A Wild Sheep Chase (required reading)

A Wild Sheep Chase was incredibly hard for me to follow. I have never been the best reader and this was a test of my cognitive reading abilities. One thing that did stand out for me was how different/similar a Japanese author is than your average western one. One thing that made it different was the assumptions made by the author.

The first and probably most prominent assumption made by the novels main character, is the meaningless of life. The character, who doesn't even have a name, lives a seemingly meaningless existence. The way he sees himself and the world around him is that little of interest can be found. I do not know if this is the way many Japanese people see their own existence but it is definitely not something you would normally see in a protagonist from a western novel. There is nothing heroic, tragic or detestable about the books characters... they just exist.

Later in the novel, the characters definitely become more interesting but only when the author is able to move past the concrete elements of the book's reality and delve into the metaphysical world. The importance of the world in A Wild Sheep Chase lies in the big picture that is going on behind the scenes of the events and people of the book. This could show another assumption about what Japanese culture finds most important and perhaps the things that western culture put more importance on, Japanese culture finds trivial.

The Curse of Frankenstein (movie)

I bought a set of horror films from the British movie studio, Hammer. One of them is The Curse of Frankenstein, which I had seen before but though now would be a good time to revisit since I had just read the original Frankenstein novel for class.

The most basic story premise found in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein are also present in this movie, however they are different in almost every other way.

First off, Victor Frankenstein is evil right from the get-go; and while he is a passionate scientists like Victor from the novel, he also feels no remorse for his creation or it's/his victims. He is played by Peter Cushing who is one of my favorite actors and he is able to make Victor an even more terrifying monster than the monster he created.

The monster is played by Christopher Lee who is also fantastic and is able to act on expressions alone. He is far less intelligent than the monster in the book. Although beyond that, he does seem to follow his counterpart from the novel a little closer than Victor.

What this movie really achieves is a sense of Gothic atmosphere. The production values are incredibly high and this particularly shows through in the set and costume design. The movie is also incredibly gruesome and unsettling which is surprising considering how old it is (1957).

Overall, while it is not a faithful adaptation, it is still an excellent movie.

Interview with the Vampire (required reading)

In Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice uses the vampire character to show how relationships effect people in both positive and negative ways. The most prominent relationship in the novel (at least at the start) is the one between Lestat and Louis, which I think is very accurately portrayed.

Louis is "tied" to Lestat because Lestat changed him into a vampire and being new to the vampiric world, Louis needs someone like Lestat to show him the way to live. This means that even though their relationship can often turn sour, there is still an ultimate bond between them that keeps them together and caring for one another. There are also moments where the more positive aspects of relationship are shown and we see that they share intimate moments together. Louis is new to vampirism and being left on his own would be disastrous. It's Lestat who is able to care for him and make sure that he learns how to become a proper vampire. Even when it seems that Lestat is using Louis for his financial abilities, it is obvious there is more reasoning for keeping him around.

The other prominent relationship in the novel is the one between Claudia and Louis. This, unlike the one between Lestat and Louis, is more similar to a relationship between parent and child. Even though they are not related, Louis looks after Claudia like a child because he loves here and also feels responsible for her existence (as a vampire). Claudia is more unique in that she does not always act like a child and has a lot of responsibility when it comes to taking care of herself. She still cares for Louis but eventually comes to a moment that most offspring do, where they are ready to go off on their own and leave their parent(s) behind. Claudia's feelings towards Louis become more distant because she matures so quickly. She is smart and realizes quickly who is responsible for her turning into a vampire and although she never retaliates, she does allow their relationship to fall apart.

Overall, I loved this book for the characters and character relationships. I think Anne Rice is excellent at giving the reader and view port into the minds of the vampires in this story. We see them experience a wide array of human emotions only it takes place int eh fantastical world of vampires.

Frankenstein (required reading)

Frankenstein is a work of fiction that is characterized by the gothic/romantic style of writing that was becoming popular at the time it was written. Throughout the whole story, there is strong themes of death that are being explored. The monster is brought back from death and is on a hunt for Dr. Frankenstein, whereever he goes he seems to bring death with him. Some characters that are close to Dr. Frankenstein and eventually the doctor himself all succumb to death when the monster shows up. By the end, both Frankenstein and the reader are questioning whether death is escapable at all. It's disturbing but also fascinating to witness Shelley exploring the emotional terror and ideas of one's fate when it comes to death. It's also no surprise to the see the story venture down this road thematically when you consider Mary Shelley's own personal struggles and the environment she was in at the time of writing.

Frankenstein also contains tropes that were, or would become, staples of gothic fiction. Secret passages, dark castles and spooky science are all present and contributing both to the story, but also the books extremely gothic atmosphere and style.

The book is also very romantic, as it seems to explore the emotional aspects of the characters even more than it explores the scientific world behind the stories antagonist. In fact, the science of the story can almost seem supernatural at points, which I think is something Shelley uses to her advantage in making it all feel more sinister.

In the end, Frankenstein is perhaps the most Gothic piece of literature I have ever read (aside from some of the stories of Edgar Allen Poe). I think she does an excellent job of establishing the Gothic style and letting the reader experience what makes it wonderful and terrifying.