Triton by Samuel R. Delany
"Triton," a novel by Samuel R. Delany, is a thought-provoking exploration of a Utopian society that embraces diversity, particularly in sexuality. The book is divided into two sections: the first discusses the theoretical underpinnings of a modular calculus, linking it to Delany's broader body of work, while the second draws parallels to Ursula K. Le Guin's notion of an ambiguous utopia. In this society, differences among individuals are celebrated rather than merely tolerated, fostering a creative and dynamic environment. The protagonist, Bron Helstrom, struggles with his inability to fully engage with the pleasures available in this idealized world, reflecting a personal conflict amidst a backdrop of societal chaos caused by external conflicts.
Delany's narrative challenges traditional gender roles and delves into the complexities of individual identity within a collective. While "Triton" may not have achieved the same commercial success as Delany's earlier work, "Dhalgren," it is recognized for its innovative narrative techniques and its significant contributions to the science fiction genre. The novel serves as a profound commentary on the nature of Utopia, suggesting that one person’s paradise can be another’s torment, and invites readers to reflect on the implications of freedom and societal norms.
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Subject Terms
Triton by Samuel R. Delany
First published: 1976
The Work
Triton has two sections: The first is “Some Informal Remarks Toward the Modular Calculus, Part One,” and the second is “An Ambiguous Heterotopia.” The first section’s title links Triton to a series of Samuel Delany’s quasi-allegorical fictions, including the appendix to Tales of Nevèry"on (1979), “Some Informal Remarks Toward the Modular Calculus, Part Three,” and his remarkable memoir and analysis of the advent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in New York, “The Tale of Plagues and Carnivals: Or, Some Informal Remarks Toward the Modular Calculus, Part Five” (in Flight from Nevèry"on, 1985). A calculatedly convoluted essay on the language of science fiction appears at the end of Triton as “Appendix B.”
Triton’s second section’s title refers to the subtitle of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia (1974) and stresses the fact that unlike most Utopian novels, Triton describes a society in which the differences among individuals—especially differences in sexuality—are not merely tolerated but encouraged to flourish, thus lending the anarchy of difference a constructive and creative thrust. The addition of this element of calculated flamboyance to the traditional story of the ideal society does not rob Delany’s Utopia of its ambiguity. An ambiguity arising from Utopian fiction is the truth that one person’s Utopia is another person’s hell. The hero of Triton, Bron Helstrom, retains the only sexual trait that can still be called a perversity in the book’s utopia: an inability to exploit in a fully satisfying manner the Utopia’s rich potential for pleasure. This personal perversity is reflected in the plot on a larger scale when the scrupulously nonaggressive society of Triton is horribly maimed by the war fought between the Outer Satellites and the conservative Worlds of the inner solar system.
Unlike many of Delany’s protagonists, Helstrom is not a version of the author. Delany’s memoir The Motion of Light in Water (1988) includes an account of the young author’s meeting with a prawn fisherman named Ron Helstrom, who seems to have provided a model for the character’s stubborn masculinity. The fictional Helstrom is a kind of negative image of Delany’s own sexuality and values. The author’s identity is not only mirrored in The Spike—the novel’s writer character— but also is transfigured and magnified into the Tritonian society to which Helstrom cannot adapt.
Although it did not have the commercial success of Dhalgren (1975), from the year before, Triton is tremendously impressive as an exploration of the personal and social possibilities inherent in freedom from traditional gender roles. The book is even more spectacular in its deployment of the narrative strategies of science fiction; it is a landmark work within the genre.
Bibliography
Blackford, Russell. “Jewels in Junk City: To Read Triton.” The Review of Contemporary Fiction 16 (Fall, 1996): 142-147. Blackford examines the inconsistencies in Delany’s novel, noting that readers are sometimes jarred by Delany’s rapid shifts of scene, internal interruptions in plot, and characters who depend on unreliable information. However, Blackford asserts that the reader can overcome these distractions by focusing on the playful tone of the novel.
Delany, Samuel. “On Triton and Other Matters: An Interview with Samuel R. Delany.” Interview by Robert M. Philmus, Renee Lallier, and Robert Copp. Science-Fiction Studies 17 (November, 1990): 295-324. A wide-ranging interview in which Delany discusses a variety of topics, including the influence of the theory of quantum uncertainty on contemporary literature; the ways in which American science fiction shaped the Vietnam War; the search for the literary origins of science fiction; and the writing of his novel, Triton.
Massé, Michelle. “ All You Have to Do Is Know What You Want’: Individual Expectations in Triton.” In Coordinates: Placing Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Eric S. Rabkin, Robert Scholes, and George E. Slusser. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1983. Examines the role of desire in Delany’s novel Triton (1976), which like many of Delany’s novels has a strong sexual theme. Triton is similar to Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand in use of technology to adapt people’s thinking; in Triton, people can voluntarily change their sexual preferences as well as their sexuality.
Sallis, James, ed. Ash of Stars: On the Writing of Samuel R. Delany. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1996. An interesting collection of critical essays by various scholars that address specific aspects of Delany’s fiction. Includes an essay on Triton, as well as a selected bibliography.
Sallis, James. “Samuel R. Delany: An Introduction.” The Review of Contemporary Fiction 16 (Fall, 1996): 90-96. Offers brief background information on Delany’s life and career. Discusses Delany’s reputation as a major critical voice in science fiction, as well as the unifying factors in his work, including central characters as storytellers, revolutions with real consequences, and sexual concerns. Sallis also takes note of Delany’s thoughts on the points Blackford makes in the essay cited above.