Week 15: The Novel of Spiritual Education (Revised)

    Originally I had posted this entry when I had only read 3/4's of the book, now that I've finished it entirely, I can slightly add and revise it. I have had a copy of Erin Morgenstern's, The Night Circus, on my shelf for months now. I've been longing to read it, yet never had the time to spare. Finally, I was given that chance to sit and read it.
     Like most fantasy series I've read, despite the fantasy setting, the characters are typically relatable. Celia's and Marco's challenge along with the high expectations placed on them by their parental figures puts a heavy burden on their shoulders, which many young adults can relate to. No matter how much they wish to escape their destiny, they are still bound to it and try to play around it. The novel differs from other fantasy books because of how the main characters want to shake off a destiny that was built for them. At the end of the novel, rather than one having to kill the other, both become spirits and are able to haunt the circus peacefully together. They fight against the destiny that was chosen for them and create their own, neither win the game, but neither had to kill the one they love.
     Overall, I really enjoy the book thus far. I especially enjoyed reading the different perspectives. I've formed a slight attachment to Widget and Poppet, probably the two most intuitive twins I've encountered in literature. Morgenstern's picturesque style of writing is wonderful, though it does leave me craving for more.

Week 14: Science Fiction Parody and Satire

   For this week, I attempted to listen to the original radio series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. For someone who has not really dedicated time to listening to podcasts or other radio shows, I had a hard time sitting still and listening to it. In fact, the only audio narrative I can remember having the patience for are the Diane tapes made for Twin Peaks. I'm sure more time and dedication to this kind of story media will help me better adjust to it eventually.
    Overall, what I do remember from the radio show, I found be very entertaining, from it's British humor to it's use of sound effects and voice acting. Though, I wish all the answers to life could be as simple as "42".

Week 13: Literary Speculation

Week 12: Diverse Position Science Fiction

   For this week, we read Bloodchild by Octavia Butler. This work challenged the majoritarian culture by tackling gender roles.

    In this short story, the main protagonist is a male who is chosen to carry the more dominant female’s children. He witnesses a male give birth, via a familiar approach to C-section. The use of eggs symbolize long life, eggs are more correlated with females because of our sexual reproduction system. Also, the human species has become dependent on this new species that is introduced in the story, and vice versa.

   In class, we also watched Attack on the Block, which implemented a familiar alien attack storyline but in a new setting, that is not typical in your usual sci-fi narrative: an urban slum. Along with featuring a more diverse cast rater than your typical white cast.

Week 11: Cyberpunk & Steam Punk

     I’m one of the shameful few on this planet who have never watched Blade Runner, but now I can exclude myself from that group since I have finally had the time to watch the entire film (which was awesome, by the way). It takes place in an alternate reality, not too far from our very own future. It handles a futuristic take of an urban area, but not your typical spick and span futuristic utopia with shining buildings. Rather, it portrays an urban slum. Also, Asian culture is implemented throughout this alternate reality, which really isn’t too different from our reality, considering Asian culture has spread even more so throughout the past few decades.

        In the short story, The Hinterlands, there is an obvious influence of Japanese culture, with names such as Hiro and Nagashima appearing. The world that this story is set in, is still a familiar world to us, except it is set in an alternate futuristic reality, still dealing with space efforts and the military.  There is even a direct mention to Soviet Russia.

Week 10: The Fiction of Ideas

    This week for class, we took the time to read Aye and Gomorrah to explore the fiction of ideas.

    This short story played with what I found familiar and introduced just enough concepts to make you feel out of place and transported to a whole new bizarre setting while at the same time introducing you to a new different culture.

    The story begins with the protagonist and his fellow spacers talking about their travel course through America, places us Americans are familiar with: Galveston, Houston, etc.  But just enough is mentioned to make the reader realize that this is not our modern world, the idea of Frelks and Spacers.

    Spacers play with the idea of gender and sexuality, they are castrated at a young age and are destined to work away from Earth. The Frelks are fascinated by the Spacers, especially because of this. The Frelk that the protagonist Spacer comes across, constantly asks the Spacer about his (possible) asexuality., something not too far or different from our contemporary world. And considering the Frelks offer to pay the Spacers for their time, does this lead to some form of prostitution, even though the Spacers lack the sexual responses.

