The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye
Encyclopedia
The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye is a 1996
collection of seven short stories
by Jonathan Lethem
. In 2002 a collection of the same name appeared in the UK
that also contained seven stories, but two stories from the earlier collection—"Vanilla Dunk" and "Forever, Said the Duck"—were replaced by "Access Fantasy" and "How We Got Into Town And Out Again". All of the stories, as with much of Lethem's early work, have definite science fiction
elements despite their widely varying content and some thinly veiled commentary on modern society.
The collection won a World Fantasy Award
in 1997.
"The Happy Man" posits a man who, due to having been raised from the dead by a government agency, must spend a portion of his conscious existence in Hell. During his periods of torment, his body remains on Earth, performing its daily routine but experiencing and remembering nothing. The story explores the consequences to the protagonist's family life, especially his relationship with his son, who attempts to model his father's experience of Hell as interactive fiction
on a computer.
"Forever, said the Duck" is perhaps the most esoteric of the stories. Though not explicitly stated as such the many characters in the story appear to be computer program avatar
s of different aspects of the personalities of two lovers who have decided to purge their single past before embarking on a life together. The characters mingle and mix, literally, at a cocktail party and the aspects of the two lovers are revealed through both the shape and language of the avatars.
"The Hardened Criminals" uses a more gothic feel than any of the other stories and relies on the premise that criminals sentenced to life are literally hardened and used as bricks to construct the prison in which other criminals are incarcerated. The son of one of these criminals is sentenced and ends up being assigned the cell in which his father's face continually stares at him from the wall, much to his horror. This story anticipates some situations in Lethem's later novel The Fortress of Solitude
"Light and the Sufferrer" concerns a New York drug-dealer (the titular Light) who attracts the attention of an enigmatic, invulnerable alien being who seems to feed off the energies of human suffering. This story was adapted into a direct-to-video film in 2004, featuring Paul Dano
and Eugene Byrd
.
and universal gridlock
in an unnamed US city. To deal with this, those forced to dwell in their cars have their own virtual reality
"Apartments on Tape" to diminish their ordeal, although social security
helicopters and food and drink
vendors are available to provide some solace. However, vehicular dwelling isn't forever, as some fortunate 'car people' can earn revenue as living advertisements to those who are fortunate enough to dwell in apartments, who live on the other side of a "One Way Permeable Barrier." With Margaret, a fellow living advertisement, the unnamed narrator is initially assigned to an
"undermall," but illegally travels to an apartment, where he is apprehended, but not Margaret.
In "How We Got into Town and Out Again," Gloria and Lewis are virtual reality
vendors in a bleak future where the United States may have disintegrated into balkanised jurisdictions, protected by civilian militia
, as in the small town that the pair visit during this short story. They run virtual reality competitions (or "scapes"), which provide opportunities for their smalltown challengers to compete in structured media environments similar to today's PC gaming. For some reason, casual sex
is unknown in this world. However, the virtual reality craze wears off, and Gloria, Lewis, and their virtual reality rig travel onward, possibly to San Francisco. The story is a vitriolic satire of cyberpunk
fiction.
1996 in literature
The year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
collection of seven short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels...
. In 2002 a collection of the same name appeared in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that also contained seven stories, but two stories from the earlier collection—"Vanilla Dunk" and "Forever, Said the Duck"—were replaced by "Access Fantasy" and "How We Got Into Town And Out Again". All of the stories, as with much of Lethem's early work, have definite science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
elements despite their widely varying content and some thinly veiled commentary on modern society.
The collection won a World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
in 1997.
US Table Of Contents
- "The Happy Man"
- "Vanilla Dunk"
- "Light and the Sufferer"
- "Forever, Said the Duck"
- "Five Fucks"
- "The Hardened Criminals"
- "Sleepy People"
UK Table Of Contents
- "The Happy Man"
- "Access Fantasy"
- "Light and the Sufferer"
- "How We Got Into Town And Out Again"
- "Five Fucks"
- "Hardened Criminals"
- "Sleepy People"
About the stories
"Vanilla Dunk" posits a future in which professional basketball players no longer rely on their own skills but instead wear exo-suits which duplicate the skills of historical greats. The assignment of these skills is based on a draft lottery and much of the story centers around the resentment of some players when an obnoxious and ungrateful white player receives by assignment the "Jordan skills". The player finishes only one season before retiring for endorsements and forcing the "Jordan skills" into dis-use for another 15 years."The Happy Man" posits a man who, due to having been raised from the dead by a government agency, must spend a portion of his conscious existence in Hell. During his periods of torment, his body remains on Earth, performing its daily routine but experiencing and remembering nothing. The story explores the consequences to the protagonist's family life, especially his relationship with his son, who attempts to model his father's experience of Hell as interactive fiction
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
on a computer.
