Riddley Walker

Infobox Book |
name = Riddley Walker


image_caption = Bloomsbury 2002 paperback (William Webb/Jeff Cottenden)
author = Russell Hoban
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Great Britain
language = English
genre = Science fiction, Dystopian novel
publisher = Jonathan Cape
release_date = 1980
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 220
isbn = ISBN 0-224-01851-5
oclc = 7313161

"Riddley Walker" is a novel by Russell Hoban, first published in 1980. It is generally regarded as science fiction, and won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel in 1982, as well as an Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award in 1983. It was additionally nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1981.

Hoban began writing the novel in 1974, inspired by the medieval wall painting of the legend of Saint Eustace at Canterbury Cathedral. It is Hoban's best-known adult novel and a drastic departure from his other work, although he has continued to explore some of the same themes in other settings.

Plot summary

"Riddley Walker" is set at an unspecified time, at least two thousand years after the late 1900s, when a nuclear war has devastated world civilizations. The main action of the story begins when the young narrator, Riddley, stumbles upon efforts to recreate a weapon of the ancient world.

The novel's characters live a harsh life in a small area which is presently the English county of Kent, and know nothing of the world outside of "Inland" (England). Their level of civilization is similar to England's prehistoric Iron Age, although they do not produce their own iron but salvage it from ancient machinery. Church and state have combined into one secretive institution, whose mythology, partly based on misremembered stories of the war, is enacted in puppet shows.

Narration style and themes

Though its premise is similar to other post-apocalyptic novels such as "A Canticle for Leibowitz", "Riddley Walker" is unusual in its style and focus. The first person narrator, Riddley, writes in a distinct form of English whose spelling often resembles a phonetic transliteration of a Kentish accent.

Many modern words (especially technological and religious terms) have changed in meaning; many of the place names are puns, such as "Dog Et" for Dargate, and "Do It Over" for Dover. While the unfamiliar language is a projection of how historical linguistics might apply in the future, it also provides clues to the nature of life in Riddley's world (e.g., being "et" by wild dogs is a common fate), and creates suspense as the reader gradually becomes accustomed to the idiosyncratic narration, and comes to understand some of the references of which Riddley is unaware. Religious philosophy and the supernatural are also central to the novel, elements which are also present in "Leibowitz" but which Hoban treats in a more allusive, mystical sense, drawing on elements of many religious traditions. Hoban also draws on the history of his adopted country, including Celtic mythology and Punch and Judy.

References and entities from the novel

Riddley Walker is set in the far future, centuries after a nuclear war (in 1997) changed human society deeply. As such, there are cultural and political concepts and symbols within this society to which the characters continually refer. Additionally, the characters refer to events and figures from history which they themselves only dimly understand.

Since the novel is both a portrayal of this fictional society, as well as a depiction of the specific characters and events of the plot, these future concepts and symbols form a large part of its appeal. Below are some of the more important concepts, to give a sense of the novel's tone.

*Punch - the figure of Punch pops up as a kind trickster figure in the novel. While the authorized narrative of society, The Eusa Show, appropriates many of the familiar puppets from the Punch and Judy show, Punch himself is suppressed until Riddley happens to find a blackened Punch puppet which sets him off serendipitously on his journey of discovery.

*Eusa - depicted as the protagonist in several folk tales and ballads which (as is obvious to the reader), depict the nuclear conflict. The evolution of this literary concept provides an insight into Hoban's technique. Hoban has stated that Eusa was meant to represent everyman, the typical mindset of modern society. Eusa can also refer to Saint Eustace, particularly the painting of him in the cathedral in Canterbury [http://www.graphesthesia.com/rw/pic-eustace1.html] which has had a major impact on the folklore of the society in the novel. Hoban has stated that it is this painting, which actually does exist in England, which initially inspired him to write the novel.

:Other commentators have suggested that Eusa also symbolized the United States of America. Hoban says this was not his original intent. However, it is striking to note the degree to which references to Eusa are consistent if it is considered a symbol for the USA (perhaps because Hoban created Eusa to symbolize the typical mindset which led to the conflict) . [ [http://www.graphesthesia.com/rw/ch6.html Annotation on Eusa,] Annotations of Riddley Walker website. ] [ [http://www.ocelotfactory.com/hoban/cowart1.html The Terror of History: Riddley Walker] by David Cowart, ocelotfactory.com. ]

Theatrical version

A theatrical adaptation (by Hoban himself) premiered at the Manchester Royal Exchange, February-March of 1986. Its US premiere was at the Chocolate Bayou Theatre, in April of 1987, directed by Greg Roach [http://www.ocelotfactory.com/hoban/riddley.html] .

In November 2007 "Riddley Walker" was produced by [http://red-kettle.com/site/ Red Kettle] in Waterford, Ireland, to positive reviews [http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/features/2007/1112/1194550128837.html] .

References

External links

* [http://www.ocelotfactory.com/hoban/riddley.html Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker]
* [http://www.graphesthesia.com/rw/ Riddley Walker Annotations]

ee also

*Russell Hoban
*Pilgermann
*The Book of Dave
*A Canticle for Leibowitz