| "The Winter Market" | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Gibson |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Published in | |
| Publication type | Anthology |
| Publisher | Arbor House |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Publication date | April 1986 |
| Preceded by | "New Rose Hotel" |
| Followed by | "Dogfight" |
"The Winter Market" is a science fiction short story written by William Gibson, and published as part of his
The theme of the story primarily concerns human relationships and their tenuous and problematic qualities by deploying the concept of technological immortality, in which one's consciousness is separated from the body and "uploaded" into a supercomputer, where it continues to think and function on its own. Characters in the story are marked by a distinct failure to connect, while they express typical genre concerns regarding this type of theoretical mind transfer; whether or not the online consciousness really is the same individual, and whether or not it was moral to allow this to happen.
In this particular tale, Lise's original body is defective and failing, partially due to a congenital disease, and partially due to drug abuse. Hence, the act of leaving behind the original physical form is potentially one of escape into an untainted existence. However, the story undercuts this simplistic reading by convincingly evoking Lise's humanity and her longing for a "normal" relationship to her body.
Characteristic of Gibson's early writing, the story conveys an individual's (Lise) story mediated through the voice of another character. It also examines what constitutes "waste" within a consumer culture. According to the analysis of critic Pramod Nayar, the story "depicts the body as a vehicle for experiencing dreams edited into Hollywood thrillers".[2]
The story was critically well-received, garnering nominations for the Hugo Award for Best Novelette, the Nebula Award for Best Novelette, the "short-form, English" Aurora award, and the British Science Fiction Association award for best short story. It also finished highly in several science fiction magazines' annual readers polls in 1987, coming fourth in the Locus novelette category, third in the Interzone fiction category, and joint second in the Science Fiction Chronicle novelette category.[3]
References
- ^ Wiebe, Joe (2007-10-13). "Writing Vancouver". Special to the Sun (The Vancouver Sun). http://canada.com/vancouversun/news/arts/story.html?id=99d2236b-c329-4969-b07e-6ffebeff5871&p=2. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ^ Nayar, Pramod (2004). Virtual Worlds. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. pp. 118–119. ISBN 0761932291.
- ^ Kelly, Mark R. (2008). "Locus index to Science Fiction Awards: William Gibson". Locusmag.com. Locus Publications. http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit52.html. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
External links
- "The Winter Market" at the William Gibson Aleph
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