"Forever, said the Duck" is perhaps the most esoteric of the stories. Though not explicitly stated as such the many characters in the story appear to be computer program avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
s of different aspects of the personalities of two lovers who have decided to purge their single past before embarking on a life together. The characters mingle and mix, literally, at a cocktail party and the aspects of the two lovers are revealed through both the shape and language of the avatars.
"The Hardened Criminals" uses a more gothic feel than any of the other stories and relies on the premise that criminals sentenced to life are literally hardened and used as bricks to construct the prison in which other criminals are incarcerated. The son of one of these criminals is sentenced and ends up being assigned the cell in which his father's face continually stares at him from the wall, much to his horror. This story anticipates some situations in Lethem's later novel The Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude (novel)
The Fortress of Solitude is a 2003 semi-autobiographical novel by Jonathan Lethem set in Brooklyn and spanning the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. It follows two teenage friends, Dylan Ebdus and Mingus Rude, one white and one black, who discover a magic ring...
"Light and the Sufferrer" concerns a New York drug-dealer (the titular Light) who attracts the attention of an enigmatic, invulnerable alien being who seems to feed off the energies of human suffering. This story was adapted into a direct-to-video film in 2004, featuring Paul Dano
Paul Dano
Paul Franklin Dano is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in films such as L.I.E. , The Girl Next Door , Little Miss Sunshine , There Will Be Blood , and Where the Wild Things Are .-Early life:Dano was born in New York City, the son of Gladys and Paul Dano...
and Eugene Byrd
Eugene Byrd
Eugene Byrd is an American actor.-Career:He has been in movies including Dead Man, Sleepers, 8 Mile, Lift and Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, and has the leading role in Confess, for which he won the Break-Out Performance Award at the 2006 Method Fest Independent Film Festival...
.
UK Edition Replacement Stories
"Access Fantasy": In this near-future world, there is widespread homelessnessHomelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
and universal gridlock
Gridlock
The term gridlock is defined as "A state of severe road congestion arising when continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill; a traffic jam of this kind." The term originates from a situation possible in...
in an unnamed US city. To deal with this, those forced to dwell in their cars have their own virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
"Apartments on Tape" to diminish their ordeal, although social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
helicopters and food and drink
Food and Drink
Food and Drink was a long-running British television series on BBC Two between 1982 and 2001. It was the first national television programme in the UK to cover the subject of food and drink without cookery and recipe demonstrations....
vendors are available to provide some solace. However, vehicular dwelling isn't forever, as some fortunate 'car people' can earn revenue as living advertisements to those who are fortunate enough to dwell in apartments, who live on the other side of a "One Way Permeable Barrier." With Margaret, a fellow living advertisement, the unnamed narrator is initially assigned to an
"undermall," but illegally travels to an apartment, where he is apprehended, but not Margaret.
In "How We Got into Town and Out Again," Gloria and Lewis are virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
vendors in a bleak future where the United States may have disintegrated into balkanised jurisdictions, protected by civilian militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, as in the small town that the pair visit during this short story. They run virtual reality competitions (or "scapes"), which provide opportunities for their smalltown challengers to compete in structured media environments similar to today's PC gaming. For some reason, casual sex
Casual sex
Casual sex or hooking up refers to certain types of human sexual activity outside the context of a romantic relationship. The term is not always used consistently: some use it to refer to any extramarital sex, some use it to refer to sex in a casual relationship, whereas others reserve its use for...
is unknown in this world. However, the virtual reality craze wears off, and Gloria, Lewis, and their virtual reality rig travel onward, possibly to San Francisco. The story is a vitriolic satire of cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
fiction.
UK Edition
- Jonathan Lethem: The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye: London: Faber and Faber: 2005, c1996: ISBN 0571225802