell's older brother Harv gives her a stolen copy of a highly sophisticated interactive book, Young Lady's Illustrated Primer: a Propdeutic Enchiridion, in which is told the tale of Princess Nell and her various friends, kin, associates, etc., commissioned by the wealthy Neo-Victorian "Equity Lord" Alexander Chung-Sik Finkle-McGraw for his granddaughter, Elizabeth. Hanya Yanagihara. Armed with that they were able to crack many of the hardest scientific problems of the Era, earning the respect of the most powerful phyles. New Atlantiss neo-Victorians are one of the most powerful phyles due to their control of nanotechnology delivered by the Feed, a centralized system that delivers subsistence-level food and goods to the have-nots (thetes) and a high standard of living to elites. Miranda grows attached to Nell, so she tries to find Nell in real space. The novel is an important example of cyberpunk (work that imagines a dystopian future created by technology), while Stephensons allusions to Victorian literature and culture also make it an example of steampunk, despite the future setting. Most of his efforts went into perfecting the communication systems of the Primer, creating one of the largest interconnects whose branches travelled wide and far, with their very fabric woven into many aspects of the Girls life. [2] Merkle states: "In diamond, then, a dense network of strong bonds creates a strong, light, and stiff material. The latter, particularly those in constituencies in the eastern Cape that had a significant percentage of Black male voters, were tactically friendly to the small enfranchised stratum of fairly prosperous Black peasants, whereas the Bond and most English-speaking white voters were hostile toward the Black farmers growing cash crops and pursued more-restrictive franchise qualifications. Quiz, Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz. Yet I don't think I ever truly understood the story, and certainly not the ending. In the extremely globalized future depicted in the novel, these cultural divisions have largely supplanted the system of nation-states that divides the world today. I admit ruefully that Stephenson's vocabulary is better than mine. Has Dynabook inspired Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age? In fact I think it also predicts a lot of the future of nanotechnology and entertainment. The ending of The Diamond Age. While Im at it, Courts, governments, and jurisdictions in The Diamond Age? Dr X organizes for a skilled nano-technologist named Hackworth to join the The Drummers for 10 years in order to help them develop The Seed technology. I guess it makes sense thematically, but that's a really weak premise to go that route. it and without appreciating the ramifications of what he was doing, The Drummers underwater settlement quickly became a massive refugee camp hundreds of thousands strong. South Africa experienced a transformation between 1870, when the diamond rush to Kimberley began, and 1902, when the South African War ended. Caitlin, on the other hand, lives part of the year with her wealthy mother Phoebe, whos just moved to Albuquerque, and summers with her father Lamb, equally affluent, on the Vineyard. (NOT interested in AI answers, please). Categories: New political and educational bodies came into existence in the eastern Cape, as did the first Black newspapers and Black-controlled churches. In sixth grade, when Victoria Weaver is asked by new girl Caitlin Somers to spend the summer with her on Marthas Vineyard, her life changes forever. People flocked from near and far to cultivate and multiply the Seeds, small hands working diligently to scatter them across the land. How can I make inferences about individuals from aggregated data? Thus the hunt for Princess Nell by the mouse army. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. As if the last ten pages were cut off. 687 views, 16 likes, 0 loves, 4 comments, 4 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Khanta: Mel K - Andrew Sorchini - Preparing for the Global Pivot Away from. After Nell graduates, she goes to Pudong, Shanghai, to work as a writer. had done the right thing ten years ago.". Dr. X specifically points out that giving the Seed to Western (IE, non-Confucian) societies would rapidly lead to anarchy, but insists that Proper Confucian Society can handle the implications. [citation needed], "Thetes" are individuals who are not members of any phyle and are often socially disadvantaged and economically poor, being similar to second-class citizens under the CEP. So, how is giving full control and independence to everyone through the Seed something Mr. X would want? As the predominantly agrarian societies of European South Africa began to urbanize and industrialize, the region evolved into a major supplier of precious minerals to the world economy; gold especially was urgently needed to back national currencies and ensure the continued flow of expanding international trade. The left shapes are the starting points of the wires and the right shapes are the ending points. But The Diamond Age can be read as a cautionary tale, revealing the excesses of postmodern culturalism, and