Literature of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction

This week I read a short work Leaf By Niggle written by J. R. R. Tolkien. I found it incredibly endearing. It touched my heart. It felt as if I was lying in bed with my mother reading me this story; nostalgic, in a way. Popular fantasy-inspired works, such as The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings have never interested me, though I adore the detailed world building that goes behind fantasy stories. I’m not much of a fantasy loving person, although I deeply enjoyed Leaf by Niggle . It conveyed truths on perspective. Niggle, a painter, lives in a community where art isn't valued. Niggle adores nature with a passion. He loved leaves and trees so much that it was all he wished to paint. He became obsessive about finishing his masterpiece, a grand tree with each leaf being individual and unique in design within a forested background, but then there was a point where he became so annoyed at all the little inconveniences that plagued his life, inconveniences that were beyond his c...

I wouldn't say that I'm a HUGE fan of witches, but I do enjoy them within literature and television. I gravitated towards reading the WitchCraft (1994) comics this week due to the fact that the linework reminded me so much of The Dark Crystal comics. I’ve only read the first graphic novel but I plan on reading the next two. Often times, within films and readings, the archetype of a witch is an ‘ugly’ woman with a flying broomstick, pointy hat, black clothing, and the ownership of a black cat, owl, crow, toad, or other animal companion. Simply put, witches are women who participate in natural practices to achieve magic. A pattern I often see in stories centered around witches is a theme of revenge towards men who are afraid of strong women. In addition, witches almost always perceived as wicked entities; worshipers of evil. I believe this comes from a male fear of female empowerment; the escape from society’s misogynistic tendencies and the unlocking of sexuality. E...

The ‘new weird’ is a modern medium/genre within film and literature. The short reading I've chosen this week is, The Werewolf , written by Angela Carter. It was a strange, but overall, intriguing story. It was an interesting retelling of the classic fairytale of Red Riding Hood. I could see this becoming a psychological thriller if adapted into a movie. The Werewolf is a story about survival with delusions of safety. The twist had me shook. “But it was no longer a wolf's paw. It was a hand, chopped off at the wrist, a hand toughened with work and freckled with age. There was a wedding ring on the third finger and a wart on the index finger. By the wart, she knew it for her grandmother's hand.” The fact that the short story’s final words were, “, she prospered.”, after the realization that she assisted in the stoning, and overall, murder of her own grandmother, meant that she lacks remorse; she’s a psychopath. This proves true to my prior statement of ...

I’ll be honest. I had a hard time understanding Asian Horror. I don’t watch J-Horror at all. I’ve learned that religion plays an important factor within asian horror, and those religious influences derive from Japanese mythology and urban legends. Often times, there is no clear separation between cultural and religious ghost stories.These classic narratives remain prominent within asian films and novels to this day. Asian horror themes are portrayed as vengeful spirits with the intent to finish something. There is a strong subject of life vs. death. It is established within literature that there be a formation, a strong relationship between the spirit and a location, object, person, ect. This allows the soul to attach and stay present even in death. I chose to do an alternate reading of the Battle Royale manga, written by Koshun Takami, rather than the selected reading, Kwaidan written by Lafcadio Hearn. Upon reading Battle Royale, I began to notice a strong presence of go...