qdixon Lit/horror

Books like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings brought an immersive experience that really hadn't been seen with many books or stories for that matter. Tolkien's approach to build a world with such depth is what made into what it is today. We discussed in class his fascination with language that drove him to creating multiple languages for the series and the many races that fill it. I think this created a cultural diversity in the beings and backstory of them that sparked such an obsession with Middle Earth. It made this world feel at times something close to ours. Perhaps like a lost civilization uncovered in some remote part of the world that we were slowly started digging up. His wide array of characters from the many different backgrounds that fill his kingdom have  this deepened detail that makes readers feel as if they know them. A level of such detail hadn't reach before the writings of Tolkien and even today we seen movies, shows, and games trying to replicate such

During that week I stepped back from some reading and ended up watching a couple movies that had to do with the theme of that class instead. Since the theme was witches I decided watch Hocus Pocus and The Craft. Both wonderful movies that fit perfectly into the discussion we were having in class, like how the fear of witches is very much just a fear of empowered women and how they can do anything men can. This could possibly be why in some cases they are portrayed as very hideous or old. The women in both these films never once need a man for anything, but rely upon each other for strength and guidance. Also both films have that magic number found in most witch related stories, three. I understand in The Craft the protagonist is sort of the fourth member of the group but she seems to be more of an outsider throughout the whole movie.This stems from mythological Greek figures like the three Graces or even the three Fates who even the almighty Zeus could not control. This concept of a po

The new weird is a genre we covered in class. It's a horror/ science fiction hybrid with surreal qualities that really just expects you to go along with the story it's telling. Doesn't seem to hold your hand in any way or include unnecessary amounts of exposition, at least in the example I read.  It's been a couple weeks and after some time I still have no idea what to make of it. For that week I ended up reading Perdido Street Station, a book with bug romance, exiled bird people, and giant moths that are wanted by the criminal underworld. I have no other way to describe it and honestly don't know if I would recommend it to anyone. Wasn't a bad book by any means, just a weird one. Which is why it's in this genre to begin with. Like I stated before, I don't know what to make of it, and I suppose maybe that was the purpose. Not the book itself, but the genre as a whole. Maybe its aim is to distort what we usually would consider horror, science fiction, or

During that week in class we focused on Japanese Horror and I happened to read The Enigma of Amigara Fault. I've seen quite a few scary movies and read a couple spooky books here and there, but it's rare to find something in horror that really sticks with you. I talking about that story that sort stays in the back of your mind and when you happen upon a situation that even remotely resembles the plot you find yourself being real spooked. A good example of this for me is the movie Gremlins. Yes Gremlin, I watched it as a small child and it still freaks me out. I hear a crash in my kitchen late at night or the song " Do you hear what I hear" you know damn well I'm checking ever nook and cranny in my house for those little monsters. After reading this Manga I can't help but think of this story when I see any dark space like a closet of something. The concept that every person has their own carving that they have some unknown urge to venture into really gets unde

Anna Rice's Interview with a Vampire may not be the first "vampire novel", but I think it was the book that really sparked popular culture's obsession with wanting to be a vampire instead of killing them. Which inevitably lead to books like Twilight. While that is unfortunate, this book sort of breathed new life into the genre by make what was really seen as an almost ethereal monster into flawed a human. For example this is seen through Louis's inner conflict with drinking blood or Louis and Lestat's need to dress Claudia up like a doll and keep her innocent. Also introducing some complex romances between Louis and Lestat as well as Louis and Claudia. The emotions of these characters are filtered through these vampiric tendencies that show why they did such terrible things at points, especially Claudia. Overall I liked the book as a whole, but the aspect that really caught my attention was the character Claudia. Theres something very unsettling to me about b