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That is the second time this week that I have heard something about Derrida. Now I am going to have Tashmere Send a noteboard - 13/05/2010 12:02:56 AM
look it up and find out what you and the other person are talking about.

To me, one of the most interesting questions that Solaris posed was to what extent everything we think we know is filtered through our own prism of how we perceive reality. It isn't a particularly new or revolutionary concept, but what Lem did was to show extremely well how we tend to do that. It's one thing to recognize it in the abstract, it's another thing to see its direct consequences.


Yes! While I was reading it, I noted down two passages which struck me as central. The first is just after he has sent the shuttle off:

I felt I was justified in thinking that I had defeated the 'simulacra', and that behind the illusion, contrary to all expectation, I had found the real Rheya again -- the Rheya of my memories, whom the hypothesis of madness would have destroyed.

and

We think of ourselves as the Knights of the Holy Contact. This is another lie. We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors. We don't know what to do with other worlds. A single world, our own, suffices us; but we can't accept it for what it is. We are searching for an ideal image of our own world.

Both, for some reason, and bear with me, reminded me of Derrida's theory on friendship and death -- how all who we love are in a way already dead to us. It sounds depressing, but it isn't really. What he says is that what we love are not the completely other that is the other person -- that is inaccessible to us -- but our image of that person. The reason it becomes less depressing is that that bit never really dies. I digress. I am not sure why my brain connected these three things (they fit together -- usually that is a sign no one else knows what I am on about), but I thought I'd put it out there.

I was also struck quite powerfully by the idea of Solaris as an image of the author, and of Solarists as a particular breed of literary critics and theorists. It fits quite wonderfully.


I think that I should probably give the book a second chance. I wasn't sure what I thought about it at first although this discussion made me see more than I had originally seen.

I like the two quotes you brought out here. I think that I didn't quite get them on the first reading.

