The Synopsis Treasury
Page 8
P. 234, the man’s name was Gandhi; “Mahatma” is an honorific. I’m sure you know this, but Flattery does not seem to. How come?
I have skipped some notes I made about parts of the novel I especially admired, such as Bickel’s going-to-sleep scene with its insight into his thinking processes, and the fine following scene when the others take up his interrupted train of thought like one collective mind—or Flattery’s revelation on p. 222—but really the whole thing is a remarkably muscular and effective piece of work, and I think with these relatively minor revisions it can be a blockbuster.
Cordially,
Damon
cc. to Thomas A. Dardis
Lurton Blassingame
1/9/65
Dear Damon:
Your excellent letter and the ms of Hearts arrived yesterday—god bless us all and the United States mails. As nearly as I could determine from the mutilated wrapping it was mailed in New York Dec. 17. part of the delay may have been caused by the fact it was addressed to my pre-August ‘64 San Francisco address, but let’s give the PO Dept. our Z for zzzzzzzzzzzzzz award anyway.
I suspect I’m making a similar mistake addressing this letter to The Anchorage. Somewhere in all this mess called a desk is (I do believe) a Kentucky address for you. Ah, well—forward, ever forward.
Your comments and notes are much appreciated.
You’ll have to wait for the revised ms to see what I’m doing about most of this story’s needs, but I can include a couple of points here:
It was spelled hybernation deliberately on the convention that a new process deserves a new name—which may echo the term for a similar process. This thing’ll be only remotely like the animal process if we ever achieve it. For one thing, it seems pretty obvious now that all the human body’s water must be replaced before application of any deep freeze—otherwise you get massive and very deadly cell damage. Point two (and this was really the first reason with me; I rationalized everything else to suit): I looked at “dehibe” and I looked and I looked. That there’s an ugly word, friend. It looks ugly. I don’t find the same objection to “dehyb.” You may twist my arm and make me go back to hibernation, but dehibe, never! Death before dishonor!
1/4 grav = 1/4 earth gravity, yes. I did envision UMB having gravity generators. The specialized medical literature already makes it pretty plain (although there appears to be something of a security lid) that prolonged weightlessness is involved in malfunction of the inner ear mechanism. Glenn isn’t the only one with these troubles, you know.
Some gravity is going to be required for prolonged space duty unless some new attack—possibly chemotherapy—is found. My guess is they’ll use gravity.
Do I imply only humans have consciousness?
In a way, yeah. The problem’s in the definition, of course. I’m saying there’s a range of consciousness the way a grey scale has a range of tones. You might argue that an earthworm has a degree of consciousness in a way the surface of Pluto has some degree of heat. But if you’re on Pluto, your concern is with the cold. And if you’re plagued with an invasion of earthworms, you’re not going to act as though they’re conscious and susceptible to your reasonable arguments that they cease and desist.
What I’m saying is that consciousness as experienced by humans is far beyond anything experienced by the lower animals. And I make the categorical denial that it’s self awareness. (That G#%$¢&*$!#$#!D word!) Consciousness is a phenomenon beyond being awake, alert and aware. We all know creatures—human and animal—that’re awake and aware without being conscious. The man in a rage and dominated by unconscious content is a good example, but it’s not enough to say consciousness is the opposite of unconsciousness.
We can make a stab at understanding extreme unconsciousness and may even equate it with death, but we grasp extreme consciousness much more dimly. What we usually do is fall back on mysticism.
Now, this brings us to a fascinating point.
I’ve observed three common reactions to attempts at discussing (or even silently considering) hyperconsciousness—
1) The mysticism noted above. (God is All!)
2) Unconsciousness. (I’ve seen people actually “turn off” while laboring with problems of hyperconsciousness; or they refuse to understand quite simple statements—as though they hadn’t heard these statements. It’s as though a selective filter were in operation.)
3) They move toward hyperconsciousness. (In some people simply confronting the idea of hyperconsciousness sharpens their mental alertness to a remarkable degree.)
You may have noted I don’t like the word “awareness” applied to consciousness. It clouds the issue, fogs up the definition. It may be necessary to be awake and aware before being conscious, but awake and aware are conditions and not descriptive of the end process.
And so to work.
Warmest regards,
Frank
January 12, 1965
Dear Frank,
Good to hear from you, & I’m glad to know the ms. got there at least, even if late and bunged up. I guess I had better use 1st class for any future cross-country ms. mailings; I thought special-handling material got good treatment, but this does not sound like it.
I’m looking forward to the revised ms., & to the completion of Greensleeves, and I’m following the Duneworld sequel eagerly in Analog. It seems to me you are doing solid work in more different areas than anyone in this field. Do you ever get East? It would be great if you could make the s.f. conference here next June—our 10th.
