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3.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully Crafted But Pretentious, Mar 25 2003
This is not one of Barth's greater works, but it thoroughly exploits his many gifts.The reduction of the American Cultural Revolution to a Campus is a "nifty" idea - one which almost succeeds due to Barth's overwhelming prose and typically complex plot, but ultimately falls into the same philosophical category as a couple of stoners theorizing that each atom of their finger is a world of its own. Ultimately, this novel is dated in a way that Barth's other works are not (which is ironic, considering the specificity of some of the other works' temporal settings). One cannot separate this work from the 60's. The whole metaphor upon which the book is based is fairly trite. Of course, if you like "Earth in the Balance," "The Population Bomb," or "The Sirens of Titan," then you'll probably absorb "Giles Goat Boy" into your own worldview and then go off on a pacifist riot through San Francisco. Perhaps it is somewhat disappointing to see Barth lay aside his precious nihlism in favor of sweaty luddite pot-philosophy. It is certainly nice to see Barth avoid this tendency in his later works. Compared to the disappointing "Letters: A Kind of Novel," which is artistic to the point of unreadability, or "Chimera," which is lacking in anything but the curiosity of being a Playboy pick, "Giles Goat Boy" is irresistably entertaining. The intricacy of the plot is vintage Barth (and of course, the whole "heroic cycle" thing is present, if you choose to reflect upon it). At moments (as in The Sot Weed Factor), Barth reveals glimpses of the perversions that he is to reveal more fully in later works (Somebody the Sailor, for example), but they are not as central to the story as they might have been. All told, I would agree with other reviewers and suggest that those new to Barth steer clear of Giles Goat Boy until they have digested some of his other works. It is a fairly useful thing to understand Barth's structural tendencies when reading GGB, and an introductory reading of this book first is too likely to convince the reader that Barth is just another 60's type who writes a good piece of filth.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterful performance., Feb 19 2003
It took me a couple of starts to get past the first twenty pages of this book, but the persistence was well repayed. Over the course of a few works (Sot-Weed, End of the Road, Letters) Barth was one of the great powers of modern literature. Goat-Boy finds him in peak form. The longevity of his computer/campus framework, and the wisdom of his "if it ain't broke" philosophy are subject to worthy discussion, but anybody who can get away with slapping a Lord Buckley styled hipster take on Oedepus Rex right in the middle just to show off his emense skill is beyond bold. Brazen in all the best ways.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny but dense, Oct 18 1999
This was my first exposure to Barth but based on this it certainly won't be my last. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but what I can understand I find myself liking quite a bit. For those who have no idea about this book, it's basically the "quest" of Giles to reprogram the evil WESAC computer that is messing with the New Tammany College campus and even that brief blurb isn't enough to give this book ample justice. The plot is mostly straightforward, to me at least but the layers of satire that wrap around everything give the book greater depth, just when you think you've got it pegged as one thing, Barth gives a sly clue and it all shifts. Is it merely a big joke on the Cold War, or a comment on our culture in general. Or neither. The novel encompasses religion, sex, culture, war, just about everything you can think of and the humor is dark and bitter and at the same time hilariously funny, Giles is the perfect narrator and his observations are both hugely innocent and slyly subversive. The ultimate quest of stopping the computer becomes unimportant when you consider the events that it takes to get there and if there's any book with a more real yet wildly fantastic set of characters, I haven't read it, just when you think that he's treating them all as one big joke, a stray comment or an action reminds you that these are supposed to be real characters. As you can probably tell, this is a novel that you can't go in with any preconceptions, and if you do a lot of it will probably be lost on you. It's a massively dense read and took me almost two months (not because it was difficult, that weird time thing you see) but never once did I think of not finishing it. Definitely worth the time put into it and you can get the time, don't hesitate!
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