|
''Passage'' is a science fiction novel by Connie Willis, published in 2001. The novel won the Locus Award for Best Novel in 2002,〔(【引用サイトリンク】 2002 Award Winners & Nominees )〕 was shortlisted for the Nebula Award in 2001,〔(【引用サイトリンク】 2001 Award Winners & Nominees )〕 and received nominations for the Hugo, Campbell, and Clarke Awards in 2002.〔 ''Passage'' follows the efforts of Joanna Lander, a research psychologist, to understand the phenomenon of near-death experiences (or NDEs) by interviewing hospital patients after they are revived following clinical death. Her work with Dr. Richard Wright, a neurologist who has discovered a way to chemically induce an artificial NDE and conduct an "RIPT" brain scan during the experience, leads her to the discovery of the biological purpose of NDEs. Science fiction scholar Gary K. Wolfe writes, "Willis tries something truly astonishing: without resorting to supernaturalism on the one hand or clinical reportage on the other, without forgoing her central metaphor, she seeks to lift the veil on what actually happens inside a dying mind." Through Lander's work, Dr. Wright is able to develop a medicine that brings patients back from clinical death. The novel contains enlightening discussions of various disasters, including the ''RMS Titanic'', the Hartford circus fire, the Hindenburg disaster, the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, the Boston Molasses Disaster, and, almost as prominently as the ''Titanic'', the sinking of the ''USS Yorktown''. (Willis has written extensively in several novels about events in World War II.) ==Background== Connie Willis's inspiration for ''Passage'' came in part from her mother's death, when Willis was 12. Willis felt frustrated that relatives and friends tried to comfort her with platitudes, so she wanted to write a novel that dealt with death honestly and could help people understand the process of death and mourning.〔http://www.locusmag.com/2003/Issue01/Willis.html〕 The character of Maurice Mandrake was inspired by Willis's anger at psychics and mediums who take advantage of vulnerable people.〔http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw11763.html〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Passage (Willis novel)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|