Plus (novel) explained
Plus is Joseph McElroy's fifth novel. Set in some unspecified future, it tells the story of Imp Plus, a disembodied brain controlling IMP, the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform, in earth orbit. The novel consists of Imp Plus's thoughts as he tries to comprehend his limited existence, while struggling with language, limited memories, and communicating with Ground Control. The plot is driven by Imp Plus's recall of fragments of his past and of language, his improving comprehension of his present, all while his medical condition gradually deteriorates.
McElroy denies that the novel is science fiction, unless "science" is used in its etymological sense of "knowing".[1]
The novel was reprinted as an e-book by Dzanc Books in 2014, with an introductory 2012 poem "A Green of its Own Breathing" by Sarah Grindley, dedicated to "Joe McElroy & Imp Plus".
Sources
McElroy acknowledges three technical sources:
. Albert L. Lehninger. Bioenergetics. 2nd. Benjamin. 1973.
- Book: Noback, Charles R.. The Human Nervous System. McGraw-Hill. 1967.
- Book: Weiss, Paul. Principles of Development. Hafner. 1969.
Further reading
Book reviews
- Plus. Kirkus Reviews. . 1976.
- Frank. Sheldon. The Eerie Saga of Imp Plus. The National Observer. February 26, 1977. 21.
- News: Lehmann-Haupt. Christopher. Books of the Times. The New York Times. December 27, 1976. 61.
- Malin. Irving. Ultimate patterns. The Ontario Review. 5. 1976–77. 101 - 03.
- News: Wood. Michael. Michael Wood (academic). Putting a brain into space. The New York Times Book Review. March 20, 1977. 6.
Literary analysis
- Bould. Mark. Vint. Sherryl. Of Neural Nets and Brains in Vats: Model Subjects in Galatea 2.2 and Plus. Biography. 30. 1. Winter 2007. 84 - 104. 10.1353/bio.2007.0019. 23540600. 145095839.
- Language After Humans: On the Disembodied Language of Joseph McElroy's Plus. Pulizzi. James J.. July 2014. 41. 2. 392 - 409. 10.5621/sciefictstud.41.2.0392. Science Fiction Studies. 10.5621/sciefictstud.41.2.0392.
- Hadas. Pamela White. Green Thoughts on Being in Charge: Discovering Joseph McElroy's Plus. The Review of Contemporary Fiction. X. 1. 1990. 140 - 55.
- Richardson. Joan. Metaphor Master. The Review of Contemporary Fiction. X. 1. 1990. 156 - 72.
- Miller. Alicia M.. Power and Perception in Plus. The Review of Contemporary Fiction. X. 1. 1990. 172 - 80.
In addition, see these general works on McElroy's fiction.
Notes and References
- Book: LeClair. Tom. McCaffery. Larry. Joseph McElroy. Anything Can Happen. 1983. University of Illinois Press.
