The Winter Market
Encyclopedia
"The Winter Market" is a science fiction short story written by William Gibson
and published as part of his Burning Chrome short story collection. "The Winter Market" was commissioned by Vancouver Magazine
with the stipulation that it be set in the city. The market of the title was modelled on that of Granville Island
. As the author commented in a 2007 blog post: "Vancouver's Granville Island, centered around Granville Island Market (produce and food fair) is a very successful (and pleasant) retrofit of an under-bridge urban island that previously was heavily industrial. When the story was written, the retrofit was recent, and I dirtied it up for requisite punky near-future effect."
, in which one's consciousness
is separated from the body and "uploaded" into a supercomputer, where it continues to think and function on its own. Characters in the story are marked by a distinct failure to connect, while they express typical genre concerns regarding this type of theoretical mind transfer
; whether or not the online consciousness really is the same individual, and whether or not it was moral to allow this to happen. In this particular tale, Lise's original body is defective and failing, partially due to a congenital disease, and partially due to drug abuse
. Hence, the act of leaving behind the original physical form is potentially one of escape into an untainted existence. However, the story undercuts this simplistic reading by convincingly evoking Lise's humanity and her longing for a "normal" relationship to her body.
Critic David Seed saw the character of Rubin as a "thinly disguised" incarnation of performance artist Mark Pauline
of Survival Research Labs.
, the Nebula Award for Best Novelette
, the "short-form, English" Aurora award, and the British Science Fiction Association
award for best short story. It also finished highly in several science fiction magazines' annual readers polls in 1987, coming fourth in the Locus novelette category, third in the Interzone
fiction category, and joint second in the Science Fiction Chronicle novelette category.
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
and published as part of his Burning Chrome short story collection. "The Winter Market" was commissioned by Vancouver Magazine
Vancouver Magazine
Vancouver Magazine is an English-language lifestyle magazine focused on Vancouver, British Columbia and the Lower Mainland.Vancouver Magazine describes its mission as informing, guiding and entertaining residents of a "dynamic, international city."...
with the stipulation that it be set in the city. The market of the title was modelled on that of Granville Island
Granville Island
Granville Island is a peninsula and shopping district in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in False Creek directly across from Downtown Vancouver's peninsula, under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge....
. As the author commented in a 2007 blog post: "Vancouver's Granville Island, centered around Granville Island Market (produce and food fair) is a very successful (and pleasant) retrofit of an under-bridge urban island that previously was heavily industrial. When the story was written, the retrofit was recent, and I dirtied it up for requisite punky near-future effect."
Plot
The story primarily concerns human relationships and their tenuous and problematic qualities by deploying the concept of technological immortalityImmortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
, in which one's consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
is separated from the body and "uploaded" into a supercomputer, where it continues to think and function on its own. Characters in the story are marked by a distinct failure to connect, while they express typical genre concerns regarding this type of theoretical mind transfer
Mind transfer
Whole brain emulation or mind uploading is the hypothetical process of transferring or copying a conscious mind from a brain to a non-biological substrate by scanning and mapping a biological brain in detail and copying its state into a computer system or another computational device...
; whether or not the online consciousness really is the same individual, and whether or not it was moral to allow this to happen. In this particular tale, Lise's original body is defective and failing, partially due to a congenital disease, and partially due to drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
. Hence, the act of leaving behind the original physical form is potentially one of escape into an untainted existence. However, the story undercuts this simplistic reading by convincingly evoking Lise's humanity and her longing for a "normal" relationship to her body.
Analysis
Characteristic of Gibson's early writing, the story conveys an individual's (Lise) story mediated through the voice of another character. It also examines what constitutes "waste" within a consumer culture. According to the analysis of critic Pramod Nayar, the story "depicts the body as a vehicle for experiencing dreams edited into Hollywood thrillers".Critic David Seed saw the character of Rubin as a "thinly disguised" incarnation of performance artist Mark Pauline
Mark Pauline
Mark Pauline is an American performance artist and inventor, best known as founder and director of Survival Research Labs. He is a 1977 graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida....
of Survival Research Labs.
Reception
The story was critically well-received, garnering nominations for the Hugo Award for Best NoveletteHugo Award for Best Novelette
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
, the Nebula Award for Best Novelette
Nebula Award for Best Novelette
Winners of the Nebula Award for best Novelette. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year. Winning titles are listed first, with other nominees listed below.-External links:* * *...
, the "short-form, English" Aurora award, and the British Science Fiction Association
BSFA Awards
The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association to honor works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members...
award for best short story. It also finished highly in several science fiction magazines' annual readers polls in 1987, coming fourth in the Locus novelette category, third in the Interzone
Interzone (magazine)
Interzone is an award-winning British fantasy and science fiction magazine. Published since 1982, Interzone is the eighth longest-running science fiction magazine in history and the longest-running British SF magazine...
fiction category, and joint second in the Science Fiction Chronicle novelette category.
External links
- "The Winter Market" at the William Gibson Aleph