A humorous postmodern read

The Rain Barrel, by George Bowering, Talonbooks, 272 pp., paper. ISTEN: “YOU wanta story, watch television ... we don’t do stories here.”

Heed the words of one of George Bowering’s characters in The Rain Barrel if you want to venture into this book — Open it, and you enter post-modern land, where, like a harried white rabbit, text leads you down a circuitous route to nowhere — or at least not to where you expected to be. (Thought: was Lewis Carroll the original postmodernist?)

Just as people say about John Cage, “That's not music!” the reader of the postmodern cries “that’s not fiction!” Gotcha.

In this collection, Bowering is out to undermine your silly little Assumptions about tidy plots and well-rounded characters. Forget that fancy word “dénouement” you learned in high school; his narrators admit they clon’t exactly

T’S RA!

zy

Barbara Black BOOK REVIEW

know what they’re doing, and they‘re candid about not wanting to tell you certain details: “Youll understand if | dont tell you all the feelings and thoughts that were going through me around then,” says the narrator of “The French East India Company.”

If it weren't for Bowering’s coy sense of humor, this constant sub- version might have had me slap- ping the book shut. Sometimes, he relents and takes pity on the reader.

At the end of “Being Audited,” a comment is inserted: “The read-

NG

IT’S POUR

Rain Insurance, means if your Sale is rained out we will rerun your ad at half the price with date changes only within one week.

Book a Garage Sale classified ad with the News teday. Each ad reaches over 155,500 potential buyers!

Call Classifieds ° 986-6222

‘+ THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER aroma - peru emia

aed

af mi

*“WEONESDAY + FRIDAY

er will wonder whether there might not have been a niore satis- fying ending to this story.” The narrator then provides a pre- dictable ending which indulges his own fantasy of being recog- nized as a “serious writer.” But it’s too late. Having read the narra- tor's preceeding narcissistic mut- terings, we know it’s a phony con- clusion.

In “Staircase Descended,” nar- rator navel-gazing is atits height. The... well, forget the word “plan... the central problem is how the narrator will pet out of bed, and beyond that (supporting, probleny why he appears to be invisible to the peaple in the kitchen, Fortunately, the text is rife with sarcasm, giving a sort of vaudeville twist ta the otherwise Samuel Beckett-fike monologue:

“(fl go on with this | might have some difficulty with descrip- tion. | might not do it. You will not find me throwing around adjectives, in any case. [ hate the god-danined slithery unnecessary

corruptive willful Anglo-Saxon self-satisfied secondary stylish things. Ha, justa fittle joke there.”

You can’t heat that for the best derisive definition of adjectives, which, by the way, the author himself shuns in favor of naked simplicity. (But don’t be fooled by simplicity, either.)

Of the stories in the collection, “Staircase Descended” is the most overt about language, The narra- tor continually revises his words as he goes, trying to avoid “vulpar ambiguity” while at the same time banishing any hopes for “a well- rehearsed narrative.” The result is acertain corruptible immediacy, which surprisingly does not reduce our belief in the narrator, hut actually increases it, No mat ter what he says about being invisible, our own iniagination easily supplies-him with material.

Sure, there is an underlying symbolism in the stories, but Bowering will no doubt snicker to hear any critic ascribe too much importance to it

Dear Mr Edit: ve tried editing my videos at home but keep getting a

A "ylitch” in between the pictures Em

trying to put together. Why is this?

q Answer: Professional video editing @ machines have a function called “pre-

an

FILM:TO-VIDEO:

@ - it} yourself

“PRODUCTIONS=.

“VIDEO:

roll" that ensures both machines are moving when the pictures are transferred from one to the other. Chances are on your home machines, you're holding the machine you're recording to in the “pause” mode.

O3QIA

TaN:

NOLLYO

SI

When you release this machine from FP

pause to record the new images, it

takes a fraction of a second to

accelvrate to its proper running speed. a

Thus the video image is unstable for this period. Hence the “glitch”.

Mr. Edit rents a professional editing &

suite ata very reasonable rate for “do Your edit points will

be smooth and elvan.

Remember, call Mr. Edit with your video questions!

VIDEO SERVICES 988-5616

A REAL TASTE SENSATION!

Crispy fillets of tender, juicy all-white chicken breasts are specially seasoned and cooked to

perfection. Served hoc with Arby's curly fries

and your choice of dipping sauces.

-——“e8e ee ee

The Ultimate Summer Combo

4 Arby’s Chicken Fingers, 4 oz. of Arby’s Curly Fries and a 32 0z Pepsi

for onty $ fey O8 e +fax

Expiry - Sept. 11/94

Arhijs em) PARK ROYAL MALL (ood courty “>