The novel for this week from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass; a novel of spiritual education. I was able to read half of The Golden Compass and it was different than what I had expected. Lyra,as the main character, definitely makes her the most interesting since the reader follows her journey. Since, I have only made it half way through the novel, Mrs. Coulter has not played a major role, but Pullman set up the plot in a way that the reader knows she will begin to play a more prominent role in Lyra's journey, which finding out Lyra's origins was definitely a surprise. After Lyra had run away from Mrs. Coulter, Lyra finds out that Mrs. Coulter was truly her mother and her "uncle" Lord Asriel, was in actuality, her father.
Pullman's character development allowed me to envelop myself in the reading. The mystery of Mrs. Coulter and her purpose was intriguing. Her daemon, the golden monkey, revealed some of her personality, especially when he would lash out in anger at Pan, Lyra's daemon. Pullman's invention of the daemon gave the novel and characters more depth. From what I noticed while reading, the daemon's were a part of the character's souls. For example, Pan was an extension of Lyra's life force, and whenever something happened to Pan, Lyra could feel it. The daemon’s helped with the fantasy of the novel and they acted kind of like the consciousness of the characters.
As I was reading The Golden Compass, I did not pick up on the spiritual aspects throughout. I am not entirely sure if it was because Pullman had embedded the teachings to certain happenings throughout. If the spirituality of a book is not obvious, it is hard for me to find it. When we had discussed the novel in class, the teachings and spirituality became clear, but it was through discussion that I finally realized. Pullman most likely embedded the meanings on purpose so it would teach morality and lessons, but the novel could also be entertainment. This would allow for multiple types of readers.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Hobbit
The topic for this week's reading was the Heroic Journey, so of course it was only fitting for the novel of choice to be The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. I had never read The Hobbit before, but I am a fan of Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, especially the movies.
Reading the origins of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins is an adventure for the reader. The Hobbit was escapism for me as I read the novel, since it put me in a completely different time and space that I could not really connect to on any deeper level other than pure entertainment.
I can not say that The Hobbit is the best book I ever read, but I did enjoy the novel. I could not really connect with the characters though; it was more as if I was looking in on their adventure than being apart of it.
The novel went full circle. Bilbo is greeted by some uncanny fellows,the dwarfs and Gandalf, at his door one afternoon around tea time at the beginning of the novel. Bilbo is forced upon this long adventure for the head dwarfs family's gold that was stolen by the dragon. When the gold is finally seized and returned to the dwarfs, Bilbo goes home to the Shire. At the end of the novel, Gandalf gives Bilbo a visit, which if the beginning was any indication, means Bilbo is bound for another adventure.
As we learned in class, epic journeys tend to be circular in structure. The hero begins the journey, the hero goes on the journey, the hero makes his way home, and at some point will go on a journey again. It seems as if once on an adventure, the hero always wants to be on an adventure. Maybe at the time of the journey, the hero does not, but once he is home all he can think about is being out in the world discovering new things.
The Hobbit is my first J.R.R. Tolkein book I have read, and now I may go on to read The Lord of the Rings. I do not tend to read epic journey novels, but as my first one, I will probably branch out of my usual genre and read more.
Reading the origins of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins is an adventure for the reader. The Hobbit was escapism for me as I read the novel, since it put me in a completely different time and space that I could not really connect to on any deeper level other than pure entertainment.
I can not say that The Hobbit is the best book I ever read, but I did enjoy the novel. I could not really connect with the characters though; it was more as if I was looking in on their adventure than being apart of it.
The novel went full circle. Bilbo is greeted by some uncanny fellows,the dwarfs and Gandalf, at his door one afternoon around tea time at the beginning of the novel. Bilbo is forced upon this long adventure for the head dwarfs family's gold that was stolen by the dragon. When the gold is finally seized and returned to the dwarfs, Bilbo goes home to the Shire. At the end of the novel, Gandalf gives Bilbo a visit, which if the beginning was any indication, means Bilbo is bound for another adventure.
As we learned in class, epic journeys tend to be circular in structure. The hero begins the journey, the hero goes on the journey, the hero makes his way home, and at some point will go on a journey again. It seems as if once on an adventure, the hero always wants to be on an adventure. Maybe at the time of the journey, the hero does not, but once he is home all he can think about is being out in the world discovering new things.
The Hobbit is my first J.R.R. Tolkein book I have read, and now I may go on to read The Lord of the Rings. I do not tend to read epic journey novels, but as my first one, I will probably branch out of my usual genre and read more.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A Wild Sheep Chase
The J-Horror reading this week was A Wild Sheep Chase. I did not know anything about Japanese Horror going into this week's reading. I am personally not a horror fan, so I never ventured to foreign versions. As I was reading I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Haruki Murakami's novel. I am so used to fast pace novels where there is so much action taking place that having an author slow me down and take in the surroundings and the main character's daily life was refreshing, to say the least.
