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J.G.Ballard

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Paul

McAuley

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StillToxicAfterAllTheseYears

MarkDery:IwantedtobeginwithanintriguingremarkDavidCronenbergmadetomeinmyrecentinter-viewwithhim:hesaidthatduringyourrecentpublicdialoguewithhimattheInstituteofContemporaryArtinLondon,thequestionofthemoralistictoneyoutookinyourintro-ductiontotheFrencheditionof

Crash

cameup.,'vealwayswonderedaboutthat,becauseitseemsout-oftunewiththebookitself,whichisflatlyrepor-torial,appropriatetotheflattenedaffectofthecharacters.Cronenbergsaidthatyoucon-fessedtohimthatyouappendedthatintroductionafter

Crash

waswritten,andthatyouhadsomedoubtsabouthowconsonantitwaswiththebookJ.G.Ballard:Thequestionyou'veaskedisonewhichwasaskedbyamemberoftheaudience.Davidmadeit~-_quiteclearthathedidn'tseethefilmasacautionarytale,andIpointedoutthatatthetimethatIwrote

Crash,

roughly25yearsago,Icertainlydidn'tseeitasacautionarytale.Iwasexploringcertaintrajectoriesthat'sawmovingacrossthemen-talskyoftheplanet,followingthemtowhatseemedtobetheirlikelymeetingpoint.Moralconsiderationswereneitherherenorthere;Isawmyselfinthepositionofacomputerattachedtoaradarset,trackinganincomingmissile.Infact,mostoftheintroduc-tionconsistsofanendorsementofthenonmoralisticviewof

Crash,

inthatImakethepointthatanauthorcannolongerpresidelikeamagistrateoverhischaractersandplacetheirbehaviorwithinsomesortofmoralframe,whichisthetraditionalstanceoftheauthorinfiction.Mostcriticismofthenovelseesitasaninstrumentofmoralcriticismoflife.Imean,that'stheraisond'etrethatjustifiestheteachingofEnglishliteratureatuniversities.MD:Well,Americantabloidnewscastsstillfollowthatscript.Theyalwaysendwithwhatamountstoascripturalflourish,and.there'saManicheansensethatgoodhastriumphedoverevilontheslaughterbenchofthesixo'clocknews.GB:Absolutely;that'sverywellput.Ithinkthat'strueoverhere,toalar~eextent,butIthinkit'smoretrueintheStates,because.kAmericansareaverymoralisticpeopleforhistoricalreasonswedontneedtogointo.MostofmyIntroductiondisputesthis

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