Week 9: Space Opera

For this week, I read two of Arthur C. Clarke’s short stories, The Nine Billion Names of God and The Star. Both stories played with the idea of religion in a science fiction setting.

     It was interesting to see, even in these futuristic settings, how the characters and societies approached religion. In The Stars, the people who leaned towards science swatted God and religion altogether away, and the protagonist’s questions why God would choose to annihilate certain stars and planets. In The Nine Billion Names of God, the monks invest in technology to reach God by attempting to unravel his true name.  In both stories, the characters question God and his power and stance in their lives.

     "Well, they believe that when they have listed all His names-and they reckon that there are about nine billion of them-God's purpose will be achieved. The human race will have finished what it was created to do, and there won't be any point in carrying on. Indeed, the very idea is something like blasphemy."

Week 8: Mythic Fiction and Contemporary Urban Fantasy

  For this week, I finished watching Caroline. Neil Gaiman integrates myth and fantasy into an urban/suburban setting in this story. Caroline moves into a new town and encounters elements beyond our usual reality. Very similar to the story of Alice in Wonderland, Caroline longs for a different life which leads to her to falling right into the other world. A world where her friends and family, who now have button eyes, are perfect, or so it seems. As Coraline further indulges in this new world, the more dangerous her adventure becomes. Towards the end, she brings upon doom, but like a majority of fantasy heroes, she's able to save her friends and family.

The Aquatic Uncle

   I found the use of land, water, and the line between the two as prominent symbols throughout the story. Obviously, they allude to our own difficulties of change in our contemporary world, especially for our older generations. When the uncle tells the protagonist that he would develop warts, referencing to change and rejection of the past traditional ways. The closer they grow to land, which the fish would consider the unknown, the more monstrous they grow. Whereas water meant life and youth.
 
   Each character in the story reminded me of people I personally know or situations I have gone through and continue to do so. Growing up with my grandparents, who grasp to their traditional conservative views, and yet surrounding myself with people of more broadened views from my own generation. I find myself in the same position of the protagonist, living in the middle, accepting change but still seldomly looking back to the past. To dismantle all prejudices and achieve acceptance.
 
   This story would adapt well into an animated film or even an illustrated graphic novel. The biggest changes it would need would be more description of the characters, since a majority were vague (save the uncle) and hard to get a clear image of what they would look like. If the characters were made human and the setting changed to a contemporary city or town, it could even be adapted to a live-action film.

Week 7: The Novel of Spiritual Education

 
I have had a copy of Erin Morgenstern's, The Night Circus, on my shelf for months now. I've been longing to read it, yet never had the time to spare. Finally, I was given that chance to sit and read it, well most of it that is.
   Like most fantasy series I've read, despite the fantasy setting, the characters are typically relatable. Celia's and Marco's challenge along with the high expectations placed on them by their parental figures puts a heavy burden on their shoulders, which many young adults can relate to. No matter how much they wish to escape their destiny, they are still bound to it and try to play around it. The novel differs from other fantasy books because of how the main characters want to shake off a destiny that was built for them. Since I have yet to finish reading, I will find out if they do or do not soon (hopefully).
   Overall, I really enjoy the book thus far. I especially enjoyed reading the different perspectives. I've formed a slight attachment to Widget and Poppet, probably the two most intuitive twins I've encountered in literature. Morgenstern's picturesque style of writing is wonderful, though it does leave me craving for more. I hope to elaborate more in this post once I have finished reading the entire novel.

