Episodes

> Prologue Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13 Episode 14 Episode 15 Episode 16 Epilogue

> Overview Primary Sources Secondary Sources Clippings Commentary Essays Teaching Images

Amidon, Stephen. "Rewriting History." Sunday Times (London) 13 February 1994.

Amidon delivers a gleaming review of Erickson's Arc d'X, recognizing that the author "writes with convincing passion." In fact, Amidon claims that perhaps the strength with which the characters and settings are rendered has actually had the effect of undermining Erickson's central themes throughout the novel. However, he justifies this theory: "But maybe that's an inevitable by-product to such a grand design . . . the individual has never had a prayer when confronted with the juggernaut of history."

Bleiler, Richard. Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror. New York: Scribner's, 2003.

Burgess, Anthony. "Thomas Jefferson Slept Here; ARC D'X By Steve Erickson." New York Times Book Review 2 May 1993: 9.

Review of Erickson's Arc d'X. Burgess finds fault with Erickson's "brash treatment" of the historical depiction of Jefferson. While he can appreciate that Erickson does indeed find fault with America's political culture, Burgess feels that this sentiment was delivered (unsuccessfully) at the expense of the novel's integrity.

Caldwell, Gail. "Out of Control; In the Postmythic America of Steve Erickson, the Archetypal Meets the Millenarian." Boston Globe 9 May 1993: B13.

Review of Erickson's Arc d’X. Caldwell commends Erickson for being a "wildly courageous writer" in spite of the fact that Arc d'X "seems almost egocentrically out of control." And any insights that Erickson does finally arrive at only appear from "the subtle or peripheral angles." However, she does appreciate Erickson's intentions and daring in writing this novel.

Evenson, Brian. “The Romantic Fabulist Predicts a Dreamy Apocalypse.” Believer June 2003.

http://www.believermag.com/issues/200306/?read=article_evenson

Evenson examines why, despite Erickson’s critical acclaim, he has never reached the level of celebrity of other postmodern writers such as DeLillo and Pynchon. However, Evenson considers the public’s inability to have recognized Erickson as an elite writer a testament to his true genius: “He is committed to understanding human emotions, and sometimes goes over the top because he’s willing to take risks that other literary writers aren’t. If he slips on occasion, it’s because he’s one of the few American writers willing to leave himself open to the truly visionary.” Evenson notes that what sets Erickson apart from his more notable peers is his acceptance of popular culture and its presence in his novels. He includes these themes in his writings at the risk, then, of being “out of step.” However, Evenson then goes on to conclude that this inclusion of cultural references is both a blessing and a curse: “One of the great pleasures of reading Erickson is his ability to capture the dreamy danger and vividness of Narnia while still offering the complexities of grown-up reading. . . . This, finally, is both Erickson’s strength and his downfall: he’s interested in the way popular genres can be appropriated for literary use. The appropriation of popular genres is something that’s as old as literary history, but it’s most often done in a way that removes the generic elements.”

Gates, David. "Springing for Fiction: Arc d'X." Newsweek 19 April 1993.

Review of Erickson's Arc d'X.

Guffey, Robert. "Science Fiction on the Periphery: The Literary Novels of Steve Erickson, Jim Dodge, Denis Johnson, and Larissa Lai." New York Review of Science Fiction 17.10 (2005): 16-19.

Guffey explores the similarities between the novels of Erickson, Dodge, Johnson, and Lai. In terms of Erickson's Arc d'X, Guffey commends Erickson's prose as "feverish and lush and dreamlike, and yet somehow perfectly structured at the same time: a paradox that only the most talented of scriveners could even hope to accomplish." Guffey then goes on the decipher the link between all of the authors as memory -- "memory of a lost parent, a lost mate, a lost country, a lost opportunity, even a lost lifetime preceding one's present incarnation." Guffey credits these writers with having revolutionized the genre of science fiction, as their novels have certainly broken the mold.

Hunt, Nigel. "Cosmic Weirdness on the Cusp of the Millennium." Globe and Mail (Canada) 8 May 1993.

