I'm thoroughly enjoying the book. I think it's hirlarious. I have one comment, though. Is it the author's purpose that both the Novelist Emeritus and the Novelist Aspirant should have the same writing "voice"? I mean, is this supposed to be as if the N.A. is an evolved N.E., sort of?

Here's an excerpt from a Barth Interview: the assertion is that great books teach us how to read them. Any responses as you give Coming Soon!!! a first read?

Q: There’s the old cliché that some great books teach you how to read it as you go. My initial impression of Coming Soon!!! is that it’s not only teaching me how to read it, it’s making me forget how to read anything else. What book could I possibly pick up after this?

Barth: Well, I myself have most recently read with pleasure Dave Eggers’ Heartbreaking Work…, Richard Powers’ Plowing the Dark, Curt White’s Requiem, Mary Robison’s Why Did I Ever and Michael Martone’s Blue Guide to Indiana (those last three by ex-students of mine) and am happily rereading Diderot’s Jacques Le Fataliste— all books that pleasurably re-teach us how to read fiction.

I am also thoroughly enjoying the narrative (novel?) and also noticed that the voices seem almost indistinguishable, but then we’re not sure, or at least I’m not yet sure, who exactly is narrating part or all of the book. Doubling and replication seem to be consistent (if not obsessive) themes in the book. I’ve read Barth before, and he always surprises me so I’m still expecting a few (postmodern?) twists.

Having never really read postmodern fiction before, I find myself pausing, re-reading, flipping back, reading aloud. It's clever and interesting at first, but after about 80 pages, I began wondering: Is it worth the effort? Maybe after I finish the work, I'll be able to answer 'yes.' Or maybe, more likely, I'm just a lazy reader.

See images of the N.E. and the N.A. himself in this credible website devoted to Barth (put together by a former Hopkins Writing Seminarian no less!):

http://www.dave-edelman.com/barth/index.cfm

There are even some details about Barth's own book -The Floating Opera- from 1956. Are we postmodern yet?

For those of you who feel like Barth has really gotten into your head... Yesterday was Mary Pickford's birthday! Coincidence!?

http://us.imdb.com/Name?Pickford,+Mary

A short essay from Barth, narrating his own first encounter with hypertext fiction:

http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/994web/culture1.html

"Click" -- The text of Barth's story from the Atlantic Monthly.
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/barth.htm

"Click" -- The text of Barth's story from the Atlantic Monthly.
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/barth.htm