On Being Human

by Karl Wolff

Just what does it mean to be human? Various artists from over the centuries have tackled this all-consuming question in a variety of ways; and now Karl Wolff, cultural essayist for the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, presents a brand-new examination of fifteen such projects, ranging from the undeniably highbrow (Samuel Beckett's "Trilogy") to the decidedly lowbrow (the "Warhammer 40,000" roleplaying game), and every shade of complexity in between. Originally published monthly at the CCLaP blog in 2012, these intelligent, probing looks at such varied creative endeavors as the sci-fi television show "Battlestar Galactica," the Victorian erotic classic "Venus in Furs," and the noir pulp "The Killer Inside Me" present a layered, fascinating overview of how artists have viewed the subject of humanity over the years; and with three brand-new essays exclusive to this book version, there's a good reason to pick this up even if you're already a regular fan of Wolff's wry, articulate online writing. Whether it's a comic book like "Hellboy" or a Postmodernist literary master like Anthony Burgess, Wolff's shakeup of popular culture in "On Being Human" is sure to get your brain working in new ways, and to get you introduced to at least a handful of projects you've never heard of before.

59 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2013

Reviews

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

FTC DISCLOSURE: I am the publisher of this book.

I'm the publisher of this book, so needless to say I hope you get a chance to check it out soon -- you can download a free electronic copy, or order a special handmade hardback paper edition, at [cclapcenter.com/onbeinghuman]. Later I'll be posting an essay here on all the reasons I myself like this book so much, as well as Karl's writing in general.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, that was interesting and informative, but ON BEING HUMAN is not exactly what it presents itself to be. The cognitive process of Karl Wolff interesting and 100% valid. He discusses the moral bearings of being human in fiction, when the status quo of humanity is being challenged, often by supernatural or futuristic variables. I thought that his essay on Warhammer 40K was particularly interesting/problematic, because it depicts humanity as something to protect and treasure for reasons seemingly other than pure survival.

The essays of ON BEING HUMAN are pretty short. Some would say too short to be engaging, but it's not how I perceived the book at all. I saw it as a series of debate triggers that didn't cover a whole lot of reflection, true, but that did raise some interesting problems in how we represent humanity in various form of fiction. It's a pretty solid read for something that began as a series of blog posts.

[Karl]

Since I wrote this book, I'll neither rate it or review it. But I am curious as to what readers think of my essays.