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Bangor University DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 1,000 Days of Sun plus Commentary Shooman, Joseph Award date: 2021 Awarding institution: Bangor University Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 04. Oct. 2021 1000 Days of Sun & Commentary Joseph Thomas Shooman A novel with accompanying critical study submitted to Bangor University, School of English Literature and Creative Writing as a dissertation for the degree of PhD January 2021 1 Yr wyf drwy hyn yn datgan mai canlyniad fy ymchwil fy hun yw’r thesis hwn, ac eithrio lle nodir yn wahanol. Caiff ffynonellau eraill eu cydnabod gan droednodiadau yn rhoi cyfeiriadau eglur. Nid yw sylwedd y gwaith hwn wedi cael ei dderbyn o’r blaen ar gyfer unrhyw radd, ac nid yw’n cael ei gyflwyno ar yr un pryd mewn ymgeisiaeth am unrhyw radd oni bai ei fod, fel y cytunwyd gan y Brifysgol, am gymwysterau deuol cymeradwy. I hereby declare that this thesis is the results of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. All other sources are acknowledged by bibliographic references. This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree unless, as agreed by the University, for approved dual awards. This thesis is being submitted with the full agreement of my supervisor, Professor Zoë Skoulding. 2 Contents Page Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6 Part I: 1000 Days of Sun………………………………………………………………………………. 7 Foreign Travel Advice……………………………………………………………………………………… 9 Welcome to Big Salvi………………………………………………………………………………………. 14 Back to School………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21 Ian, the Great Hunter……………………………………………………………………………………… 43 Interlude: Ian's Browsing History……………………………………………………………………… 58 Lonely the Brave……………………………………………………………………………………………… 59 Introducing the Boss………………………………………………………………………………………… 76 Fist Hook, Band of the Future…………………………………………………………………………… 94 New Year, New Opportunities…………………………………………………………………………… 110 Essay………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 125 Wilberforce, Laura, Ian……………………………………………………………………………………… 130 Awakenings……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 139 Resonation………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 154 Pain, Again………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 181 How to Get a Job……………………………………………………………………………………………… 184 Weegieland?........................................................................................................... 197 Courting…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 202 Wilberforce Goes to Ripoblika…………………………………………………………………………… 210 Frequently Asked Questions……………………………………………………………………………… 218 3 A Day………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 236 Digitality…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 259 Hotting Up…………………………………………………………………………………………………………267 Fixings……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 280 Wilberforce and the Vote………………………………………………………………………………… 295 The Heat is On………………………………………………………………………………………………… 300 The Ice Cerberus……………………………………………………………………………………………… 309 Foreign Travel Advice……………………………………………………………………………………… 332 Postscript………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 334 Part II: Commentary…………………………………………………………………………………….. 335 List of Illustrations…………………………………………………………………………………………… 336 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 337 • Research questions……………………………………………………………………………… 337 • Definitions…………………………………………………………………………………………… 338 • Polyphony and noise……………………………………………………………………………. 340 • Practice-based research………………………………………………………………………. 340 • Postcolonialism……………………………………………………………………………………. 341 Chapter One: A World in a Grain of Sand – what is a novel?............................... 345 • Barthes and message encoding……………………………………………………………. 345 • Happiness is subjective: Barker and form……………………………………………. 347 • Kurt Vonnegut’s puppets…………………………………………………………………….. 349 • An author speaks…………………………………………………………………………………. 354 Chapter Two: Identity and Digital Identity………………………………………………………. 357 4 • Doggedly writing…………………………………………………………………………………. 357 • Autofiction and form…………………………………………………………………………… 359 • Postcolonial performances and jazz hands………………………………………….. 361 • Sending out signals……………………………………………………………………………… 364 • Anticulturalism online…………………………………………………………………………. 366 Chapter Three: Bring the Noise……………………………………………………………………….. 368 • Anarchy in Salvi……………………………………………………………………………………. 368 • Polyphonic spree…………………………………………………………………………………. 373 • The music of the pages………………………………………………………………………… 375 • Write on, brother………………………………………………………………………………… 378 • Graphic equaliser………………………………………………………………………………… 380 • Book ends……………………………………………………………………………………………. 382 • Summat spells funny……………………………………………………………………………. 386 • Metafictional musical quotations……………………………………………………….… 388 • Rhythm and stealth: Easter Eggs and sealed sections………………………….. 392 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 398 Appendix I: The sealed section………………………………………………………………………… 402 Appendix II: Deleted scenes……………………………………………………………………………. 406 Appendix III: Scans and examples……………………………………………………………………. 410 Appendix IV: Graphics and mock-ups for potential use in 1000 Days of Sun……. 414 Appendix V: Mockup of CD promo cover and link to songs………………………………. 418 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………… 420 Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………….. 428 5 Abstract 1000 Days of Sun is a noisy novel. It employs techniques of graphic design, code systems of language, non-textual ideas and musical elements to describe and reflect questions of contextual identity and the novel form itself. I analyse postmodern metafictional and graphical techniques and discuss how I have used these to create multiple layers of narrative, while retaining the forward motion of a traditional novel. I look at how form can be employed as a technique to represent and reflect fluidity of identity for the characters of a novel, and I discuss how information theory and noise elements can be employed to disrupt and energise a novel. The novel reveals the different stories of three sets of characters on a small territory – Salvi Island in the tropics. Ian and Laura are expatriates, having moved for Laura’s work. Wilberforce Jenkins-Ross IV is the leader of the Salvi government, dealing with demands both on a geopolitical and hyperlocal level. His nephew, Leadbetter, is a 17-year-old bass player desperate to change the world through his music. These stories intersect and contrast in a polyphonic form and through the multiple narrators, creating an overview of the island which emerges as the tales unfold. The novel culminates in a single island-wide festival at which all the characters appear and describe from their own points of view. The events are the same, but they are inevitably perceived differently by each set of characters. The commentary included here discusses how I developed the form and focus of a novel through practice-based research and concludes that a novel can contain multiple layered narratives and still retain its narrative thrust. Hidden, or encoded, additional material performs a dual function: first as noise, and then as information once it is unlocked. This leads me to conclude that a novel can contain within its pages several concurrent but different reading experiences, based on this tension between noise and signal. Finally, I look at ways that narrative can be formed through various media including online websites, different book editions, and cross-media possibilities. 6 Part I: 1,000 Days of Sun 7 1,000 Days of Sun Joe Shooman 8 Foreign Travel Advice Salvi Islands Summary Demographics Entry requirements Natural disasters Money Travel advice help and support Crime and punishment Other 9 Summary Still current at: 19 July 2009 Updated: 11 January 2009 Latest update: Summary Section – tsunami alert following an earthquake south of Ripoblika has now been lifted The hurrinado season runs from July to November. You should monitor the progress of all coming storms and follow the advice of the local authorities. See Natural Disasters. As the Salvi Islands is a Mother Country Protectorate, there is no MC diplomatic or consular representation. The local authorities can deal with all emergency assistance. Although there’s no recent history of terrorism in the Salvi Islands, attacks can’t be ruled out. The Salvi Islands comprise an archipelago of three islands, situated about 60 miles south of Ripoblika and 85 miles south of the Vespuccian Keys. It is within a tropical zone with associated weather patterns. Demographics Big Salvi population: 12,000 (approx. 4,500 Salvi country members) Salvi Fair population: 2,000 (approx. 1,700 Salvi country members) Salvi Bach population: 400 (approx. 200 Salvi country members) Women to Men ratio: 48% to 52% Median Age: