Giles Goat-Boy
John Barth
1966
Around 750 pages
Naturally as an avid Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, the first thing that came to my mind was a Mr. Rupert Giles, librarian/watcher/sex god. Obviously, his name should not be taken in vain, and certainly not used for a Goat-Boy's name. For shame.
George Giles was raised by goats, and thinks he is a goat. The entire world of our Goat-Boy is very strange, as the universe is portrayed as a giant campus, and the plot follows Giles' quest to become a Grand Tutor. There's also a random play within the story which is a kind of parody of Oedipus Rex.
This novel was written for university students, so they can map out all the allegories and supplement the reading with articles about the Cold War. I'm just glad I didn't have to go through all that. I actually really liked our previous John Barth, so this was pretty disappointing. Oh well, he's not the first author I've enjoyed who I've lost to postmodernism.
I never find parody particularly funny, and it doesn't make the racism or sexism any easier to swallow. Way too long as well. Skip.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
On The New York Times bestseller list in 1966 for 12 weeks, but was coldly received in England.
UP NEXT: The Vice-Consul by Marguerite Duras
1 comment:
I will take your advice and skip. Thank you!
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