If I said Clive Barker wrote one of the greatest romances ever, I'd be laughed at; instead, I'll say that Clive Barker wrote a romance that made me appreciate romances as a whole. Jacqueline Ess is my favorite story from Books of Blood so I'll be doing a very in-depth look at this short story. Summary: Jacqueline Ess tells the story of a woman named Jacqueline who obtains the power to manipulate people's flesh (think of having a physic power where you can fold people's bodies like origami) after a failed suicide attempt. Jacqueline then travels the world in an attempt to find meaning for her life and also in an attempt to understand the nature of her powers. As the story progresses, she meets a man by the name of Oliver Vassi. These two becomes lovers, but separate when Jacqueline disappears one day as she is looking for someone who can teach her about 'power.' Vassi then travels the world in search for Jacqueline, and eventually finds her in Amsterdam. The story ends with the two of them dying, through Jacqueline's power, in sexual embrace. Themes: I wanted to start this review by taking a look at the themes of Jacqueline Ess. The Central theme of the story is power. The story starts off with Jacqueline feeling powerless, obtaining power but not understanding the nature of it and evolves into a quest of her trying to understand the nature of power. Another theme that appears in the story is the how most things people do in the world go unnoticed, and how the world wears down people. I want to touch a little bit on this last theme, as it is the theme that made this story stick with me the most. While any young people reading this blog might not understand what I am about to say, the world can wear people down through a lifetime of hardship and disappointment. One of the themes I feel that books aimed at teens, young adults, and new adults doesn't touch on is how people get worn down from life. I'm not saying people become suicidal, but the optimism that we have about the world while we are young does fade. It is a very adult theme, and it is very present during this story. In other words, the characters in this story are not trying to change the world or even survive it; they are trying to find meaning in what they view as a meaningless existence. I am going to present the opening of Jacqueline Ess, as there are a lot of subtle things at work. "My God, she thought, this can't be living. Day in, Day out: the boredom, the drudgery, the frustration. My Christ, she prayed, let me out, set me free, crucify me if you must, but put me out of my misery. In lieu of his euthanasian benediction, she took a blade from Ben's razor, one dull day in late March, locked herself in the bathroom, and slit her wrist." (Page 228) Now, of the first three sentences, the third sentence is the hook and opening image; a young woman attempts suicide. The interesting thing about the first two sentences is not revealed unless you read them out loud. The first two sentences have a rhythm and musical effect to them as they repeat a lot of the same sounds. At first, I thought this was just an accident, but the opening lines for Oliver Vassi do the same thing. I had to do something thinking about why Clive Barker would have openings like this for when he introduced his characters, and one of words that repeat themselves in this story is Ecstasy. Now Ecstasy is closely related to music and power, and there are three ways to obtain emotional ecstasy according to some philosophical thought: Worship, sex, and murder. These three acts repeat themselves throughout the story (as I will note) and this has left me to believe that Clive Barker made the first two lines musical on purpose. Reader's note: It is a good practice, by the way, to get into the habit of reading out loud. A lot of authors use musical and Rhythmic devices in their writing. In Dune, (A famous Sci-fi Novel) the Baron speaks in Iambic pentameter. As we can see from the opening lines, Jacquline is praying to God for her life to end. This being a form of worship begins the pattern that continues throughout the story. Ben saves Jacqueline's life, which leads us to this next two beautifully crafted sentences. "My God, she thought, this can't be suicide. I haven't died." (Page 229) It is so logical that is surprising. This is very simple prose that shows how surprised Jacqueline by the fact she is not dead. Nowhere does these two sentences say she is surprised and disappointed, but they scream these emotions at us all the same. The story continues with Jacqueline in a therapy session. It is here that Jacqueline's powers start to manifest. As the session continues, the Dr. makes the claim that he understands what it is like to be a woman. This angers Jacqueline which leads to this sentence here. "You're not a woman, she thought she thought." (Page 230) At first, I thought this was a typo, but it is not. The Dr. ask if she said something, and Jacqueline is unsure. The 'She thought she thought.' is a hesitation device meant to create doubt. There are a few things I feel make up horror: Gore (blood and extream violence), Dread (Mystery, eerie scenes, and fear), and Unreliable narrative (Hesitation, doubt, uncertainty). Jacqueline is unsure if she thought it, or said it. The Dr. eventually annoys Jacqueline to the point where thinks about turning him into a woman so he'll understand her better, and to her horror, her powers manifest and mutilated his body as her mind turns him into a woman in a grotesque fashion (killing him as it does.) She then, sometime later (the cops question her, but dismiss her as a suspect), realizes the full extent of her new powers and kills her