The Drowned World

 
THE DROWNED WORLD

by J.G. Ballard

When looking at a dated story, context is a rather vital tool for analysis. Some facets of the story, the universal 'truths', may read the same, but other, more archaic concepts or terms may seem a little rusty. J.G. Ballard's intriguing work of imagination The Drowned World may speak to something primal within the reader, and explore some remarkable psychological territory, but in light of its antecedents in literature it reads as a remarkably traditional and somewhat bigoted statement of its time.

The polar ice caps have melted, solar radiation levels have soared and the human world has been quickly overcome by tropical lagoons and jungle, burying great cities and forcing mass evacuation. As part of a scientific survey unit, it is biologist Dr Robert Kerans' job to map out the drowned world and the lifeforms that have overcome it. However, as his psychologist peer Dr Bodkin suspects, the change in the world landscape may have a greater effect on the psyche than may have been foreseen.

Ballard penned the novel in 1962, his debut after a succession of short stories, his key interest being the realm of archaeopsychic time - the idea that the entire evolutionary history of humanity is buried within the human psyche, and that the regression of the earth to a Triassic state causes the minds of humans to regress as well. It is a fascinating concept, if one a little too overstated in the book's execution. Dr Kerans is a curious choice for a novel protagonist - far from the norm, he is an introverted and distant scientist who makes pleasant conversation but often doesn't opt to do so. In fact, the three central characters (the aforementioned as well as the beautiful Beatrice Dahl) spend rather a lot of time sleeping or spacing out, so it isn't until the arrival of the villainous albino Strangman, an eccentric looter with a horde of cronies and alligators, that the novel picks up pace.

It is here, however, that the novel shows its age. Content to avoid Cormac McCarthy's aping of the term 'nigger', Ballard refers to Strangman's posse of thugs and looters with the similarly dated 'Negro' (always capitalised). While this could simply be construed as a period-relevant descriptor, the characters speak - when they do speak - with such appalling blackface caricature that it becomes impossible to consider them as anything but a bigoted stereotype of African slaves. The fact that they follow Strangman believing he is dead doesn't aid this - now they are stereotypical, thuggish and stupid. The only intelligible utterances from the villainous horde come from Strangman, who as previously mentioned is head-to-toe white.

Adding to this sense of alienation is the figure of Beatrice Dahl, who is breasted as a purely symbolic act. Beatrice seems a headstrong and motivated character at the beginning, but falls to the tired cliché of 'damsel in distress' with little protest. Even her sexual appeal is remarkably glossed over, undermining her relevance as the potential Eve of Kerans' regression to Eden. So undervalued is her presence that by the story's climax, multiple characters refer to her as "the Dahl girl", uninterested to the point of forgetting her name.

The story is still well worth a read. Following a surprisingly traditional 'Hero's Journey' story arc, Ballard elaborates on his key themes with an eye for detail and an arresting use of visual metaphor. The landscapes of his dreams and realities are beautiful and hauntingly magnetic, and the inconclusiveness of the ending is well-timed if somewhat bitter. Were you to moderate the racism, this could be an extraordinary film.

The Drowned World is an intriguing trip back into Triassic jungles and archaeopsychic legacies, plumbing the depths of our evolutionary past with visceral detail and linguistic flair. Be warned, though, that the roots of jungle trees are not the only dated trip hazards in this otherwise remarkable journey.