Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish

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Matt It's the same in the original English. However, Transylvania refers to specifically the western portion of Tasmania that was relatively unexplored by …moreIt's the same in the original English. However, Transylvania refers to specifically the western portion of Tasmania that was relatively unexplored by the colonists at the time the book is set. Tasmania overall was called Van Dieman's Land. The book is mostly set in Macquarie Harbour which is on the western coast of Tasmania, the usual way to travel was by boat around the coast rather than through the difficult terrain of Transylvania.(less)
Hans Bakker Yes, U thought it was well written. However, Robin Chen-Hsing Tsai (Tsai Chen-Hsing?) seems to want to include a few too many theories and theorists. …moreYes, U thought it was well written. However, Robin Chen-Hsing Tsai (Tsai Chen-Hsing?) seems to want to include a few too many theories and theorists. They do not all agree with one another. Also, while a penal colony might be considered part of what we usually think of as colonialism it is hardly the essence of colonialism in the sense of imperialist forces. The use of actual fish as a kind of metonym (I think) is interesting and I would never have even considered reading this book at al if I had not been led by Robin to think of the way the author (Flanagan) does construct an interesting kind of critique of the penal colony nd the people associated with it. However, it is not necessarily a critique of modernity per se. I may be a critique of race relations on a penal colony island but modernity has a lot more to offer than the brutal exploitation of indigenous people for silly research that is pseudo-scientific. I guess my overall feeling is that the paper by Tsai is very good but not quite excellent because the novel is a mixed bag.(less)

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