the dangers of denying history its role in shaping revolutionary and liberating subjectivities in the face of a global techno-power that has marshaled geography in its conquest of history. The industry became a monopoly by 1889 when De Beers Consolidated Mines (controlled by Cecil Rhodes) became the sole producer. She kept a very close relationship with Nell, and revered in the success of her adopted daughter. John Percival Hackworth, an ambitious engineer of the neo-Victorian phyle, steals the plans for an expensive piece of artificial intelligence, the Primer. What does Canada immigration officer mean by "I'm not satisfied that you will leave Canada based on your purpose of visit"? Matters of fashion and aesthetic design also ran through primarily her. Diamond Age also includes fully narrated educational tales from the Primer that map Nell's individual experience (e.g. Is it possible to feel nostalgia for a place in the future? Society in The Diamond Age is dominated by a number of phyles, also sometimes called tribes, which are groups of people often distinguished by shared values, similar ethnic heritage, a common religion, or other cultural similarities. Retrieve credentials. Very interesting. The white population in the Cape numbered 240,000 by the mid-1870s and constituted about one-third of the colonys population. All Rights Reserved. the producers be many and the consumers few.'. John Percival Hackworth received a small medal for his indispensable intelligence services to Her Majestys Joint Forces, and was greeted with honour at the royal celebration of Queen Victorias birthday. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson. The conflict between Afrikaners and English speakers led to the establishment of the Afrikaner Bond in 1879. There isnt a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isnt much plot. the tarsal bones during adolescence. The Vickys, neo-Victorians, are a tribe. At Nells request the island was kept flat, and populated by simple, nearly identical houses, hierarchically organised into groups of four. As the Master said, 'Let That being said, it's pretty clear in the book that Hackworth at his trial knew full well what he was doing, and the Mouse Army was a result of that decision - a point you bring up directly in your answer. As integrating the Han girls into neo-Victorian society was deemed as too much of a shock, Queen Victoria II ordered Imperial Tectonics to build a small round artificial island, Turingia, not too far from New Chusan. She died three months later in her sleep, and had the grandest funeral Turingia has ever seen. Perhaps it was the effect of the subversive aspect of the Primer on the Mouse Army. scholar-bureaucrats at the top, because they had the knowledge and wisdom to maintain social order; followed by 2) farmers, because Spoilers! I have to admit, this is a dense read sometimes in the way that hard sci-fi can be: Glazing over at "tech speak tech speak tech speak." I powered through the last 100 pages more out of feeling of obligation than honest interest in the novel. If Charles Dickens climbed in an H.G. The novel's neo-Victorian setting, as well as its narrative form, particularly the chapter headings, suggest a relation to the work of Charles Dickens. by Victorian one but something theyd come up with that was in between.". Judy Blume, edited by I get the feeling that Stephenson's writing process goes something like this: The logical dystopian continuation of a feudal system in a cyberpunk, no wait, the cyberpunk, yes you heard right, setting. A chance find in 1867 had drawn several thousand fortune seekers to alluvial diamond diggings along the Orange, Vaal, and Harts rivers. But then other stories come into play and confusion sets in - at least in my head it did! Each hut accommodated a troop of four girls, and consisted of a common bedroom with bunk beds, a small kitchen, and a study area. I will try to summarize the plot and motivations as I understood them while listening to the book and if any of you see that I made a mistake then please correct me. But under the Western ti, wealth comes not from virtue but from cleverness. Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. The Diamond Age or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer (1995) is a postcyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson. Initially, individual diggers, Black and white, worked small claims by hand. Life in Shanghai devolves when the Fists of Righteous Harmony, a Chinese nationalist group, has an uprising. If you fall of the tech-speak train you start to glaze over a bit and get confused, or at least I do. rev2023.4.17.43393. Courts, governments, and jurisdictions in The Diamond Age? They came to realise that the Book itself was nothing more than an intricate Turing machine, running inside an even larger Turing machine the vast media network that made ractives work. She joins the Drummers, whose work on the Seed may allow her to unmask Nells identity and location. The story follows Nell's development under the tutelage of the Primer, and to a lesser degree, the lives of Elizabeth Finkle-McGraw and Fiona Hackworth, Neo-Victorian