As She Climbed Across the Table
Encyclopedia
As She Climbed Across the Table is a 1997
novel
by the American
writer Jonathan Lethem
. This satirical science fiction
story is set on the campus of fictional Beauchamp University in Northern California
. Particle physicist
Alice Coombs rooms with Philip Engstrand, an anthropologist researching conflicts between and within disciplines. Their relationship drives the romantic aspect of this story.
they call Lack, which appears to have its own personality and preferences. Alice develops a personal relationship with the artificial intelligence
that they have created, while Philip becomes jealous of their relationship. Ultimately, Philip's curiosity leads him to explore the pocket universe
s inside Lack, although other physicists have preceded him, as have several fowl and B-84, a laboratory animal (cat
). Lack has analysed the raw materials fed into it, and has produced at least two such domains. At the end of the novel, Philip and Lack merge with one another, and is reunited with Alice.
The novel deals thematically with many of the philosophical issues pertaining to modern quantum physics, as well as human interaction with artificial intelligence.
, which would be under the direction of Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg
. Steven Zaillian
would be producing, along with his production company Film Rites.
1997 in literature
The year 1997 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Clancy signs a book deal with Pearson Custom Publishing and Penguin Putnam Inc. , giving him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books . A second agreement gives him another US$25 million for a...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels...
. This satirical science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
story is set on the campus of fictional Beauchamp University in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. Particle physicist
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
Alice Coombs rooms with Philip Engstrand, an anthropologist researching conflicts between and within disciplines. Their relationship drives the romantic aspect of this story.
Plot
The physicists in Coombs's lab become obsessed with an artificially-created miniature black holeBlack hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
they call Lack, which appears to have its own personality and preferences. Alice develops a personal relationship with the artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
that they have created, while Philip becomes jealous of their relationship. Ultimately, Philip's curiosity leads him to explore the pocket universe
Pocket universe
-In science:A pocket universe is a concept in inflationary theory, proposed by Alan Guth. It defines a realm like the one that contains the observable universe as only one of many inflationary zones.-In fiction:...
s inside Lack, although other physicists have preceded him, as have several fowl and B-84, a laboratory animal (cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
). Lack has analysed the raw materials fed into it, and has produced at least two such domains. At the end of the novel, Philip and Lack merge with one another, and is reunited with Alice.
The novel deals thematically with many of the philosophical issues pertaining to modern quantum physics, as well as human interaction with artificial intelligence.
Film adaptation
There has been news around interest in adapting Jonathan Lethem's novel into a feature filmFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, which would be under the direction of Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg
David Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
. Steven Zaillian
Steven Zaillian
Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian is an American screenwriter, film director, film editor, producer, and founder of Film Rites, a film production company. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Schindler's List and he has been nominated two times for Awakenings and Gangs of New York...
would be producing, along with his production company Film Rites.