Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture

The second book I got to read for my popular Canadian literature class was Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland. I enjoyed just as much as JPod, Coupland's quirky style has me hooked to his books.

Generation X – Douglas Coupland (p 3 -86)

So far I have mixed feelings about this book. There are aspects that I really enjoy and others that I do not. I really like how it is formatted like a text book with definitions in the margins and other amusing tidbits. I do not like some of the imagery he has used; I found his description of “yuppie liposuction fat” in the dogs’ nostrils to be really gross. I see social criticism of the Canadian identity through his character Dag and when he quits his job. I guess it reflects on how most of us end up in unsatisfactory jobs in tiny cubicles and do not do anything about it. Or if we do voice our opinions, as Dag did, we end up quitting to save our dignity (or fired as I am sure Dag would have been had he stayed behind long enough for them to fire him). I can relate to this book in that I have definitely had a “McJob” before. I have worked in a grocery store, a coffee shop, and a book store. All of which met the description of “low-pay, low-prestige, low-dignity, low-benefit, no-future job in the service sector” that Coupland provides. Pay was minimum wage or slightly above ($0.50 above to be exact) without tangible benefits and no way to climb in the ranks (i.e. become a manager). I really like Claire’s character, the way she described her date made me laugh especially the part where she was trying to explain to her bad date that it was irrelevant that she didn’t need a taxidermied chicken since she wanted one.

Generation X – Douglas Coupland (p 87-179)

I found the second half of Generation X to be much more enjoyable, particularly because I was better acquainted with the characters at that point. I found myself to be more engaged in the story and care about what was happening to the Andy, Claire, and Dag. The major social criticism I noticed can be applied in North America in general and was when Andy went home for Christmas. He describes his parent’s household as being stuck in a bygone era, essentially back when he and his siblings were teenagers, and refuses to catch up with the modern world. I find that to be very true, I see it when I go to visit my grandparent’s house and find it stuck in the 70’s with the furniture and décor. I think this may stem from the fact that parents in general view their children as children forever, even when they’ve reached middle-age and have children of their own, and might want to keep their house in a condition that reminds them of that. I can relate to Claire, Dag, and Andy’s need to get away from corporate America and consumerism to lead a simplistic life. It would be really cool if I could own a hotel in a tropical location and just laze around the beach all day not having to worry about deadlines or having the latest technology. I’m not sure if I would recommend this book to others, Douglas Coupland really has a unique writing style and way of laying out his books which is not for everyone.

Douglas Coupland