[The basic plot points of this story are spoiled.]
So... I'm just going to spoil this story. It details how a black man who plays the trumpet gets an offer from a white man who claims to have invented a machine that can translate "jazz" as if it was its own language. And it very well may be it's own language when you consider how expressive it is. So this part is actually interesting.
But after testing the invention out, the black man destroys the machine in a fit of rage. He does it because it works. The machine was essentially none of the white man's business for poking around in a language that wasn't his own. There are other nuances here, but I just don't care enough to explain them to you.
The real problem with the story isn't the story itself... it's how it was written. "The Jazz Machine" is 100% written in beatnik lingo. I hate it. It was nearly impossible to read. I actually got a headache from it. What might have been an interesting story was stunted by a language that was outdated. People might have read this in the 60's and saw something in it, but I care nothing for it today.
I think it is safe to say that I do not recommend "The Jazz Machine" at all. Skip it. Matheson is actually a great writer deserving of your respect. I am pretty sure he has proven that by now. But this one... no. He clearly made a mistake. It's garbage.
This blog was written on May 6, 2023.
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As a writer myself, I am mindful that my work is nonsensical scribble if readers cannot read it. It is on me to communicate, not on them to decipher the message. It seems THE JAZZ MACHINE was a product of its time but like its time, it passed away.
ReplyDeleteWe were kinda talking about this this other day. It's just such a really dumb thing to do, writing a story in this way.
DeleteThe narrative should always be written in a manner that it can readily be understood. Informal terms sprinkled throughout the dialogue can give it a more authentic feel, but contemporary terms can lead to confusion. It is the writer's responsibility to make their work accessible.
ReplyDeleteBig failure here.
DeleteThat's a shame, looks like he dropped the ball with this one. I thought it was something we could relate to our current A.I. situation at first but it got lost in translation...haha.
ReplyDeleteIt was so bad to read.
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