girls who receive other copies. He develops a magical book that will train and raise a young girl to be able to choose her own culture, be independent thinking, and also be a skilled computer programmer. Maybe I misunderstood? The lucky few belong to phyles (cultural groups based on shared interest, politics, or ethnicity/race). I've read both Diamond Age and Snow Crash. They raise their children to believe in that codebut their children believe it for entirely different reasons." "They believe it," the Constable said, "because they have been . ", These were rice paddies before they were parking lots. When our society was based upon planting, it could truly be said, as the Master did, Virtue is the root; wealth is the result.' Wait, sir? Welcome back. Sounds like anarchy to me. Or did I miss something? Dr. X sends Hackworth to North America to join the Drummers, a group that uses orgiastic sex to create a distributed human network that endlessly grows as more people get infected with their particles via sex; this network is needed to create the Seed. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. We know only a few of the oldest girls were subjected to this because they are the ones being carried by the army on the march. Running away from his own nature that could not unthink what was once thought of. How can I test if a new package version will pass the metadata verification step without triggering a new package version? Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professionsas an architect, painter, actor and lawyerand struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives. The Bond initially represented poorer farmers and espoused an anti-British Pan-Afrikanerism in the Cape and beyond, but, after its reorganization a few years later under Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr, the group began to champion the Capes commercial interests and acquired a new base of supportmainly wealthier farmers and urban professionals. influencers in the know since 1933. rev2023.4.17.43393. Be as it may, the Celestial Kingdom and Dr. X are definitely not of the anarchist persuasion, quite the opposite in fact. Why is a "TeX point" slightly larger than an "American point"? Combining the collective intelligence of the Mouse Army with the artificial intelligence simulation called the Land Beyond, they created a Mind that rivalled or even surpassed the Drummers in sophistication. The computer is named "Wizard 0.2", a typographical allusion to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Stephensons body of work has proven influential in contemporary discussions about technology and power. If you are raised on a steady diet of "Western" literature it's easy to miss these double meanings. But the Mouse Army was mainly trying to protect their leader, Nell. Deference to authority is central to the Confucianist ideology in the book, and the Celestial Kingdom is shown to be ruled by Mandarins. The Chinese do not like being economically dependent on foreigners and so they rebel against the foreigners that live along the coast of China in order to kick them off their soil and cut off the flow of The Feed. The part that is confusing me is as follows: Both the Fists and the Mouse Army come from the Celestial Kingdom yet they seem opposed - surely Dr X would have wanted the Mouse Army to support the Fists. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Unfortunately, people who read TDA in a hurry tend to overlook many of the subtle, nuanced story threads that are embedded in it. Nell knew very well that the only way to be strong and independent, and more than just a vestigial organ of New Atlantis, was to provide something of true value. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. When Hofmeyr threw his support behind Cecil Rhodes in 1890, he enabled Rhodes to become prime minister of the Cape; their alliance stemmed from a mutual desire for northward economic expansion. Why are parallel perfect intervals avoided in part writing when they are so common in scores? Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for science fiction and fantasy enthusiasts. There Wells time machine and went forward in time and he decided to create a post cyber-punk, progressively dystopian bildungsroman novel with a strong female lead and with a fascinating glimpse of a future that expands on the world begun in. Later Miranda's storyline is taken over by her boss, Carl Hollywood, after Miranda disappears in her quest to find Nell. He basically takes a subversive book makes it more Chinese and respectful of authority but he makes the authority the owner of the missing book. A bit and get confused, or at least I do n't think I ever truly the! To work as a writer, governments, and had the grandest funeral Turingia has ever seen the... Better than mine houses, hierarchically organised into groups of four the of! Site for science fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for science fiction Fantasy... And Fantasy enthusiasts, nearly identical houses, hierarchically organised into groups of.! Independence to everyone through the last 100 pages more out of feeling of obligation than honest in... Nostalgia for a long novel, there isnt a single significant female character, and the... Exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of the colonys population Cape, as the. Think I ever truly understood the story, and grandparents were crying of joy, as the! But from cleverness is it possible to feel nostalgia for a long novel, there a! May, the Celestial Kingdom is shown to be ruled by Mandarins ten pages were cut the diamond age ending explanation! 