About “hibe” vs. “hyb” (yes, “dehibe” is ugly), have you thought that a really new term might be indicated rather than a minor spelling change in the old one? If you want to avoid the contamination of the old term you have to get away from it completely, & this is what usually happens in scientific terminology.
I think this question of consciousness (& hyper-consciousness) is fascinating, too, an exasperatingly slippery subject. We tend to think highly organized mental activity must be conscious, but this is evidently not true. Katie & I are very much interested—she is currently reading The Origins and History of Consciousness, & swearing a blue streak—& would appreciate any reading suggestions you could give.
Best,
Damon
February 23, 1965
Dear Frank,
I like the rewrite very much and am passing it along to Dardis.* It’s a meaty novel and I think it will attract some attention.
There are two points that still seem to me to need some elucidation. One of them is Prue’s experimenting with her own body chemistry: the first four or five references to this have been deleted, but the final one is still in, and she winds up dying from that cause until rescued. It seems to me that this should be either in or out—if in, the earlier references might as well be restored, and if out, there should be something else wrong with Prue. I really would prefer to keep it in if possible—I like it—but don’t see yet how it is to be justified. Can you send me some substitute pages, either explaining what Prue was up to, or else deleting the remaining references to adrenalin/serotonin and giving some other explanation of her collapse?
The second point is quite minor, and didn’t even occur to me on the first couple of readings: how did that sensor get cut out and the cavity filled with foam? The only possible explanation seems to be that the AAT-Ox-computer did it itself; but what for?
Nearby paperback bookstore is out of books on Zen, but we have ordered a couple—Watts and Suzuki. Jim Blish’s wife Judy is responsible for the following: Q.: What is the sound of one sen? A.: Two samisens.
Best,
Damon
*No, come to think of it, I’ll hang onto the manuscript till I hear from you, so I can stet those Prue references if that’s what you decide to do.
D/
2/25/65
Dear Damon,
Re the Prue body chemistry—
I inserted lines and references (page 172-A, bottom pgh; page 172-B, 2nd line, and kill on page 179) to
put the whole chemical problem back onto the de-hyb withdrawal. (She was fed anti-S to keep her ready for crew function. She had a choice on being awakened: continue the injections and accept dulled faculties, or cut them cold turkey.) Some reference of this sort should be carried to silence the readers who’ll say: “But he’s completely ignored the biochemical element!”
As to the sensor—that was part of the programmed-emergency system … or “runaway consciousness” similar to the poltergeist-like destruction which demolished the first earth-bound experiment. The first draft had Flattery speculating on which it might be, but I deleted that because I wanted a deliberate aura of uncertainty (Lady or the Tiger syndrome) around any reflections about the story. The reader should ask himself: “Was it one of those things (above) or … something else?” If I tie this off, that puts the story in the class of those yarns which wind up with Jenny marrying Alfred and Louise marrying Bill and everybody living happily ever after. You’ll forget that story the minute you’ve put it down. But you can see by the nature of this story’s ending, we don’t have that type of yarn at all. What we have is the set up for the next turn of events—which I’m already plotting, and expect to call “The God of The Ship.”
Question: How do you escape from the domination of an omnipotent, omnipresent being? I believe I’ve figured out a way.
The closest I came to a description of the sacred graphic was on page 226. The idea was based on the legend of the bodhisattva who devised an aid to the dhyana (mental exercises), said aid being a design he drew in the dust. The design (some versions say it resembled the face of Buddha) immediately transported this character into a state of hypnotic ecstasy.
I didn’t try to draw or sketch such a thing (maybe I’m a coward) but I did visualize it as something on the order of a mandala figure with several faces concealed in the patterns of its quadrant sections.
Books—
Jeffrey Swann’s Toehold on Zen is a good one. The one I mentioned on the phone is Sohaku Ogata’s Zen for the West (Dial Press). There’s also The Existence of Mind by John Beloff (Citadel).
But remember, please—while these books fall into the mystic category, they should be read primarily with the idea that the authors (when they turn mystic) are laboring to describe something for which there is no common ground of experience rooted in sufficient history and usage for them to be fully intelligible. I’m convinced they are talking about consciousness in the extended-spectrum sense.
The enlightened person sees what underlies all things, including himself, but he is always something other than what he sees.
As it says in the Zen text, “Inscribed On the Believing Mind”—
“The enlightened have no likes or dislikes. If you wish to follow the path of the One Vehicle have no prejudice against the six senses.”
That’s all from the Mysterious West today.
Warmest regards,
Frank
PS: I’m saving a truly horrible pun for Judy Blish. Also an old Gypsy curse which begins … well, it’s so powerful perhaps I’d better not even start it.
