About this title: Based on the work of psychoanalyst R. D. Laing, this novel explores issues of psychic wholeness. Charles Watkins, a Cambridge University classics professor, is navigating the Atlantic Ocean on a raft after a UFO has abducted his companions. He arrives at an island where he finds the ruins of an ancient city. There, he is transported to a sort of ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: 4th Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam, New York
Date Published: 1972
Description: Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Browning and soiling to pages. Small tears and creasing to wraps. More of a reading copy with clean pages. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Not Available, Not Available
Date Published: 0000
ISBN-13:9780553073379ISBN:0553073370
Description: Good in Good jacket. See Notes. Gently used paperback. ** PLEASE READ: This book is: LESSING, DORIS: BRIEFING FOR A DESCENT INTO HELL This is the book you will receive if you order this item. read more
Description: Good. 0553143980 Condition: GOOD. (Book may have one or a combination of the following characteristics: former library book, dust jacket missing, cover wear, name written inside cover, considerable underlining/highlighting, remainder mark, binding loose, binding slants, pages tanning / curling, etc. Overall, the book is in decent shape. This is a blanket description. Please email us if you require a specific, detailed description of the book condition. We will typically respond within one week ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Bantam
Date Published: 1972
Description: Fair. Every heavytail order includes with a sweet! We carefully hand clean and reinspect each and every item we ship. Our quality control process ensures items to be in the condition described or better. Heavytail is determined to earn your repeat business through old fashioned customer service. We love international orders. read more
Edition: 1st
Binding: Paper
Publisher: Vintage, N. Y.
Date Published: 1981
Description: Cover Art. Good. No Jacket. Vintage Paperback. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Cover Price $2.95--------#V-662-394--------The cover light shelf wear with a crease by the spine....light yellowing to the pages. Seal stamped on the first page. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Granda, Many
Date Published: 1972
Description: Cover Art. Reading Copy. No Jacket. Paperback. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" Tall. Reading copy is rated from good to very fine.........The book may have minor flaws that may have gone unnoticed.... read more
Description: Very Good. 0006548083 Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Bantam Books
Date Published: 1971
ISBN-13:9780553143980ISBN:0553143980
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. would be excellent but for tanning of pages. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 278 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
"Eh. I bet I would have liked this in high school. But at this point in my life I guess I've read all the 70's stream-of-consciousness "but, really, who are the real crazy ones in this asylum" stuff I need to. It's not bad, but it never really had my full attention."
It contains one of the genres that I hate - the stream of consiciousness. A man is found wandering emabankment penniless and is admitted to hospital.
the first third of the book are the ramblings in his head - which have a very science fiction feel to it, as he discovers alien races, is transported on the back of giant birds and porpoises and encounters apes fighting rat dogs. All a methaphor for something, but what I dont know.
Then we get into the investigation of who he is, resolved through being introduced to his wife, lovers, friends, work colleagues. He is a professor of greek and some of his early hallucinations are linked to the histories that his friend supply.
The professors condition improves and he is off given lucid representations of his involvements in the war - all of which are dismissed by the colleagues that worked with him.
He then is faced with the choice of being moved to a new long term facility or taking electro shock therapy.... after not being allowed to run off with a young nurse, he takes the latter and dramatically improves.
So what was all that about. There are hints that its all about civilisation, gender politics, even communism but I cant really put my finger on what she was trying to get across.
Always a struggle to read, especially the eary 1/3 of the book - it had something that kept you turning the pages, and I still cant put my finger on what that was.
Suppose, I should have been concerned by the phrase experimental!
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