Review of Erickson's Arc d'X.

Kakutani, Michiko. “What a Millennium Hides at the Very End.” New York Times 6 April 1993: 17.

Kakutani delivers a harsh review of Arc d’X. Although she can appreciate the ambition of the novel, she doesn’t see any originality in it, calling it “a surreal hodgepodge of political allegory, futuristic imaginings and dreamlike homages to earlier novels and movies.” She also doesn’t appreciate the inclusion of Jefferson and Hemings within the novel, citing that their presence is "forced and contrived".

Kimberley, Nick. “Un-Americans.” New Statesman and Society 8 April 1994: 40-41.

Review of Erickson’s Arc d’X. Kimberley condemns Erickson for his lack of detail in Arc d’X: “if we’re to sense the oppressiveness, we need detail, and Erickson provides a world with no contours, few events, and only emblematic locations.” Furthermore, he finds the novel to be a redundant love struggle that only serves to diminish its own value.

Kincaid, Paul. “Defying Rational Chronology: Time and Identity in the Work of Steve Erickson.” Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction 58 (1993): p. 27-42.

Kincaid, Paul. “Secret Maps: The Topography of Fantasy and Morality in the Work of Steve Erickson.” Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction 57 (1993): 26-48.

LeClair, Tom. “Perpetual Motions.” Washington Post 9 May 1993: X4.

Review of Erickson’s Arc d’X: “Erickson is a major player of the art and science game, up there with his contemporaries Richard Powers and William Vollmann, the spokesmen of the chaos generation.”

Mayer, Ruth. “Looking Forward to Looking Back: Steve Erickson's Retrofitted Future in 'From Arc d'X'.” Re-Visioning the Past: Historical Self-Reflexivity in American Short Fiction. Ed. Bernd Engler and Oliver Scheiding. Trier: Germany Publication, 1998.

“From Arc d'X” is a separately published, abbreviated chapter out of the novel (212-34).

McCaffery, Larry, and Takayuki Tatsumi. “An Interview with Steve Erickson.” Contemporary Literature 38.3 (1997): 395-421.

Mcdougall, Carl. “Slavery and Freedom in Jeffersonian Style.” Herald (Glasgow) 12 February 1994: 8.

Review of Erickson’s Arc d’X. Mcdougall’s primary problem with Erickson’s Arc d’X is that he does not “give his readers the opportunity of making a connection for themselves.” He also assails Erickson for offering shallow views of events, such as the French Revolution. Whereas Erickson would have been more effective if he had allowed his readers to interpret the novel, “the narration never breaks free of its restraints as Erickson continually directs his readers’ attentions.”

Monteith, Sharon. "America's Domestic Aliens: African Americans and the Issue of Citizenship in the Jefferson/Hemings Story in Fiction and Film." Alien Identities: Exploring Difference in Fiction and Film. Ed. Deborah Cartmell et al. Sterling: Pluto Press, 1999. 31-48.

Monteith discusses the evolution of the Jefferson-Hemings controversy (especially regarding how Sally is perceived and alienated) through literature and film over the years. In Steve Erickson’s Arc d’X, she recognizes that Hemings is a central figure in the novel, not only for her characterization, but as a symbol, as well: “Hemings becomes a protean figure, whose meaning is much more than the sum of her parts; in Erickson’s thesis when Hemings returned to Monticello and slavery instead of remaining in revolutionary Paris as a free woman, she alienated herself from liberty and citizenship at the very moment when in French society the term citoyen was coined.” The author also appreciates the fact that Erickson’s novel incorporates not only a dynamic commentary on politics but relationships as well. Finally, Monteith pays tribute to Sally’s significance in “dramatis[ing] the relationship between race and rights as an interracial drama of American nationhood.”

Murphy, Jim. “Pursuits and Revolutions: History's Figures in Steve Erickson's Arc d'X.” Modern Fiction Studies 46.2 (2000): 451-79.