It was also interesting that in class someone had pointed out that Murakami never gives the characters names, except for the cat, Kipper. It is something I never realized as I was going through. It seems now that names are trivial to the actual plot and the author's storytelling abilities. I suppose sometimes author's rely on the names of characters than the actual personalities and what they have to offer the story.
The girlfriend is my favorite character in A Wild Sheep Chase. She is really interesting and I love how Murakami decided to portray her; her beautiful ears that she hides and her sixth sense. I think it is cute that she will reveal her ears only to the main character, kind of proving their relationship to the audience in a way.
I have not yet finished this novel, but I fully intend to. I am currently at the part where the main character and his girlfriend have just met and interacted with the Sheep Professor. The novel is beginning to pick up in pace, and yet still manage to capture the essence of the slow pace of Japanese life. Only now is the mysterious sheep with the star actually having a part in the novel. The first half did not really mention what the sheep had to do with anything. Everything was very wide open and ambiguous; leaving the reader’s mind to wonder and question. I enjoy novels that give me the chance to think and attempt to figure out the mystery for myself before it is revealed.
It was also interesting that in class someone had pointed out that Murakami never gives the characters names, except for the cat, Kipper. It is something I never realized as I was going through. It seems now that names are trivial to the actual plot and the author's storytelling abilities. I suppose sometimes author's rely on the names of characters than the actual personalities and what they have to offer the story.
The girlfriend is my favorite character in A Wild Sheep Chase. She is really interesting and I love how Murakami decided to portray her; her beautiful ears that she hides and her sixth sense. I think it is cute that she will reveal her ears only to the main character, kind of proving their relationship to the audience in a way.
I have not yet finished this novel, but I fully intend to. I am currently at the part where the main character and his girlfriend have just met and interacted with the Sheep Professor. The novel is beginning to pick up in pace, and yet still manage to capture the essence of the slow pace of Japanese life. Only now is the mysterious sheep with the star actually having a part in the novel. The first half did not really mention what the sheep had to do with anything. Everything was very wide open and ambiguous; leaving the reader’s mind to wonder and question. I enjoy novels that give me the chance to think and attempt to figure out the mystery for myself before it is revealed.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Interview With The Vampire
My first encounter with Interview With The Vampire was when I watched the movie a year ago. I happened to come across the movie on Netflix and decided to watch it. I can honestly say that I had never intended on reading the novel.
When I saw that the novel this week was Interview With The Vampire, I was looking forward to reading it. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed Ann Rice's novel. It surprised me how invigorating each page was and how I could rarely put it down. Rice's words kept me interested, not so much the action; since there was very little that truly happened. Most of the time they lived their days the same or they were searching for others, nothing more really happened. Yet so much time lapsed without the reader really realizing it.
A nice twist to the novel towards the end in Part 3 was when Lestat arose from the "dead" as Louis and Claudia had thought he was. Lestat knowing the vampires in Paris was enough of a spin, but bringing him back to avenge Claudia's attempt at murder was clever. It seems as if only sunlight will truly, without a doubt, kill vampires and keep them dead.
As I was finishing up the novel, the change in Louis was disheartening. I loved his character and how he felt love and passion when vampires are very self concerned creatures. He loved the mortal soul even though he could no longer posess it. When he killed all of those vampires in the Theatre des Vampires, he no longer felt love or really anything that made him an attractive character in the beginning. He had become more like Lestat with his selfish ways, dragging along Armand without really engaging with him in any of his pursuits. Revenge had killed the last of his mortal soul, which he tried relentlessly to hold on to.
The interviewer also was a surprising character. He seemed to play a role in the end which was not unveiled until Louis had completely finished his story. Throughout the interview I never had guessed that the interviewer would want to become a vampire himself. After listening to the misery Louis had been through, the mystery of immortality was still sronger than the warnings. The fact that he would then go to Lestat after hearing how he treats those he transforms into vampires is kind of humorous.
When I saw that the novel this week was Interview With The Vampire, I was looking forward to reading it. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed Ann Rice's novel. It surprised me how invigorating each page was and how I could rarely put it down. Rice's words kept me interested, not so much the action; since there was very little that truly happened. Most of the time they lived their days the same or they were searching for others, nothing more really happened. Yet so much time lapsed without the reader really realizing it.
A nice twist to the novel towards the end in Part 3 was when Lestat arose from the "dead" as Louis and Claudia had thought he was. Lestat knowing the vampires in Paris was enough of a spin, but bringing him back to avenge Claudia's attempt at murder was clever. It seems as if only sunlight will truly, without a doubt, kill vampires and keep them dead.
As I was finishing up the novel, the change in Louis was disheartening. I loved his character and how he felt love and passion when vampires are very self concerned creatures. He loved the mortal soul even though he could no longer posess it. When he killed all of those vampires in the Theatre des Vampires, he no longer felt love or really anything that made him an attractive character in the beginning. He had become more like Lestat with his selfish ways, dragging along Armand without really engaging with him in any of his pursuits. Revenge had killed the last of his mortal soul, which he tried relentlessly to hold on to.
