Conducting Bodies

How can you write a story that doesn't have a plot? Well, many readers might say that it wouldn't be a story, but an observation. The author would be showing instances in life at random; meaning wouldn't be implicit, but implied. This type of experimental writing is sometimes boring and difficult. Occasionally, though, a good writer is able to make a difficult work accessible. Claude Simon's Conducting Bodies, for example, is a difficult work, but its structure and overall technique give the reader something that many so-called conventional novels lack. This type of novel would be a challenge to write, considering that you don't have the luxury of a well-defined plot to fall back on; the words and images must be compelling enough to capture the reader's attention without the aid of traditional narrative devices. What is the work about? That's hard to say, since there isn't a story like those we are accustomed to seeing. The novel's appeal, however, is in its fragments pieced together without the aid of chapters or paragraphs. The most difficult aspect of getting into a work like this is that the reader has to suspend his reliance on conventional storytelling devices. Moving from image to image, the novel presents more of a canvas than a "story." Conducting Bodies is something of a literary painting. Changing from one scene or image to the next, it presents a literary collage, showing how art can transcend from one level to the next. Conducting Bodies is well worth the reader's effort. Claude Simon didn't win the Nobel Prize just because he is a good guy. his writing is strong and meaningful. If anyone is willing to take a chance to explore new directions in literature, this is a good place to start.