D_Davis
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2008
- Messages
- 1,348
Godbody - Theodore Sturgeon
(the proper review)
If I've ever read a work of fiction with a premise that could change the world for good it is Theodore Sturgeon's Godbody. It tells the story of Godbody, a messianic figure who comes to a small town to teach people how to love one another and how to express their love through passionate, healthy and uninhibited sexual intercourse. He heals the perception of those who have been sexually mistreated, and fosters a new appreciation of coitus in those who have forgotten its joys. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character touched by the work of Godbody, and details how his mysterious ways shape a new kind of connectedness with love, humanity and God.
Godbody is, at first, highly pornographic. It is the most erotic book I've ever read. Personally, it was a challenge to read, at times, because I am not often comfortable with this kind of material. But then again, this kind of material often lacks real purpose beyond titillation, and through Strugeon's insight, his understanding of humanity, the novel becomes something much more than a series of detailed sexual encounters. Making his readers uncomfortable was part of Sturgeon's modus operandi, he is, after all, the author that gave us a paradise of incest, defended homosexuality in the early 1950s, and presented to us physically and mentally abused characters with deep-rooted problems and broken spirits.
The characters in Godbody are his most fully realized. Dan and Liza Currier are two of the main characters, and the ones with whom I connected with the most. Dan is a pastor at a small church, and Liza is his beautiful, devoted wife. As a son of a two ministers, I understand the plights of those called into the ministry. The constant scrutiny of the church members and the pressures to behave in a superhuman fashion can have a devastating effect on a pastor's passion. Beyond his undying wish for more love I don't know what Sturgeon's own religious beliefs were, but his depiction of the Curriers rings with truth and honesty. All too often, religious characters in genre fiction are treated as nasty stereotypes, but Sturgeon avoids this pitfall and I respect him for it.
Joining the Curriers is Hobart Wellen, a disgusting man, guilty of rape; Britt Svenglund, a beautiful, bohemian artist who lives in the woods and spends a lot of time naked; Willa Mayhew, the local gossip columnist, hellbent on destroying the lives of those she despises and disagrees with (everybody but herself); Melissa Franck, a woman afraid of her own sexuality, and the victim of Hobart's sexual aggression; Andrew Merriweather, a wormy little banker in cahoots with Ms. Mayhew; and Harrison Salz, a cop being blackmailed by Ms. Mayhew. Each of these characters finds his or her life touched by Godbody in a way that changes their perceptions of sex and love. Godbody tears down the walls that have been raised by decent modern living, and reestablishes a connection between humanity and God.
Theodore Sturgeon spent his entire life writing to us about love and compassion, and that his most didactic and candid book would be published after his death possesses a strange kind of irony. He was never around to hear the ensuing gasps of shock, the backlash from those who were offended, or the feelings of pure joy from those who received his message. Just as his final creation, the messianic Godbody, died before his message was spread, so too did Sturgeon.
I am not comparing Sturgeon to a Christ-like figure, or declaring him to be some kind of prophet. This would be a crass and irresponsible proclamation. But it is odd to me that Sturgeon would die before his most heartfelt love letter was published. I would give anything to hear him talk about how the book has been received. It represents the summation of all that Sturgeon believed in, and it is, perhaps, the most perfect way an artistic life such as his could be punctuated. Sturgeon is speaking directly though Godbody; he's calling all of us to wake up, open our eyes, and love each other. This is a message worth living for and a message worth dying for.
(the proper review)
If I've ever read a work of fiction with a premise that could change the world for good it is Theodore Sturgeon's Godbody. It tells the story of Godbody, a messianic figure who comes to a small town to teach people how to love one another and how to express their love through passionate, healthy and uninhibited sexual intercourse. He heals the perception of those who have been sexually mistreated, and fosters a new appreciation of coitus in those who have forgotten its joys. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character touched by the work of Godbody, and details how his mysterious ways shape a new kind of connectedness with love, humanity and God.
Godbody is, at first, highly pornographic. It is the most erotic book I've ever read. Personally, it was a challenge to read, at times, because I am not often comfortable with this kind of material. But then again, this kind of material often lacks real purpose beyond titillation, and through Strugeon's insight, his understanding of humanity, the novel becomes something much more than a series of detailed sexual encounters. Making his readers uncomfortable was part of Sturgeon's modus operandi, he is, after all, the author that gave us a paradise of incest, defended homosexuality in the early 1950s, and presented to us physically and mentally abused characters with deep-rooted problems and broken spirits.
The characters in Godbody are his most fully realized. Dan and Liza Currier are two of the main characters, and the ones with whom I connected with the most. Dan is a pastor at a small church, and Liza is his beautiful, devoted wife. As a son of a two ministers, I understand the plights of those called into the ministry. The constant scrutiny of the church members and the pressures to behave in a superhuman fashion can have a devastating effect on a pastor's passion. Beyond his undying wish for more love I don't know what Sturgeon's own religious beliefs were, but his depiction of the Curriers rings with truth and honesty. All too often, religious characters in genre fiction are treated as nasty stereotypes, but Sturgeon avoids this pitfall and I respect him for it.
Joining the Curriers is Hobart Wellen, a disgusting man, guilty of rape; Britt Svenglund, a beautiful, bohemian artist who lives in the woods and spends a lot of time naked; Willa Mayhew, the local gossip columnist, hellbent on destroying the lives of those she despises and disagrees with (everybody but herself); Melissa Franck, a woman afraid of her own sexuality, and the victim of Hobart's sexual aggression; Andrew Merriweather, a wormy little banker in cahoots with Ms. Mayhew; and Harrison Salz, a cop being blackmailed by Ms. Mayhew. Each of these characters finds his or her life touched by Godbody in a way that changes their perceptions of sex and love. Godbody tears down the walls that have been raised by decent modern living, and reestablishes a connection between humanity and God.
Theodore Sturgeon spent his entire life writing to us about love and compassion, and that his most didactic and candid book would be published after his death possesses a strange kind of irony. He was never around to hear the ensuing gasps of shock, the backlash from those who were offended, or the feelings of pure joy from those who received his message. Just as his final creation, the messianic Godbody, died before his message was spread, so too did Sturgeon.
I am not comparing Sturgeon to a Christ-like figure, or declaring him to be some kind of prophet. This would be a crass and irresponsible proclamation. But it is odd to me that Sturgeon would die before his most heartfelt love letter was published. I would give anything to hear him talk about how the book has been received. It represents the summation of all that Sturgeon believed in, and it is, perhaps, the most perfect way an artistic life such as his could be punctuated. Sturgeon is speaking directly though Godbody; he's calling all of us to wake up, open our eyes, and love each other. This is a message worth living for and a message worth dying for.
