Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Strangely Charmed Death

“At play amidst the Strangeness and Charm” (Chapter 4, Page 5, Panel 4).

This line is found on a bulletin board in the Beastiary that contains photographs of scientists that have died.  The photograph of Jon and Janey was among the photos of the other scientists because it was believed that Jon died in the accident.  The “Strangeness and Charm” part refers to quarks, which are subatomic particles that make up matter.  To say that someone is “at play amidst the Strangeness and Charm” is a scientist’s way of saying that someone is dead and is the scientist’s version of the afterlife.  Moore and Gibbons try to add realistic details, such as this bulletin board heading, to the images and backgrounds of each panel to keep the novel from becoming too implausible.

Works Cited: 

"Chapter III." Information Arts and Technologies. 21 Feb. 2009 http://iat.ubalt.edu/moulthrop/hypertexts/wm/AN/AN_III.htm.

"Quark." Answers.com. 21 Feb. 2009 <http://www.answers.com/quark>.

1 comment:

  1. and it also adds to the metatextual nature of the story where such references add layers of meaning; it could also play into the spiritual world vs. the scientific world debate going on throughout the novel

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