husband after she learns he is leaving her for another woman. Feeling alive (Murder), Jacqueline makes her way out into the world (This Ends Act I of the story). Part two begins with Oliver's POV. "To you who dream of sweet, strong women, I leave this story." (Page 234) Again this sentence starts off with a rhythm to it. Also, an interesting note on the narration. Jacqueline's POV is told through close-3rd person. Oliver is told through 1st person POV. The reason is that Oliver is writing down his story for someone else to read. Oliver and Jacqueline begin an affair (the reason she first picked him is never stated.) One night, Oliver watches Jacqueline sleep and to his horror, he sees her power's manifest. "Her lips bloomed from her bone, boiling up into a slavering tower of skin: her hair swirled around her head as though she were lying in water; the substance of her cheeks formed furrows and ridges like the ritual scars on a warrior; inflamed and throbbing patterns of tissue, swelling up and changing again even as a pattern formed." (Page 237) We learn that Jacqueline has the power to manipulate her own body. She can make herself look younger, she skin softer and tighter, and she has the power to make her lover's body feel more sensual sensations. Realizing what Jacqueline is capable of, Oliver comes to this conclusion, "Instead of fearing her, I became more devoted to this woman who tolerated my possession of her body." (Page 238) Oliver worships her. Jacqueline eventually leaves Oliver as she is looking for a man who can teach her about the nature of Power. Jacqueline comes to find a man named Titus, a brilliant businessman, who she begins an affair with in exchange for learning about power. Titus teaches her how to get what you want out of people, through sales tactics, and Jacqueline comes to understand the nature with dealing with people. Jacqueline and Titus's relationship comes to an end when his assistant, a man named Lyndon, blackmails Titus over the affair. Jacqueline comes to realize how weak of a man Titus is, leaves him, then searches out and kills Lyndon. Jacqueline finally comes to understand the nature of power however she comes miss Vassi (this is the midpoint of the story.) I'd like to note this passage as it really spells out the theme of people going unnoticed in the world. "She saw no reports of the death in any of the papers, and nothing on the new bulletins. Lyndon has apparently died as he had lived, hidden from public view (Page 247) The next part of the story begins with Vassi searching for Jacqueline. He sees her on the street but becomes unsure if she wants him in her life or not and chooses not to talk to her. Titus eventually confronts Jacqueline and make a bizarre request, he wants her to kill him through a sexual encounter as a way to praise her (worship, sex, and murder.) Jacqueline refuses, as she has grown to detest him. Titus attacks her as a way to provoke her, but he miscalculates her response. Instead of killing him, she uses her powers to contort his body into the form on a dog. One of his bodyguards freaked out by monstrous creature Titus has become, shoots and kills him. Jacqueline, instead of killing the two bodyguards, chooses to sit down and talk to the two men. The final part of the story tells of how Vassi finds Jacqueline. He learns about the murder of Titus and travels to the crime scene (this occurs a year or so later.) There he finds ono of the bodyguards has gone mad and pants murals of Jacqueline on the walls of the Crime Scene (A form of worship.) Vassi learns that the other guard, the one who killed Titus, committed suicide as his life become meaningless without the chance of seeing Jacqueline again. Vassi tells the guard that Jacqueline will not return to kill him; the guard mourns not out of relief, but out of the loss that he will never again see Jacqueline. (This plays into the whole wore down by the world theme.) Vassi tracks Jacqueline down in Amsterdam where she has become a prostitute. Jacqueline and Vassi, both so worn down by the world, engage in one last sexual encounter which results in the two of them dying. (Murder, sex, and worship). I'd like to note that Vassi gets the one thing that Titus wanted....
Summary: Hell's Event is story 8 in the Books of Blood. This is a fun story to read; it is about a race that is held every 100 years in London. The world's top athletes come to participate in what they believe is a charity event, but in secret, the event is to decide rather or not Hell shall get to rule London for 100 years, or if the country will remain a democracy. The story's hero is Joel Jones who is running the race to defeat one of his rivals. Half-way through the race, he comes to realize the true importance of the race and does his best to win. Realizing that he can't win, he does the unthinkable; he trips Hell's runner and wrestles it to the ground so some other runner can win first place and prevent Hell from taking over. In the end Jones is killed, but Hell is stopped from taking over London. Note: Today I want to focus on Allusions. For anyone reading this who does not know what an Allusion is, an Allusion is where a writer subtly references another writer's work. 