Highlights of posts

Alexis wrote: "James is unable to have single interaction with another human (and with most cars) without having sexual thoughts." That's true, but are his feelings genuinely sexual?


Doug's question: "My question brings us back to a class discussion where we addressed the difference between directors "hovering above your head and dropping their messages onto your nose" and solely implying, relying on the viewer to decipher his or her message. With these two options of delivering an ethos, I am curious to know what people think about these approaches. Does using the first method deter from the work itself? Is the latter method stronger?"


Jessica: this is a plot question:  "But will Ballard get what he wants, and have a sexual encounter with Vaughan? Does Vaughan have any interest in that?"


Jordan: invisible forces: "More interestingly though is the way in which Ballard describes this world of traffic as almost bound for certain destruction. The way in which our main character gazes at the flow, or lack thereof in certain instances, of the surrounding traffic paints a picture that is reminiscent of the world of Hot Wheels I once played with. I am continually brought back to the image of all the cars connected by string, invisible string, and when one moves the whole world is set into motion."


Kerry: "Catherine has been an intriguing character for me from the beginning; she was the one that really made me believe that they very well could be in some different made up world because her reactions to events were so outlandish and calm. However, she has been developing into a much more typical wifely character. She is accompanied in her new attitude by her secretary. Catherine's new reactions to James' decisions seem much more realistic now, but after seeing her in the beginning, she only seems to be much more complicated. James describes how his wife has become much more concerned with his sexual behavior despite the fact that she takes part in the same types of sexual experiences. " But this is all through James Ballard's mind. Is Ballard depicting his wife accurately?


Marcos: "Aside from that psychological aspect that leaves readers fearful hoping not to ever meet these characters in a collision, I enjoy Ballard’s use of the word “rainbow.” He uses this word to describe any visual transition of colors." In Ballard's carefully-crafted visual world, let's look at the role played by color.


Check out Maura's excellent post - good to read in full. She says, "The ideas of negative theology and apophasis in the Menippean Satire reading reminded me of the way morals and sexualities of the characters in Crash are portrayed by Ballard. So far in the novel, there have not been any outright declarations of what is considered right and wrong in the characters' minds or in the world in which they live. However, we can get a pretty clear but hard to articulate idea of the characters' moralities based on their actions and reactions to different events in the novel. For example, when James gets in his first car crash, he is never guilty, shocked, or repulsed by the fact that he had killed a man and was covered in his blood."


Michael's post is also worth a look: "Apophasis is “absence of belief.” (18) I found this notion to be fundamentally contradictory because, by definition, apophasis also suggests an unnamable belief.  An unnamable belief, while abstract and unspecific, is still a belief in something.  I like the term anarchistic here, because while an anarchist may be anti-establishment and anti-just-about-everything, an anarchist is firm in his or her opposition.  In other words, the stance of opposition alone, even in the absence of clear-cut goals in mind, is still a belief.  So can an apophatic believe in his or her apophasis?: I guess the answer must be YES."


Tyler's comment is similar: "The whole concept of apophasis is a bit contradictory in itself. It is nearly impossible to not believe in anything because that act of disbelieving is already believing in something. Like nihilism, the decision to not hold any morals and beliefs is holding the absence of belief above the possession of belief. On the other hand, though, writing in an apophasis matter is a transgressive approach."