The Implications of FEED

As we (by we I mean I) rush into Fall and struggle to meet all of our self-imposed deadlines, I was struck by the similarities between the MT Anderson's characters' urges and my own. I'm definitely not far enough into the book to write anything too in depth, but I thought that his description of the characters hunger for shopping and consumption were frighteningly close to our own current reality. I recently heard the term 'affluenza' for the first time, which is defined as a need to 'keep up with the Joneses' or make your life appear great to your neighbors through by purchasing the latest, hippest items. In Feed, Anderson's characters are literally stimulated by sales and their own buying-power. I wondered how soon the gap will be bridged, or even if it has already been, between identifying yourself with possessions (which currently exists) to being tittillated by the opportunity to do so. I guess to bring another thread into this thought, in China, with only public housing and a publicly assigned job, retail possessions were literally the only form of self-expression. Needless to say, people went to extraordinary lengths to appear a certain way and own certain items. As I begin to ramble, I just wonder how far the internet, our sense of self, and consumerism will continue to be intertwined in the future.

Because I am so behind, I not only have yet to comment of our last novel, Galapagos, but also never said anything about Alias Grace.

I realize that I have already said this to several of you in conversation, but I loved getting lost in time while reading Alias Grace. While the novel itself was set in the 1800s, the psychology and analysis was fairly modern. When I finally checked the publication date, I was shocked to see that it was written in 1996. Margaret Atwood's portrayal of the character was so perfectly placed in the period, yet completely complex. While slow and descriptive in parts, Atwood definitely inserted plenty of suspense and I didn't know how the novel would end until the very last page.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on November 9th. Send me suggestions of where we should meet. Hope everyone is well and coping with this abrupt shift to Portland Fall.