Edinburgh International Book Festival: Charles Fernyhough and Ben Marcus

Review by Megan Agnew | 20 Aug 2012

An interesting discussion chaired by psychologist Jennifer Wild which considered the interplay between science and literature and their influences on each other in both literature and in the real world. Marcus's latest novel The Flame Alphabet considers the consequences of a toxic language, where all children's speech is harmful to the adults around them. While the text explores the limitations of human communication, it also reveals the uncomfortable nature of a consistent we take for granted in our daily lives. Language has a physiological impact and can suffuciently influence on a molecular level – creating chemical reactions and stimulating the mind. Both Marcus and Fernyhough suspect that there is more to language than what we see at face value – it is also concerned with what we feel and, even deeper, how we think and the specific thought processes which make up our ideas and nature of thinking. Both authors seemed keen to explore the nature of thought and experiment with these different ideas of science as a literary genre for 'thought games'. Marcus sees the sentence as a tool, leading to a space which is yet unfound. For Fernyhough, fiction is a playground – a science lab which can be used as a space to explore behaviour and test out theories. Interestingly, the focus for both these scientific and literary minds was on the small intricacies of being alive and the vigorous, challenging possibilities which are a constant experience of the human condition. [Megan Agnew]

Charles Fernyhough and Ben Marcus appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 11 Aug 2012 http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/