'Hell's events' makes a number of Allusions to the Divine Comedy, which is in itself an allusion to allusions -let me explain. The Divine Comedy is famous for the ungodly amount of allusions placed into it; seriously, every page is full of philosophical, biblical, historical, and Greek references. I believe Clive Barker made a stylistic choice to stuff as many Allusions about The Divine Comedy in Hell's Event in order to match part of the writing style The Divine Comedy is written in. I am not going to list every Allusion I found, but I am going to go through a hand full of ones that I thought were really cool concepts, but before that, a very special note to anyone reading this. -If you are writing horror, and you've not read The Divine Comedy, put your work on hold, go to the library, and read that book; not just inferno, but the whole damn thing. There is no Famous Horror writer alive that has not read that book.- The first Allusion to the Divine Comedy is from the opening line in the book. "Hell came up to the streets and squares of Long that September, icy from the depths of the Ninth Circle..." (Page 204) Icy from the depths of the ninth circle is the first allusion. In the Divine Comedy, the ninth circle of hell is a frozen lake made up of Satan's tears and the lowest pit a soul can be sent to; this is the place where traitors go. There is a second reference to the ninth circle when we meet the main villain Burgess, A politician that has fixed the race so that Hell will win. We meet him in a frozen room, this both A staging scene and an allusion. Hell has so many layers that Burgess could have been standing in a room of fire, or shit, or hail, but instead, he is found taking to a devil in a frozen room. The reason for this is that Burgress has betrayed mankind, so the punishment he will know in Hell is being frozen into the lake. When he meet Burgess it must be in a frozen room; the hellish environment must match his sin (treachery.) The third allusion I want to focus on is on Hell's runner himself. Hell has two runners during the race, one to win the race, and one to kill the other runners. This will take a bit to explain, but this is a really cool allusion (in fact it is so well-thought out that it is brilliant). For the demon to kill the other runners, they have to look at him. This is a reference to Lot's wife; when see look back at Sodom and Gomorrah she was killed and turned into a pillar of salt. In the Divine Comedy, Sinners of Violence against God must forever run in the fire and Ash landscapes of Sodom and Gomorrah. In other words, the fact that Hell's runner has the powers to kill those who look at them is an Allusion to the Seventh Level of Hell. (Pretty cool stuff, yeah?) The 4th Allusion I want to make note of is at the end of the story. "The corridor divided. Burgess took the left-hand fork." (Page 227) After losing the race, Burgess worries that Hell will be angry for being defeated again. Burgess tries to escape his fate but comes to a fork and goes left. This is an Allusion to the Pythagorean choice that Dante has to make in the Divine Comedy. The Pythagorean choice is that in a fork, the left leads to sin and damnation and the right leads to Forgiveness and Bliss. The last thing I wanted to make note of is a conversation between two reporters are having on the race. The words that Clive has them speak fits the tone of the book so well; I couldn't stop laughing. "-Well, we're now in the closing stages of what really has been one hell of a race, eh, Jim? "Oh yes, it's really been a revelation, hasn't it?" (Page 220) - In conclusion, I believe this short story really shows the power of being well-read in literature. It is a power that Clive Barker uses to astounding effects in this story. Allusions are a fun thing to use in writing, but you must remember that they have to serve the story, and not be used as just cool decorations. On a personal level, when I read a story, I always take a few notes from that story to be used as Allusions should ever the need arise. It is a good practice to get into. - Special announcement: The next story, Jacqueline Ess, is my favorite story from Books of Blood. I will be doing a very in-depth look at that one due to my love for it. If you have any thoughts or questions, please leave a comment! Previous Post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-8-dread.63810/ Next Post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-10-jacqueline-ess.63820/
Summary: Dread tells the story of Stephen Grace and his interactions with a man named Quaid. The two begin their friendship over a discussion on the Philosophy of dread. As their friendship continues, Stephen comes to learn that Quaid is not all he seems to be. Things take a dark turn when he becomes a victim of Quaid's experiment (forcing people to face their greatest fears.) Stephen, who was tempory deaf as a child and is afraid of becoming deaf again, is forced into a sound-proof room where he is unable to hear anything. Stephen snaps, and, through a series of miscalculations by Quaid, ends up murdering Quaid with an ax (which was Quaid's greatest fear). Notes: There are three things I want to focus on in this review: The opening hook, the middle, and the poetic justice that occurs at the end. "There is no delight the equal of dread. If it were possible to sit, invisible, between two people on any train, in any waiting room or office, the conversation overheard would time and again circle on that subject." (Page 167) Opening: The genius of this opening hook rest of three factors. First, the opening sentence is a juxtaposition. Dread and Delight are opposites, yet the argument made is that dread is the greatest delight a person can experience. This juxtaposition disturbs our, the reader's, world. The second thing we need to notice is that the opening sentences (and the paragraph that follows) are presented in the fashion of philosophical argument. This is important to note because that is how Stephen and Quaid's friendship begins over a philosophical discussion. That last thing I need to note is that this opening hook presents