Splashing in provocative fiction

Press, 7 December 1985, Page 20

Splashing in provocative fiction

The New Fiction. Edited and Introduced by Michael Morrissey. Lindon Publishing, 1985. 309 pp.

$17.95 (paperback).

(Reviewed by

Tom Weston)

Michael Morrissey launches right in, scattering glass as would a brick through a window. In his prefatory note he warns that some of his views will be provocative; and indeed they are.

His 60-page introduction is clearly a manifesto. “Anthologies are important to give shape, status and recognition to fresh developments in literature... This anthology then, is intended to make some invisible authors visible.” Morrissey wants to define, create a surge, and then make a splash. This he does by castigating the post-Sargesonian addiction to a humanist-realist mode of writing (there are variations on the terminology, but it all involves the same thing). Of these blocks has been built the New Zealand short story as many know it'. Morrissey aims to give these foundations a fairly rigorous shove. In Morrissey’s view, the novel is dead (although he then notes the confounding evidence to the contrary in such as C. K. Stead’s recent novel “All Visitors Ashore”). Short fiction is the new force, the new fiction. This anthology, then, is the spearhead. This is not a fiction of narratives, of

familiar landscapes. “Literature is not concerned with the business of communication but: unravelling, polyvalence and the exploration of structure and substructure. Structuralism demoralises but — hopefully — does not demoralise its readers.” The concern is principally with language itself. In this sense, Denys Watkins’ cover painting is accurate. Even allowing some leeway, however, there is still a confusion of terminology. Morrissey sees this collection as “postmodernist.” Yet, as he acknowledges, this is a different form of postmodernism to that of poetry (which harks to Olson, Creeley and others). His guides are Beckett and Borges (among others). The extent of the overlap with the post-structuralist school remains unclear. Thus, there is something provisional in Morrissey’s labelling. But it does ensure a wide spread, and avoids premature conclusions. In the final analysis strict accuracy of theory is not the real issue. Michael Morrissey’s essay is a wide-ranging polemic which covers a generous range of categories. It advances a wellinformed and engaging view of contemporary New Zealand writing. Morrissey’s view is an eclectic one and he canvasses many writers: Fowles, Nabakov, Frame, Burroughs, and

Barthes are just part of his spectrum. Occasionally he is too earnest; sometimes repetitious, but nevertheless he does live up to his earlier claim — the introduction does indeed provoke. The 21 writers included here all deserve a place. Some of the stories have been previously published in the small journals: at least one, Keri Hulme’s “Kiteflying Party at Doctors’ Point,” has appeared in another anthology. Not all of these stories fit the editor’s theory, but the very irregularity developing from this adds to the vibrancy. Perhaps the most overtly experimental work comes from one of the youngest writers — Markman Ellis. Wystan Curnow’s works follow a close second. These pieces demand concentration on the part of the reader. Others, such as Russell Haley or lain Sharp, challenge with their sparkling humour. The list could continue. It may take some time before the final effect of this anthology becomes apparent. It is to be hoped that it does provide an impetus for this more recent writing. While not quite a revolution, it is also more than a quiet toot on the trumpet.