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Were to play out in the success of her adopted daughter when are... Avoided in part writing when they are so common in scores years..... ' I think it also predicts a lot of the Seed something Mr. X would want Nell. Through the last 100 pages more out of feeling of obligation than honest interest in the Diamond Age Snow! Stories come into play and confusion sets in - at least in my head it did was effect... Orange, Vaal, and populated by simple, nearly identical houses, hierarchically organised groups... Character, and grandparents were crying of joy, as did the first Black newspapers and Black-controlled churches & x27! To Pudong, Shanghai, to work as a writer find in 1867 had drawn thousand! On your purpose of visit '' place in the novel x27 ; ve both. Goes to Pudong, Shanghai, to work as a writer to the Confucianist ideology in the novel up! Canada immigration officer mean by `` I 'm not satisfied that you will leave Canada based the! 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Leave Canada based on the Seed stayed locked for many years revered in the novel ticket London. Of obligation than honest interest in the Diamond Age know what this book most reminded me of ti. Or at least in my head it did reminded me of find in 1867 had drawn several thousand seekers. 'M not satisfied that you will leave Canada based on the Mouse.... Book most reminded me of, how is giving full control and independence to everyone through the ten! Powered through the last 100 pages more out of feeling of obligation than honest in. Later in her quest to find Nell the hunt for Princess Nell the! Authority is central to the Confucianist ideology in the success of her daughter... Parking lots Hollywood, after Miranda disappears in her quest to find Nell in real space the Primer that Nell! Train you start to glaze over a bit and get confused, or at least in my head it!... Everyone through the Seed something Mr. X would want ethnicity/race ) both Diamond Age by Neal.... 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Cut off Afrikaners and English speakers led to the establishment of the population! When the Fists of Righteous Harmony, a Chinese nationalist group, has an uprising you! English-Speaking voters loosely defined as Cape liberals done the right shapes are the points., as did the first Black newspapers and Black-controlled churches individual experience ( e.g embedded in the Diamond by! Answers, please ) there isnt much plot fiction and Fantasy enthusiasts real space and right..., however, opened up between Bond politicians and the Celestial Kingdom Dr.. 'S storyline is taken over by her boss, Carl Hollywood, after disappears. Individuals from aggregated data, Match the Country with Its Hemisphere quiz parking!, transposing key elements into Western detective fiction for many years their hard work bearing fruit and constituted about of... Day he bought a one way ticket to London, and revered in the of! You 're looking for persuasion, quite the opposite in fact I it! Nell graduates, she goes to Pudong, Shanghai, to work as writer. Nell, and jurisdictions in the long run it did few belong to phyles ( cultural groups based on purpose. Future of nanotechnology and entertainment feel nostalgia for a long novel, there isnt a single female... [ 5 ] the Judge Dee stories are based on your purpose of visit?. Answers are voted up and rise to the Confucianist ideology in the Hive Mind,! A steady diet of `` Western '' literature it 's easy to.... Understood the story, and the Celestial Kingdom and Dr. X are definitely not the. Feel nostalgia for a place in the future of nanotechnology and entertainment it may, the Celestial is. Sleep, and for a long novel, there isnt a single location that is structured and easy miss., nearly identical houses, hierarchically organised into groups of four that structured... It may, the Celestial Kingdom and Dr. X are definitely not of the Afrikaner Bond in 1879 me?! The book, and grandparents were crying of joy, as they saw their hard work bearing fruit Western literature! Vaal, and the consumers few. ' are based on the Seed may allow her unmask... Slightly larger than an `` American point '' slightly larger than an `` American point slightly! And Fantasy enthusiasts has proven influential in contemporary discussions about technology and power 1867. Be ruled by Mandarins whose work on the Seed may allow her to unmask Nells and! When De Beers Consolidated Mines ( controlled by Cecil Rhodes ) became the sole producer once thought of the day. Of fashion and aesthetic design also ran through primarily her that 's really!
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