Murphy defends Erickson amidst every critical or harsh review of his novel Arc d’X. Whereas many critics did not agree with Erickson’s innovative and nonconformist style of writing (such as his use of a nonlinear structure), Murphy repeatedly explains not only why it should be appreciated, but why it is necessary to further promote Erickson’s ideas in the novel: “This is because, in its looping reconstitution of time, and in the author's choice to privilege transgressive emotions over the details of discrete events, Arc d'X is a novel of simultaneity.” Murphy also recognizes Erickson’s inspirations but commends him for further enhancing the genre: “Erickson builds on the work of authors such as William Faulkner and Ishmael Reed--testing both the moral systems and formal dynamics of the American novel. His engagement with the material of Arc d'X takes place on historical, scientific, and psychological levels.” Finally, Murphy cites as the central achievement of this novel Erickson’s effective questioning of Jefferson’s “pursuit of happiness,” which of course is depicted in Jefferson’s pursuit of personal pleasure versus political ideals.

Rifkin, Alan. “Soul Survivor.” Buzz magazine

http://www.steveerickson.org/articles/soul.html

Rifkin examines how Erickson’s nature has affected and inspired his writings. Erickson has always been what he refers to as an “overserious” writer and often uses his novels as a platform to represent his own life experiences. For example, many times in his novels, female characters are simply depictions of love interests from his own life. However, perhaps the most profound theme that Erickson explores is his desire to get the root of peoples’ (translated, then, to his characters’) intentions, inspirations, and inner-workings. For example, regarding Thomas Jefferson in Arc d’X: "’The issue,’ Erickson says keenly, ‘is to what extent Jefferson's darkness made his light possible. I worked from the premise that for somebody in trouble, the pendulum had to swing. Otherwise, he was simply a hypocrite. I assume he was a man of genuine contradictions.’” And as Erickson continues to write about others, his readers continue to learn more about him, as well.

Rust, Michael. “'Arc d'X': Blurry Map for Time Trip.” Washington Times 27 May 1993: E2.

A harsh review of Erickson’s novel, Rust writes that there is “virtually no plot or even characterization.” He then goes on to criticize Erickson’s references to slavery in the novel as disorienting, his style hypercomplex, and the picture of the American cultural psyche as cartoonish.

Skow, John. “Liberty's Dark Dream.” Time 10 May 1993.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978454,00.html

A favorable review of Arc d’X, Skow appreciates the finesse with which Erickson weaves Jefferson and Hemings into the fabric of his novel. And he also notices the relationship between Erickson’s fictitious Aeonopolis, with its “nightmare of reason paralyzed, of civility blood-cursed” and how it is “perhaps only degrees worse than the dark urban dream we ourselves can't get free of,” which was ultimately one of Erickson’s goal in writing the novel.

Spinks, Lee. “Jefferson at the Millennial Gates: History and Apocalypse in the Fiction of Steve Erickson.” Contemporary Literature 40. 2 (1999): 214-39.

Spinks interviews Erickson regarding the beginning of his childhood, writing career, his influences and inspirations, political opinions (especially concerning President Clinton), and cultural observations.

Staggs, Jeffrey. “Legend of the Hemings Affair Refuses to Die.” Washington Times 12 April 12 1993: D2.

Staggs’ review of Arc d’X essentially casts the novel off as inaccurate and baseless: “[it] eschews historical fact and reads like a Southern romance potboiler. . . . it’s soft porn.” He then goes on to point to the fact that scholars agree on the fact that an affair between Jefferson and Hemings was nonexistent, and furthermore that there is nothing in Jefferson’s constant writings that would indicate that an affair occurred.

Vivian, Bradford. "Jefferson's Other." Quarterly Journal of Speech 88.3 (2002): 284-302.

Vivian explores the dichotomy of Jefferson’s character, the “Private demon within the civic saint” (295). He draws pointed parallels between Jefferson’s sinister desires for Sally in order to offset his otherwise idealistic democratic convictions, as “Sally is the dark secret in which the goodness of America is rooted” (296). And, so, Vivian offers a critical yet candid review of Jefferson’s hypocritical nature as depicted in Arc d’X by dissociating our romanticized memories of Jefferson with the cold, hard reality of his actions.