I wish I understood what you were saying in that last paragraph. My mind just isn't wrapping around it today but it looks like something I would be interested in if I could just get it. :(
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Sci-Fi Book Club: SOLARIS by Stanislaw Lem - 19/04/2010 05:50:45 PM 1821 Views
Roll-Call: Have you read it? Are you reading it? Like it: Yes/NO? *NM* - 19/04/2010 05:52:00 PM 621 Views
I read it back in January. - 19/04/2010 06:23:29 PM 1127 Views
I read it years ago, and liked it. *NM* - 19/04/2010 06:41:36 PM 596 Views
I just finished it. - 19/04/2010 06:54:49 PM 1071 Views
Well, to be fair, - 20/04/2010 08:12:17 PM 1025 Views
Heh. - 21/04/2010 08:31:51 AM 1252 Views
Re: Well, to be fair, - 12/05/2010 09:06:06 PM 992 Views
That was how I felt too. - 20/04/2010 11:39:15 PM 845 Views
I read it 3 years ago, and liked it. - 19/04/2010 06:58:37 PM 1310 Views
I read it, and liked it. - 19/04/2010 07:33:16 PM 1112 Views
I plan to - 19/04/2010 07:41:21 PM 1209 Views
I might re-read it in a few days - 19/04/2010 09:11:35 PM 1022 Views
I'm currently reading it - 20/04/2010 10:00:05 AM 1292 Views
That has always bothered me too. - 20/04/2010 08:20:56 PM 900 Views
Indeed - 11/05/2010 03:02:26 PM 958 Views
It was a while since I've read it - 22/04/2010 05:33:44 AM 928 Views
I have started reading it - 11/05/2010 11:10:53 AM 880 Views
Translation: - 19/04/2010 05:54:57 PM 1177 Views
I read it in Russian, which was very close to the original. - 19/04/2010 06:25:00 PM 1160 Views
I'm not sure now, I think I read it in Dutch. - 19/04/2010 06:43:30 PM 1080 Views
English translation by Joanna Kilmartin and Steve Cox (1970). - 19/04/2010 06:56:54 PM 1042 Views
Translation of a translation, actually. *NM* - 19/04/2010 07:22:18 PM 563 Views
Yes, I did read Jake's intro piece there. *NM* - 19/04/2010 07:23:44 PM 572 Views
I figured you were not accurate enough. - 19/04/2010 07:26:54 PM 1023 Views
Pffft. Accuracy is for nerds. - 19/04/2010 07:31:52 PM 1105 Views
That was the one I read. - 20/04/2010 01:43:01 AM 1236 Views
I read it in Czech - 19/04/2010 07:40:05 PM 1290 Views
I also read a Swedish translation. - 19/04/2010 07:41:31 PM 1397 Views
1970 translation from French to English by Joanna Kilmartin and Steve Cox - 20/04/2010 02:20:42 AM 1148 Views
I have a different opinion on this. - 20/04/2010 08:17:06 PM 1037 Views
I've read it in Polish - 22/04/2010 05:32:33 AM 877 Views
Re: So it's flat and boring? - 23/04/2010 09:50:38 PM 1007 Views
Re: Does anyone know why the Polish publishers haven't commissioned another translation? - 24/04/2010 10:04:38 AM 992 Views
Rights issues, I beieve - 24/04/2010 10:48:53 AM 1045 Views
So 'we' have read the novel in 6 different languages. - 27/04/2010 09:20:02 PM 892 Views
I read the English from French translation - 12/05/2010 09:10:42 PM 857 Views
This was my general experience as well. - 17/05/2010 06:53:58 PM 901 Views
I probably got more out of it than I first thought. - 20/04/2010 11:37:52 PM 849 Views
Re: I do that too! - 23/04/2010 09:51:39 PM 879 Views
It is certainly a book that makes you think... - 26/04/2010 09:46:31 PM 906 Views
Literature vs. Genre Fiction - 21/04/2010 02:33:21 PM 1089 Views
Re: Literature vs. Genre Fiction - 21/04/2010 08:44:24 PM 1036 Views
Re: Literature vs. Genre Fiction - 12/05/2010 09:19:31 PM 916 Views
Re: - 21/04/2010 09:09:02 PM 974 Views
How do you know Solaris was an advanced intelligence? - 22/04/2010 01:20:35 AM 899 Views
Fair enough. - 22/04/2010 09:04:58 PM 965 Views
But I think that is Lem's point. - 23/04/2010 03:20:18 AM 972 Views
Good point Tom. - 23/04/2010 03:14:23 AM 872 Views
It's definitely literature - 22/04/2010 01:19:34 AM 840 Views
You might be winning me over to your thoughts here. - 26/04/2010 09:42:33 PM 825 Views
As long as you realize... - 26/04/2010 10:26:00 PM 873 Views
This is why I sort of float around on this issue. - 27/04/2010 05:49:39 PM 911 Views
Re: This is why I sort of float around on this issue. - 13/05/2010 10:15:38 AM 946 Views
Very well put. - 17/05/2010 06:51:27 PM 853 Views
Re: Very well put. - 17/05/2010 06:53:13 PM 957 Views
This book is definitely literature. - 23/04/2010 02:59:48 AM 975 Views
Re: This discussion gives me hives. *NM* - 23/04/2010 09:52:09 PM 527 Views
Understandable. - 26/04/2010 07:31:08 PM 841 Views
Hmmm - 12/05/2010 09:18:42 PM 943 Views
What didn't you enjoy? - 21/04/2010 09:47:06 PM 837 Views
I didn't like the excessive description of the types of clouds on Solaris. - 22/04/2010 01:17:22 AM 819 Views
This was what I disliked too - 22/04/2010 05:46:05 AM 1033 Views
Re: I didn't like the excessive description of the types of clouds on Solaris. - 23/04/2010 03:33:14 AM 906 Views
Re: I found it made this stark contrast with his descriptions of his own, more human environment. - 24/04/2010 09:56:40 AM 1094 Views
