"The Evacuation still proceeds..." GR Part 1 Section 1

[jbor at bigpond.com]

On 30/10/2005 Paul Nightingale wrote:

> Why open the novel with a (somewhat noirish) dream sequence that, by
> definition, makes it (more) difficult for any reader who wants to work
> out straightaway what's going on?

Why not? The reference to "The Evacuation" tunes the reader in pretty 
quickly. And we find out that it's a character's dream in under two 
pages. It's only later on when other complexities of character and plot 
become apparent that these start to be factored into the opening, and 
its field of potential associations broadens considerably.

> Perhaps the dream, as a dream, if that indeed is what it is, is less
> important than the adoption here of dream discourse (ie the fact that,
> reading, we should expect 'meaning' to be elusive).

I think it's important that it's a dream, and that it's Pirate's dream 
(though, by virtue of Pirate's "talent", it could be anyone's -- even 
our -- dream as well.)

> In particular, the
> opening two-line paragraph highlights the way representation has been
> problematised from the off: whether the "screaming" be rocket or siren
> or whistle is surely less important than that "there is nothing to
> compare it to now".

Why is it less important? The "it" refers to the screaming, surely. 
What has caused it is certainly an identifiable category within what's 
happening.

best