The interviewer also was a surprising character. He seemed to play a role in the end which was not unveiled until Louis had completely finished his story. Throughout the interview I never had guessed that the interviewer would want to become a vampire himself. After listening to the misery Louis had been through, the mystery of immortality was still sronger than the warnings. The fact that he would then go to Lestat after hearing how he treats those he transforms into vampires is kind of humorous.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Monster Island
This was the week of Monsters and Zombies. Zombies are an interesting subject matter because they are people, but not really. They only have the shape of a human: no mental capabilities or any kind of drive except to feed. Basically, cannibals that can not die.
When I first started to read Monster Island, I was unsure what to think. I actually thought the book was kind of dull until chapter seven. Once the ship arrived in New York did the plot start to thicken and more action began. The whole reason they were there in the first place is confusing. The question of why does Mama Halimila need the AIDS drugs is still unanswered after Part 1.
Gary is the most terrifying zombie because he knows what he’s doing: when he eats people and etc. He is the reader's first person point of view from a zombie. When Ifiyah was dying, Gary could not help himself except to eat the girl. He tried to rationalize it by going over in his head that she was dying anyways and was in a lot of pain; more importantley it is still fact that he rationalized his cannibalism, which makes him terrifying. The characters are putting their trust in a thinking zombie who in the end is just as cannibalistic as the rest.
There is an ironic reversal of civilization in Monster Island. The most populated cities go first and third world countries are now the safe places to be. Delklab discussed how his life living in Africa was terrifying and he felt very unsafe. He was planning on sending his daughter off to Europe for boarding school for better education than what could be offered to her in Africa. Now, after the epidemic, he feels like Africa is the safest place he could possibly be and protect his daughter. She now has no choice but to be educated in a school where she will no doubt become a girl soldier like the rest of the living "orphans."
Also another interesting thought is that zombification is your future. There is no way around it. We go about everyday things without thinking. All we do is survive, sometimes not live our lives to the fullest; all we think about is following the orders of our society and never doing what we truly want. A zombie doesn’t think they only survive.
When I first started to read Monster Island, I was unsure what to think. I actually thought the book was kind of dull until chapter seven. Once the ship arrived in New York did the plot start to thicken and more action began. The whole reason they were there in the first place is confusing. The question of why does Mama Halimila need the AIDS drugs is still unanswered after Part 1.
Gary is the most terrifying zombie because he knows what he’s doing: when he eats people and etc. He is the reader's first person point of view from a zombie. When Ifiyah was dying, Gary could not help himself except to eat the girl. He tried to rationalize it by going over in his head that she was dying anyways and was in a lot of pain; more importantley it is still fact that he rationalized his cannibalism, which makes him terrifying. The characters are putting their trust in a thinking zombie who in the end is just as cannibalistic as the rest.
There is an ironic reversal of civilization in Monster Island. The most populated cities go first and third world countries are now the safe places to be. Delklab discussed how his life living in Africa was terrifying and he felt very unsafe. He was planning on sending his daughter off to Europe for boarding school for better education than what could be offered to her in Africa. Now, after the epidemic, he feels like Africa is the safest place he could possibly be and protect his daughter. She now has no choice but to be educated in a school where she will no doubt become a girl soldier like the rest of the living "orphans."
Also another interesting thought is that zombification is your future. There is no way around it. We go about everyday things without thinking. All we do is survive, sometimes not live our lives to the fullest; all we think about is following the orders of our society and never doing what we truly want. A zombie doesn’t think they only survive.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Zombie Movies
Why are Zombie movies so popular?
Currently, Zombies are everywhere. I remember my first zombie movie was Shawn of the Dead, which is the satire of Dawn of the Dead. To me, that classified zombies and their purpose. Since then, many serious zombie movies have been made and satires as well. The most recent satire was Zombieland which had a nice twist on the zombie. They have become more popular for viewers since it is an alternate reality where you're body can not die, unless of course "double tapped." The soul and mind are no more, but in some sense it's immortality. Yet, with all of the pandemics and illnesses zombies seem more real than ever.
Of course, their is overkill in genres. With all of the makings of Zombie movies and of Zombie novels, it seems as if Zombies are no longer exotic and ingenius. The Zombie movie now has a formulaic structure that most of them follow. They tend to act the same in every movie and people will react the same to seeing a dead person walking the earth.
Currently, Zombies are everywhere. I remember my first zombie movie was Shawn of the Dead, which is the satire of Dawn of the Dead. To me, that classified zombies and their purpose. Since then, many serious zombie movies have been made and satires as well. The most recent satire was Zombieland which had a nice twist on the zombie. They have become more popular for viewers since it is an alternate reality where you're body can not die, unless of course "double tapped." The soul and mind are no more, but in some sense it's immortality. Yet, with all of the pandemics and illnesses zombies seem more real than ever.
Of course, their is overkill in genres. With all of the makings of Zombie movies and of Zombie novels, it seems as if Zombies are no longer exotic and ingenius. The Zombie movie now has a formulaic structure that most of them follow. They tend to act the same in every movie and people will react the same to seeing a dead person walking the earth.
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