Kirsty O’ Driscoll
History and politics
Disease and Civilisation.
A Commentary on “Pollen”; its content and its use as a historical document.
“Pollen” was published by Jeff Noon in 1995. It presents an account of Manchester at an unspecified date in years to come, where technology has become so far advanced reality can be effortlessly intermingled with dreams, allowing the gifted ones the chance to share dreams with others, revisit their own dreams or drop into a strangers dream. However, from this a conflict between dreams and reality arises, in which the dream world unleashes a pollen upon reality. An explosion of flowers are “spurting pollen all over the Manchester map” causing the pollen count to rocket, with the sound of violent sneezing perpetuating every corner of the city. So severe is the hayfever from which the inhabitants are suffering, the remedies applied which previously alleviated the symptoms are rendered ineffective and the “damned hayfever” appears to have gained control over reality. When questioned about his portrayal of hayfever in the book, Noon claims “I was taking a mild disease and turning it into a killer. Its another way of looking at these new diseases that currently want us for dinner”. What might be Noon’s intentions in looking at “these new diseases” in “another way” and does the source hold any historical weight in explaining the wide spread concerns about the prevalence of allergies in the time that he wrote?
The idea of nature somehow “taking control” over mankind is commonly used in science fiction literature, to stir insecurities allowing the authors to display wider concerns. In “Pollen”, natures normal behaviour is exaggerated, with the controls normally applied to temper her power now seemingly useless. Perhaps Noon is challenging the reader to question the power we believe we maintain over nature and our own health. Mankind continuously strives to manipulate the dirt and germs and infections that nature brings and, through demonstrating nature overriding the controls that have been enforced, the book might serve as a warning to the presumption that nature and our own health is something that can be controlled. In an age where technology has reached previously unimaginable heights, “Pollen” demonstrates the strength of the vast organic machine in which we live and the implications it can have on our health. In taking hayfever, a seemingly “mild” disease that is supposedly caused by the “natural”, to its futuristic extreme, Noon can effectively present the lack of control we hold over nature.
The idea of the natural and unnatural is further highlighted by the loss of reality between dreams and the real world, which has in turn created a population that is genetically blended between a number of species and between the living and the dead. This demonstrates a loss of control over a game which man thought he could create, enjoy and escape from unscathed, with the wars between dream and reality showing the fictional extremes of science and technology and the dangers of virtual reality. The idea that mankind can become a victim of the science and technology he created becomes apparent, suggesting that perhaps in an age of genetic manipulation, biochemistry and ever advancing computing that our own creations could revert back on us. Perhaps in behaving so unnaturally as humans, nature might become “unnatural” in response, overproducing substances to the detriment of human health, as with hayfever and pollen.
Does “Pollen” hold any weight in explaining the widespread concerns about the prevalence of allergies in the time that Noon wrote? There has been some scepticism over the validity of fictional literature as a historical source, with the argument mounted that literature serves only to reflect the opinion of one individual and that this opinion might be somehow coloured by other motivations. Issues or concerns may be exaggerated in order to further the author’s plot, therefore if this is the case with “Pollen”, hayfever is used merely as a means to an end of a storyline. Such an approach reflects the opinion that in dramatising hayfever, Noon was able to voice his “real” concerns; the dangers of modern technology overtaking us, the potential perils of genetic engineering etc. However, this approach “undermines” the specificity of the elements with which an author chooses to compose his book. It is unlikely that Noon simply picked out “at random” a disease that the dream world could unleash on reality. Hayfever plays such a central role in the plot of the book, its inclusion must reflect some increasing concerns with the prevalence of allergies at the time. The idea that using literature as a historical source might be invalid due to the “broader concerns” of the author is presuming that all historical documents are written without any bias or ulterior motives. This is clearly incorrect. No man writes in a vacuum. The variety of external influences to which we are subject are certain to impinge on any attempts to write objectively. Consciously or subconsciously, we are a product of the times in which we live and of the concerns that have perpetuated our day to day existence and this will be reflected in our opinions. To dismiss the value of fictional literature because it was written without historical intention and therefore might be biased is to ignore the huge range of influences to which all historians have been party to. Perhaps sources that are not written with historical intention might sometimes hold more weight than those that are, in that they demonstrate a truer picture of the concerns of the time in that they are not attempting to distance themselves from their concerns to achieve “neutrality”.
What can “Pollen” reveal of the widespread concerns with allergic disease towards the end of the twentieth century? Sceptics might dismiss Noon’s inclusion of hayfever as merely a ploy to further his own intentions, in his story line or on his broader intentions. Others might view the source as more valid than many sources written with attempts to be unbiased, for it is often the concerns we are least conscious of that are most “telling” of the time in which we live. Therefore, the approach one takes towards “Pollen” and its inclusion of allergic diseases depends on the weight one lends to fictional literature in highlighting the concerns of the time in which it was written.