Week 3: Kaidan: Japanese horror stories

J-Horror: Asian Supernatural Narratives

I read the “Kwaidan”, a series of Japanese horror stories. The stories I read, I found to be very fascinating I didn’t think they were scary per say, in fact I found them to be more supernatural occurrences, so I guess they were “ghost stories” in every sense of the word, which I believe in wholeheartedly. I also realized that many of the stories included some romantic aspect to them for instance there was one story about a man who’s fiancé died and her spirit returned to him years later after he made her a promise that if she was to appear to him again in the future he would marry her.  It’s stories like that, that make the collection less horror and more paranormal. It’s a really fun interpretation of the atypical romantic or ghost story, by combining them it sheds a little light on both sides of the coin and gives them both an interesting twist. I really found it strange however that I didn't really find the stories that terrifying. I guess I expected more of a horrific vibe seeing as  horror movies from Japan are some of the most terrifying movies I, or most of the American public, have ever seen.

I researched Japanese horror a bit after reading the Kaidan tales and I found out some interesting things about Japanese horror fiction and Japanese culture.  For instance the Kaidan actually dates all the way back to the Edo and Meiji periods in Japan as sort of traditional ghost tales. Horror fiction seems to be a very deeply imbedded portion of Japanese culture not only because it dates back to the 1600s but because even today the people of Japan are completely riveted by the idea of the Japanese ghosts or Yurei. The nature of Japanese horror seems to be psychological and suspenseful with many themes found in folk religion such as poltergeists, exorcism and shamanism. I think when you consider the nature of traditional Japanese ghost stories the Kaidan makes more sense, because they all have to do with the idea of rituals and unfinished business which tie the ghost to the physical plane.  All in all the Kaidan was a fun read, not particularly scary but rather more eerie or spooky, things that if it happened to you it would make your hair stand on end.

Week 2: Anne Rice - Interview with a Vampire

Vampires

Reading this book I was less than enthused. I loved the movie so much and had heard a lot about the novel itself and I know Anne Rice is an amazing author, having read her Sleeping Beauty Trilogy in high school, but for some reason I couldn’t wrap my head around the book. I can see where this book contained all the classic elements of vampire lore. I found the characters to be very interesting and relatable with typical human emotions and internal struggles. I particularly took to Claudia’s story line because it was a thought-provoking notion on wanting to grow up but not being able to. Another very fascinating idea presented in the novel is “in the end is immortality worth it?” Although I didn’t take to this book I do see why many people liked it. I think it did a very good job in bringing out very mortal elements in immortal beings. I think it was an excellent representation of what vampires in the typical sense might have to endure. I really did find the book to be intriguing as an idea, I just wasn’t particularly fond of it as a whole, it was kind of slow and a bit of a boring read. 

Week 1: Mary Shelley - Frankenstein

The Gothic

I was surprised to discover that Frankenstein was written when Mary Shelley was around nineteen years old because it such an eloquent and well-versed novel.  The story involves Dr. Victor Frankenstein and goes on to explain how he first became enraptured and mystified with the sciences, becoming attached to it at a very young age. It wasn’t until he was older, however, that he thoroughly became consumed with the thought of actually creating human life. Yet, upon doing so, and actually having his creation come to life, Frankenstein fully understands the gravity of what he has created when the monster opens his eyes for the first time. Frankenstein is soon disgusted and afraid of his creation and runs leaving it behind. The rest of the tale is basically about Frankenstein’s constant attempts at evading a monster that is practically stalking him. The monster is following behind Victor, killing his family and friends, practically at every turn.  The turning point of the novel comes when Victor decides to devote his life to exacting revenge upon his creation and tracks him all the way to the North, somewhere that is covered in ice and snow.

The real heart of the story comes from the characters themselves, it seems to me that Frankenstein’s monster, who was assembled from random body parts and chemicals, is really just a creature who turns to hatred because it is all he’s ever known. From his creation, the monster has been rejected by his father figure, Victor Frankenstein, and also by the society, which he so desperately tries to fit into. It is no wonder that he soon turns to hate himself, because it is all he has ever known, not only that the creature at the beginning of his life was a soft hearted soul, but is constantly rejected thanks to his disgusting outer appearance, all these things culminate in his need for revenge on Frankenstein and so sets the wheels of our story in motion. Victor Frankenstein’s character development throughout the novel is also a noteworthy one. The reader watches as Victor goes from a bright eyed, youthful, and curious soul and morphs into a biter disillusioned and guilty man, who has watched the product of his arrogance kill the ones he loves, leading him into becoming an obsessive hunter of his creation. Overall the story was very interesting, and very well written, the characters all have a very human element to them, which makes the reader sympathetic to their plight, and makes for a very complex and interesting read.