Effabling the Ineffable in 2001: A Space Odyssey

Posted by Kevin Donovan on May 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

The most memorable moments of the film version of 2001: A Space Odyssey are the opening, with the rendition of Strauss’ “Thus Spake Zarathustra” and the monkeys wielding lethal porcine femurs, followed by the exchanges between the self-aware robot HAL 9000 and the crew of the spaceship Discovery.  What makes these moments so familiar is the … Continue reading →

Filed under 1960s Literature, 2001: A Space Odyssey · Tagged with , , , ,

The Mediocre Prose of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Posted by Kevin Donovan on May 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

There is a peculiar pleasure in reading science fiction a decade after the “events of the future” were intended to have taken place. Remember, the fictional events of Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey are entering their tenth anniversary. I won’t go into a labor-intensive compare and contrast of what Clarke got right and wrong (briefly, … Continue reading →

Filed under 1960s Literature, 2001: A Space Odyssey · Tagged with , , , , , ,