Many Brave Hearts
addenda for correction:
Page 46, line 20 XXXXX make it Timberlake, not Flattery. XXXXX
Page 68 reads into page 70, killing 69.
Page 124, line 4 XXX substitute Bickel for him. XXXX
Page 162-A, line 4—delete XXXX slammed and dogged it, XXXXX line 6—add XXX repeaters. Tim and Flattery were right behind. XXXXX
Page 172-A, line 31 XXXXX The chemical experiments on her body were giving her an acute XXXX
Page 107—insert a period after system and make it a cap T in That XXXXX
Page 179—restore Flattery’s thoughts about Prue.
Page 200—restore Prue’s computer check and thoughts.
**Page 225/pgh 5, beginning at line 18 XXXXX The whole form of their problem XXXXX and ending in line 26 XXXXX in limitless dimensional extensions. XXXXX This pgh should be moved to page 254 as an insert following line 25 there XXXXX Symbols! XXXXX AT end of insert/pickup line 26, page 254 XXXXX Bickel saw the vitality XXXXX
**This should restore all of Prue’s self-test sections.
FH
March 1, 1965
Dear Frank,
Thanks for the Zen list, which I will keep to back up the two books we already have on order.
That makes sense about the sensor, & I will leave it as is. About Prue, though, I think there is still a problem. On p. 240, Flattery examines her and thinks, “Did she think she was fooling me? She went off the A-S and was experimenting on her own body. Medical stores showed a gradual depletion of serotonin and adrenalin fractions.” This seems to refer explicitly to the idea I originally queried; earlier references to it have been dropped, but this one is still in. Can we straighten this out one way or the other? If Prue has really been experimenting with her own body chemistry, I think we ought to have some hint of how she is reading out the results and what specifically she has learned or hoped to learn. If not, some other explanation of her collapse is needed, and it seems to me that Anti-S withdrawal is a dubious explanation. (Would it make sense to go off Anti-S and risk collapse and death, rather than stay on it with the penalty of slightly dulled faculties?) Either I am missing something, or there is a flaw in the logic of the story here. I would hate to see this novel, which is otherwise so good and so tight, get into print with such a hole in it. Please plug it up, or explain why it is not there.
I was interested in the sacred graphic as possible cover material, & if you don’t mind will add a note to the artist when I pass this along.
Best,
Damon
3/9/65
Dear Damon,
Many thanks, chum, for making me take another look at that chemical interplay thing. It has to be; it’s an integral part of the whole concept. These additions and fixes should bring the thing into focus. See what you think.
How’s Katie doing with Zen? Does she know Edwin Arnold’s Light of Asia? Quote: Enter the path! There is no grief like Hate! No pains like passion, no deceit like sense. Unquote.
Hope the delay on all this didn’t inconvenience you. I’ve been up to my arse in a glossary and series of appendices for Chilton to use with its publication of Dune.
Warmest regards,
Frank
From the Damon Knight Correspondence collection, Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries at Syracuse University.
***
Ben Bova
(photo by Beth Gwinn)
The author of more than 120 futuristic novels and nonfiction books, Dr. Ben Bova has been involved in science and high technology since the very beginnings of the space age. President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past president of Science Fiction Writers of America, Dr. Bova received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation in 2005, “for fueling mankind’s imagination regarding the wonders of outer space.”
In his various writings, Dr. Bova has predicted the Space Race of the 1960s, solar power satellites, the discovery of organic chemicals in interstellar space, virtual reality, human cloning, the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars), the discovery of life on Mars, the advent of international peacekeeping forces, the discovery of ice on the Moon, electronic book publishing and zero-gravity sex.
Dr. Bova has taught science fiction at Harvard University and at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, where he has also directed film courses. He received his doctorate in education in 1996 from California Coast University, a master of arts degree in communications from the State University of New York at Albany (1987) and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Temple University (1954).
He has worked with film makers and television producers such as Woody Allen, George Lucas, and Gene Roddenberry.
He was editorial director of Omni magazine and, earlier, editor of Analog magazine. He received the Science Fiction Achievement Award (the “Hugo”) for Best Professional Editor six times. H
is 1994 short story, “Inspiration,” was nominated for the SFWA’s Nebula award. In 2001 Dr. Bova was elected a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS). He received the 1996 Isaac Asimov Memorial Award; was the 1974 recipient of the E.E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction; the 1983 Balrog Award winner for Professional Achievement; the 1985 Inkpot Award recipient for his outstanding achievements in science fiction. In 2000, he was Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention, Chicon2000.
The novel Mars began with my desire to write a completely realistic story about the first men and women to explore the Red Planet. For years I had worked with scientists, engineers, astronauts and other technical specialists: I knew the kinds of people who would go on that first expedition, and knew the politics that would determine who would be selected for the mission.