Mumbo Jumbo really lives up to its name. Everything seems to make sense on its own, but put all together it becomes a bunch of gibberish. The weird formatting of the book is a good place to start my list of issues. Usually, when I read a book, I have some expectations of what I will get out of it. There are some standards that have been established by years of published word, and Mumbo Jumbo manages to break all of them. I can see the point of starting the book at the cover, as we discussed in class, forcing the reader to go back and truly attempt to comprehend the meaning of the string of words. It feels weird at first because of out expectations, but I think that it does end up serving an interesting purpose for the experience of the reader. It really makes the book stand out the moment you open it, even before you start reading.
Once you do start reading though, things go a bit crazy. Right off the bat, the reader is lost. With "a Creeping Thing" and "Judas Eye" and "HooDoo Queen", I was already puzzled and confused. A complete lack of explanation for these things leaves the reader longing for some justification for an already crazed ramble. Reading like a first draft, the text has the style of no style. Sentences are abrupt and short, but then spout into page-wide explanations and descriptions. People speak in jive, and writing anything in slang is complicated and requires forethought and planning. That aspect really contradicts with the rest of the text, riddled with errors and typos. The text doesn't flow; it jumps from place to place. Half the meaning is completely disguised by unknown words that sound Creole and describe hidden topics. At this point, I'm intrigued, but I also feel extremely lost, counting on the continuation to bring some reason to the craziness of this book. It can only be written like this completely on purpose or totally out of neglect, but since the book seems constructed, I tend to lean to the former. At this point, I'm even inclined to think that the weird writing and confusing text is completely on purpose, but perhaps the train of thought is incomprehensible when incomplete. For now though, I'm lost, but hooked with high hopes for the rest of the book.
And that's only the first chapter.
I definitely agree that the book is pretty jarring, no doubt on purpose. I don't think this is a novel I would find myself reading in my free time, the jumpy artsiness and lack of clear plot being features I don't find particularly attractive. Reed's style is nonetheless very interesting and I find myself somewhat enjoying the rollercoaster of convention-disregarding. I definitely have high hopes for the rest of the book as well, looking forward to the emergence of a more discernible plot.
ReplyDeleteA "Judas Eye" is a peephole with a retractable cover on a door, common in "speakeasies" or illegal drinking establishments during Prohibition. (In that scene, Zuzu is wondering if the Mayor is taking her to a speakeasy, and for some reason the Cathedral has a peephole on the front door.) Reed isn't just making this stuff up--the words themselves have a history and reflect the history being portrayed. There are Voodoo-related terms throughout this book, as well, which might at first sound like more "nonsense" ("HooDoo" cited above is one of them, "houngan," "loa").
ReplyDeleteToday in class we talked about the term "mumbo jumbo," and how it refers to a sacred object in its original Mandingo meaning, but in the US has been reduced to signifiying incomprehensible gibberish. This novel, too, might be deep significance masquerading as chaos or nonsense.
I guess that this book then really involves a lot of research to really understand whats happening. Without looking up the words, it becomes some gibberish, but their hidden meaning is key to the plot, story, and style.
DeleteI think Mumbo Jumbo makes for a interesting read because of it's vocabulary and unique references. Especially with voodoo playing a large role in the story, makes the book confusing, but also very entertaining. Although many Google searches are going to be needed while reading this book.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying the unique brand of what I guess is English that Mumbo Jumbo is using. As many people have pointed it out, it really is similar to scat. And just like scat, it is its own erraticness that makes it interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jack, I'm also liking Mumbo Jumbo so far. Though the words aren't always in English, I think that the context does give you a good sense of what they may mean. There are words that are in different languages as well, but I think that the use of another language along with English is interesting and useful because words and ideas don't exactly transfer between languages and cultures. So, sometimes a concept from another culture (when needed to be used in context) can only truly be best explained in the corresponding language.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to your feelings of being intrigued by the weird language and bizarre events of Mumbo Jumbo, yet still being lost and confused when trying to understand what's going on. In many ways it's like reading a book or watching a movie in a different language, because while you know that interesting stuff is happening, it's difficult to fill in all the details.
ReplyDeleteI didn't find the beginning all that jarring, but then again I read it at 2AM. I feel like I understood more of what was going on in that sleep deprived state than when I read other chapters fully awake. When weird unknown words were present, I'd try not to get hung up on them but see where the sentence goes to get the context for them.
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