the theme of the story. You know that we will be talking about the delight of dread. You might not know how this will be revealed, but you understand that is what this story will be about. Everything I've just discussed was done in the first two sentences of this story (pretty powerful stuff.) Another thing I feel I need to note is that in the setup of the story, Stephen hears a rumor about how Quaid's mother was murdered with an ax. This small detail comes into play at the very end of the story. Middle: I wanted to look at something that occurs in the middle of the story. Stephen is one of two victims that Quaid performs his cruel experiments on. The other is a girl named Cheryl, a vegetarian that is locked in a room with nothing to eat but meat. What I wanted to look at is why it is Stephen, not Cheryl, who must be the one to kill Quaid. While they are both victims of Quaid's cruelty, Cheryl is also a victim of her own pride. During the middle of the story, Cheryl boasts about the fact that she doesn't eat meat; it is through her pride that Quaid learns her fear. Stephen, on the other hand, reveals his fear in a moment of humility. Stephen wants to trust Quaid and allows him to learn his greatest fear in order to connect with another human being. While Cheryl is betrayed by her own pride, Stephen is betrayed by Quaid, and in a dramatic fashion, has earned the right to kill Quaid. What can be learned from this is that when you have a number of 'victims', the one who earns the right to kill the big bad should be the one who entered their hell through the big bad taking advantage of their virtuous nature, not their vice. Ending: Now for the poetic ending. Quaid ends up being responsible for his own death. After Stephen snaps, Quaid releases him. As Stephen wanders out of the room he was held hostage in, he comes across a box full of pictures showing people that have been killed by axes. We then learn Quaid's greatest fear is being killed by a clown wielding an ax; while the reason is never stated for this fear, one can assume that (based off of the rumor from the beginning of the story) Quaid witnessed the murder of his mother as a child. We also learn that the reason Quaid is doing these expereiments is that he is trying to find a way to overcome his own dread. Quaid then drugs Stephen and leaves him on some street in the city. waking up sometime later, Stephen is in a state of insanity. He wanders the streets aimlessly and is found by the police. They take him to a Hospital where is he giving mismatching clothes (that make him look like a clown). Stephen then remembers where to find Quaid (having just been at his house) and walks out of the hospital. As he does, he sees a fire ax, and, having remembered the pictures of people killed by axes, grabs it. The story ends with Quaid having dreams (I've highlighted dreams for an important reason) about a killer clown. He keeps waking up and checking outside of his bedroom; however, the third time he wakes up and looks, Stephen is outside his bedroom, looking like a clown and holding an ax. Stephen then starts cutting into Quaid with the ax, and there Clive Barker ends the story with this following paragraph. "And Quaid knew, meeting the clown's vacant stare through an air turned bloody, that there was worse in the world than dread. Worse than death itself. There was pain without hope of healing. There was life that refused to end, long after the mind had begged the body to cease. And worst, there were dreams come true." (Page 203) Now that is a poetic justice at its best. - I hope those reading have enjoyed my review of Dread. If you have a thought or question, leave a comment! Previous Post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-7-in-the-hills-the-cities.63809/ Next Post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-9-hells-event.63813/
Welcome to part 7 on Clive Barker's work. Today we will be looking at story # 6 in Books of Blood: In the Hills, the Cities. This story is a personal favorite of mine, and often when I critique people on story structure, I reference this short story; hence, today we will be looking at two things. First, I want to highlight a passage I thought was elegantly written (warning, erotic content) and I wanted to take a brief look at the story structure this story has, but first the summary. Summary: In the Hills, the Cities tells the story of two gay men, Mick and Judd, as they make their way through the Yugoslavia countryside. The pair comes to discovery an ancient ritual that has gone horribly wrong; every ten years, two rivaling cities gather their citizens and construct massive giants, by strapping one person to the next, in order to do battle. This year's battle, however, goes terribly wrong when one of the giants collapse due to a fault in the design and results in 35,000+ (almost the entire population of the city) people (men, women, and children) dying. The other giant goes mad in grief over its companion's death (the rivalry is on a friendly level, like a game between neighbors) and rampages madly through the countryside. The story ends with Judd and Mick coming face to face with the giant. Notes: I wanted to start this review off by highlighting a passage I thought was very well written. Now I am not going to critique Mr. Barker's writing style, however, I will say that I don't enjoy his erotic scenes. In the previous story (Sex, Death and Starshine) the story opens with a sex scene that was less than inspiring for me; however, in this story, there is a scene filled with sexual tension between Mick and Judd that I thought was well written and erotic (and has a clever foreshadowing device