THE DROWNED GIANT J. G. Ballard J. G. Ballard

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The story  “The Drowned Giant” Has been one of the more interesting topics that I have read about simply because it is so detached from everything. It created a sense of unsettling wonder through its simplistic topic being literally about a drowned giant who’s corpse washes up on the beach. It is such an interesting and fantasy like the thing to happen yet no one seems to be in the wonder which left me with more questions than anything. I was more wondering why the people found this so normal? They didn’t have the same reactions as what I would expect a normal human to have and that created a wonderful sense of disturbing fantasy through the use of clinical detail and its detached tone.

I found this one of the most enjoyable text, not just because of its short length but because it got me thinking and planning my own fantasy world. The weirdness of it all sparked the desire for me to create and that is what I think all work should do. Create a burning sensation to inspire and light the creativity in readers.

The detached tone also is something that I related to as it's very much like someone disassociating while experiencing something grand. They can tell that its something they should be excited and awestricken by but the desire and ability to express this is lacking. It’s very human in my opinion and creates a connection with the story that I normally don’t get on a darker tone. The scale of the Giant was creatively expressed and I could very much picture what this creature looked like. It had a wonderful impressive effect.

I would suggest that the story be a smidge longer as I wanted to hear more of it. Its short end left me with many ideas for short continuums of the story. Possible from other perspectives of the people experiencing the event rather than the clinical and detached scientist. Maybe a perspective writings of the children that were present and playing on the gnats body. It has so many opportunities to be a great collection of short stories on one single event. I love the idea of finding connections between multiple minds. It’s something a lot of writings never express and I think it would be best to express it more.


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