Title: Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
Author: Douglas Coupland
Publication date: 1991
What’s it about?
The novel focuses on three friends – Andy, Dag and Claire – who have moved to a desolate part of the California desert to reevaluate their lives and, they hope, gain some focus. Feeling that the future is uncertain, they attempt to find themselves in part by telling each other stories. Over the course of the novel we see their own stories develop in unexpected ways.
Where did I get hold of the book?
This was another birthday present. I’ve now also designated a special bookcase at home for all of my Book Diaries books – which means that I need to get cracking on acquiring some of the titles I don’t possess, so that I can fill it!
- Find the book in a library near you (worldwide).
- Support local independent bookshops by buying the book from Hive (UK).
What did I learn from it?
I’ve been very conscious this year that a significant number of my book choices have been ‘white and Western’, a large proportion of them being, specifically, American. (This is, indeed, one reason why for the 2017 Book Diaries I’ve chosen the theme of World Literature, to broaden my horizons.)
One thing I’ve noticed about a few of these American books (On the Road is the main one that springs to mind) is the use of ‘driving to Mexico’ as a plot device; we are shown characters who are looking to broaden their own horizons by travelling into the unknown, to see what unfolds. Venturing over the border is symbolic: it is the ultimate gesture in breaking free from convention and expanding one’s worldview.
It is intriguing to read about these journeys in a year when the President-Elect of the United States has talked about building a wall along this very border. The reason for this wall is ostensibly to protect Americans from a dangerous influx of illegal immigrants – but if we see cross-border travel not as a practical trip but as a symbolic gesture, the effect that such a barrier might have on the worldview of American citizens is chilling.
It’s one thing to protect ourselves from dangers (real or perceived) coming in, but do we really want to stop ourselves from even looking out?
How did it make me see the world differently?
In addition to the US presidential election, this has been the year of Brexit: the UK’s referendum on leaving the European Union. One of the issues that raised its head during the vote and its aftermath was the feeling of the younger generation that the older generation had screwed them over by voting ‘Leave’. News articles would regularly voice the theme of inter-generational conflict.
It struck me on reading Generation X that, as the old phrase has it, ‘there is nothing new under the sun.’ The Generation X-ers complained that the baby boomers had stolen their future; one character in the novel, Dag, has a habit of vandalising cars that sport bumper stickers he objects to, such as ‘We’re spending our children’s inheritance!’ And now the millennials are complaining that their parents’ generation have stolen their future.
Clashes between the generations are surely a part of life: back in the 1950s the newly minted ‘teenagers’ undoubtedly had their own issues with the fuddy-duddy oldsters who didn’t get the fresh sound of rock ‘n’ roll. Stating your own claim to the world is a natural rite of passage, and rebelling against the views of those who you perceive to be on the way out is equally normal and natural. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the previous generation really did ruin your life – just that the world is changing, and what you thought you were supposed to expect from it has now morphed into something new.
I would encourage everyone, of all ages, to read this book: if you’re part of the younger generation, know that you are not the first to feel like this; if you’re older, spare a thought for the difficulties your children face and try to help where you can.
Me? I’m Generation X, and my future is wide open…
What changes will I make to my life as a result of it?
Although I’m technically Generation X, I don’t think I’ve ever felt the existential dread that seems to afflict the characters in the novel – but I have certainly wondered what my contribution to the world will be.
In the two years since starting this blog challenge, my creativity has opened up in new and surprising ways; and if you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know about my frustrations with the constant flow of ideas and the relative failure to see any of them out into the world. I have such big, specific plans, but they never seem to work out.
So, taking heart from Coupland’s novel, I’m going to use the end of this year to take stock, to (metaphorically if not literally) retreat from society, take a proper Christmas break, and tell myself stories. Yes, I have plans for my writing next year, but I don’t know exactly what will emerge – and I have decided that this is fine. I need to focus on sitting down and putting pen to paper, but I won’t try to force what comes out of the pen.
I will take my own ‘journey into Mexico’ to see what new big adventure awaits me, and I will simply see what unfolds. Who knows: I might surprise myself.
A musical interlude
Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit is frequently cited as the song that represents this generation. I have to admit grunge passed me by, or at least was not quite to my taste, but the track is still significant enough for it to be the obvious choice to accompany this book.
Enjoy!