Week 6: Classic Fantasy

As a lover of the fantasy genre, I have always had a hard time considering myself a true fan of the genre since I never had read any of Tolkien's work. Well, I can finally deem myself worthy of being called a fantasy fan, now that I have read The Hobbit (I have read 1/3rd of The Fellowship of the Ring, if that counts for anything).
   The Hobbit was definitely a pleasure to read, considering Tolkien wrote the story for his children, it's not surprising that the style it is written is is very much as if he was sitting by your bedside reading the story to you. Breaking the fourth wall and teasing the reader of future events in the book that have yet to happen. His description of characters, their voices, and the world they live in serve as a buffet for the imagination. You can hear Gollum's hissing within all his lines and the goblins grotesque descriptions and their aggressive chants created a clear image of what they looked like in my head. Tolkien's world creation is really the highlight of his story, as well as every fantasy story ever written. I do believe a well developed world is the core to creating an escape from reality into fantasy. Whether it be a world we would want to go to (ex. Middle-Earth) or a world we would rather stay clear from (ex. Westeros). Though, considering that these worlds still contain the as many dangers as the real world possesses, along with the struggles and hardships the characters must face, it's hard to consider some of these stories as a way of escaping reality. In the end, it's just a reflection of our own world, plus a dragon or two.
  Tolkien has obviously influenced other fantasy writers, so as a fan of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, it was a nice to see where a lot of his inspiration is drawn from, even if he writes "low fantasy". Even J.K. Rowling follows the tradition of the hero's quest in the Harry Potter series.
 

Week 5: Witches

 
Witches have increasingly become a popular subject in media, especially being portrayed in a positive light. Typically, they focus on women and therefore explore the many archetypes that us ladies are condensed to, whether being femme fatale or the young naive maiden. Though, considering the many archetypes that have evolved over time, they have stemmed from just simply being stereotypes.
   The idea of witches usually creates a matriarchal system within a narrative, which may result in a positive or negative outlook. In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, witches are portrayed in both a positive and negative light, the Wicked Witch of the West is portrayed as vile and cruel whereas Glinda is seen as beautiful and a shrine of goodness. In the classic 1960's television show, Bewitched, Samantha is by far the most likeable character, along with Endora and fellow witches. Though, it could be argued, that Bewitched can be seen as a way of domesticating women, considering Samantha is trying to conform to Darrin's human world, yet she still has her rebellious streaks. It is the 60's though, so it's not surprising. As we approach the modern day, our idea of women with power begins to shift into the positive light. For example, in Kiki's Delivery Service, the women in power are glorified rather than looked down on, they're respected and admired.

Week 4: New Weird

What is “weird”? Before reading From Hell, I had anticipated a historical fiction graphic novel that simply focused around the story of Jack the Ripper. The only previous knowledge I had of it was the film adaptation that I had watched many years ago. Upon reading, I quickly learned how loosely adapted it was.

   In From Hell, Prince Albert Victor weds and fathers a child with a girl from London’s East End known as Annie. To cover up this scandal, Queen Victoria separates Annie from Albert and has her sentenced to a mental institute, where her royal physician, Dr. Gull, impairs Annie’s sanity. A group of prostitutes discover the secrets of this scandal and attempt to use it as blackmail against the crown. Dr. Gull then begins to kill off these prostitutes, not only to suppress an illuminati threat, but also to ensure male dominance through mystical ritual.

     This historical fiction story reels in a more science fiction element, bringing out it’s “weird” quality, playing with the idea of time. Visions and prophecies are constantly recurring throughout the narrative, in the prologue, Lees tells Abberline how all his visions were false, yet they still came true.

    “What is the fourth dimension?”.  

   As Dr. Gull murders his last victim, he has visions of the future, where the art takes us away from Victorian London to a more modern setting of skyscrapers and businessmen on their computers. As he dies, his soul transcends through the past and future, inspiring other serial killers and visiting those that escaped him and aided him of his murders.  Dr. Gull is portrayed as an extremely misogynist character that believes women had ruled over men for some time:

   “Women had power once: Back in the caves, life hinged on childbirth’s mystery, and we served mother goddesses, not father gods, ‘twas thus for several million years. Then men rebelled, perhaps a few at first, a small conspiracy.. who, by some act of social magic, politics, or force, cast woman down that man might rule. Time passed, and kingdoms passed from father unto son. The matriarchy was forgotten.”

   During his vision on his death, Dr. Gull believes to have become God and has ensured male dominance throughout the twentieth century.  

       “And this perplexing vision is the last thing that I see as I become God.”