That is an interesting take. - 27/04/2010 05:53:23 PM 945 Views
I didn't really find anything difficult about it. - 23/04/2010 03:38:48 AM 919 Views
The only thing that bothered me... - 03/05/2010 07:06:42 PM 1072 Views
So, is there really anything to discuss about the story itself? - 22/04/2010 08:55:03 AM 1020 Views
Apparently not. - 22/04/2010 01:38:24 PM 1063 Views
True - 22/04/2010 09:29:53 PM 897 Views
Point of fact, - 23/04/2010 02:53:47 PM 941 Views
Perhaps it's time for a self-reevaluation then - 24/04/2010 10:45:44 AM 1270 Views
Thank you for telling me how I should prioritize my life, Larry. - 26/04/2010 04:54:01 PM 1075 Views
At least I am not as quick to repeat the same excuses - 26/04/2010 05:13:08 PM 1229 Views
I was originally gonna reply to your previous post, then decided not to. Guess I will now. - 26/04/2010 05:42:15 PM 1060 Views
Thank you. - 26/04/2010 07:41:17 PM 1029 Views
One point... - 26/04/2010 07:34:02 PM 911 Views
Posting while irritated and about to crash does little good, it seems - 27/04/2010 06:20:19 PM 985 Views
The delay to the review is my fault. I've got a mostly finished one. I'm just not happy with it. - 27/04/2010 07:19:35 PM 969 Views
It wasn't the review I was irritated about, but thanks for doing it - 27/04/2010 07:39:08 PM 855 Views
Ah. OK. - 27/04/2010 07:47:09 PM 1018 Views
Thanks - 27/04/2010 07:58:54 PM 910 Views
I'm a bit ambivalent on the merits of this approach of yours. - 26/04/2010 05:32:19 PM 860 Views
You highlight my only frustration with the thread. - 26/04/2010 05:48:01 PM 1182 Views
Re: So what do you think about any of those things? - 23/04/2010 08:30:55 PM 883 Views
A question about Lem. - 23/04/2010 03:49:57 AM 953 Views
I've only read one other book by him, The Cyberiad - 23/04/2010 04:03:19 AM 1016 Views
Re: A question about Lem. - 23/04/2010 07:26:18 PM 999 Views
Thanks. - 24/04/2010 06:42:05 AM 1025 Views
Yes - 24/04/2010 02:43:17 PM 975 Views
My main thoughts on Solaris by Stanislaw Lem - 23/04/2010 02:50:10 AM 1240 Views
Re: About that "worst" thoughts issue. - 23/04/2010 09:49:04 PM 1153 Views
Re: About that "worst" thoughts issue. - 12/05/2010 09:35:48 PM 1037 Views
I came away with the same message you did on the first point. - 25/04/2010 04:46:09 PM 878 Views
Re: My main thoughts on Solaris by Stanislaw Lem - 12/05/2010 09:31:32 PM 1044 Views
Re: So I have no team spirit and should be lynched. - 23/04/2010 09:41:48 PM 875 Views
I finally watched Avatar for the first time tonight. - 25/04/2010 04:27:34 AM 881 Views
Solaris was, I hope, better than Avatar. - 25/04/2010 04:54:12 AM 842 Views
Misplaced answer . *NM* - 25/04/2010 04:40:27 PM 440 Views
On identity and communication: do we love only ourselves? - 25/04/2010 03:35:34 PM 927 Views
The argument: (From the text and some thoughts) - 27/04/2010 06:22:34 PM 859 Views
Yes - 12/05/2010 10:10:30 PM 1003 Views
That is a great idea... - 17/05/2010 06:58:48 PM 954 Views
Re: That is a great idea... - 17/05/2010 07:02:44 PM 961 Views
That settles it. I am going to have to reread it. - 13/05/2010 12:23:14 AM 895 Views
It is interesting you should say that. - 12/05/2010 09:56:26 PM 1133 Views
That is the second time this week that I have heard something about Derrida. Now I am going to have - 13/05/2010 12:02:56 AM 996 Views
Derrida is great. - 13/05/2010 10:06:49 AM 1005 Views
Is Solaris alive? Is Solaris sentient? - 25/04/2010 03:40:57 PM 887 Views
I can't decide. - 25/04/2010 03:54:39 PM 1042 Views
An interesting point to consider... - 25/04/2010 10:41:17 PM 1043 Views
Re: I can't decide. - 12/05/2010 10:05:21 PM 849 Views
Re: Is Solaris alive? Is Solaris sentient? - 25/04/2010 10:31:58 PM 998 Views
Ooohhhh. I like that theory. - 25/04/2010 11:32:15 PM 1014 Views
Does it make a difference? - 26/04/2010 07:29:44 PM 854 Views
Re: Is Solaris alive? Is Solaris sentient? - 12/05/2010 09:57:05 PM 994 Views
What do you think the biggest message of the book is? - 25/04/2010 03:47:03 PM 958 Views
Re: Does he let go of her? How independant is she of him? - 25/04/2010 04:07:33 PM 991 Views
That's an interesting observation. - 26/04/2010 10:23:28 PM 870 Views
Re: I was telling Tashmere... - 11/05/2010 11:05:09 AM 1009 Views
Re: What do you think the biggest message of the book is? - 25/04/2010 10:16:16 PM 943 Views
Communication with the entirely other - 12/05/2010 10:01:37 PM 970 Views
Did anyone else do any wondering what their own visitors would take the form of if they were there? - 26/04/2010 11:31:27 PM 874 Views
Actually, no. It was obvious to me. *NM* - 26/04/2010 11:41:22 PM 428 Views
In a way yes. - 27/04/2010 06:33:43 PM 953 Views
My father, perhaps. - 27/04/2010 08:55:18 PM 879 Views
Ha. - 27/04/2010 09:16:56 PM 896 Views

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