placed into it.) "Mick dropped the flower, and untucked his T-shirt from his jeans. A tight stomach, then slim, smooth chest were revealed as he pulled it off... Judd followed Mick's path through the wheat, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked. Field mice ran ahead of him, scurrying through the stalks as the giant came their way, his feet like thunder." (Page 138-139) There are two things I wanted to go over from this passage. First, the nonhighlighted section I felt was filled with simple imagery that creates a sexual tension between the two men. A personal mistake of mine when I write is that I don't create enough sexual tension in my works, and go right into the sex scene. An important lesson I feel can be learned from this passage is that you need to create the desire in the reader to read about sex just as much as you have to create the desire in the characters first, and this is done through sexual tension. (Make the character crave it, but deny it them sex as long as possible.) The second thing I want to note is the highlighted part of this passage. It is a great image that adds to the scene, however, it serves to foreshadow the end of the story. At the story's end, when Mick and Judd come face to face with the giant it is described as being in a thunderstorm. Now onto the story structure of this short story. The base I use for when I review story structure is Blake Synder's Save the Cat formula, though, to be honest, I've studied all the big ones and while they might call their steps by different names, all the parts serve the same function. I won't go too deeply into how story structure in this review (that will be its own blog series) but I'll give a brief description of what purpose they need to serve. Opening Image: The purpose of the opening image is to show how the MC's world is before his or her adventure. Our opening image is two gay men driving a car through the hills. (This is important) Set-up: The Set-up is meant to introduce the reader to the characters. We meet Mick and Judd, two gay men. Theme: The theme of this story is actually 'Miracles' The theme is introduced due to Mick's fascination with the virgin birth. (I'll come back to this at the end of my review) Call to action/Catalyst: Mick and Judd hear a loud scream. The Call to action is meant to be part of the story where the Hero is given the chance to go on an adventure. Debate/Refusal to the call: This is the part of the story where the hero(s) debate/wonder if it is a good idea to take part of the adventure or/and how they should go about it. Mick and Judd have an argument over if they should try to find the source of the loud scream. Break into Act II: This the part of the story where the heroes make their decision or something happens that prevents them from going back to a normal life. Mick and Judd find a field filled with 35,000+ dead bodies. Fun & Games/trails: Mick and Judd try to find out what happened. This is the part of the story filled with adventure, fun, and friends! B-Story: The subplot of this story actually starts earlier in the story, but it shows the events of the collapsing Giant. The purpose a sub-plot is to explore the theme of the story, and In The Hills, the Cities this is no different. One of the spectators comment on how the battle of these giants is a 'miracle.' Mid-point: The midpoint of a story is can be a hollow victory or disaster; for this story, it is a disaster. Not only are Mick and Judd unable to learn the truth about what has happened, but someone steals their car. Bad guys close in: Depending on your midpoint, this section is where either the villain strikes back or the heroes strike back. Mick and Judd give chase to the man who stole their car (Heroes strike back). All is Lost moment: This is also dependent on your midpoint, but it needs to be the opposite of your midpoint. Mick and Judd find their car and learn the truth about what happened, but it is a hollow victory for them because of how bizarre the story sounds (building a Giant out of the town's people.) Dark Night of the Soul: This is where your characters have doubt about themselves. Mick and Judd ponder if such a thing could be possible. Break into Act III: This is where you heroes transition into the final part of the story where they face the big bad. Mick and Judd decide to seek refuge and receive it from an elderly couple living nearby. Finale/Climax: Mick and Judd are awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of thunder. They go outside to see the rampaging giant running towards them. Remember the theme of the story, and that this is the climax, I wanted to highlight the climactic passage to illustrate how everything goes hand in hand with one another. " Neither dread nor horror touched them now, just an awe that rooted them to the spot. They knew this was a sight they could never hope to see again; this was the apex -after this there was only common experience. Better to stay then, though every step brought death nearer, better to stay and see the sight while it was still there to be seen. And if it killed them, this monster, then at least they would have glimpsed a miracle, known this terrible majesty for a brief moment. It seemed a fair exchange. " (page 162-163) Closing image: The story ends with Judd being killed by the giant. Mick, driven mad, grabs onto the creature and rides it through the hills. This mirrors the opening and shows just how drastic Mick has changed. - This concludes my notes on In the Hills, the Cities. I've hoped you enjoyed this, and if you have a question or thoughts please leave it! Previous post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-6-sex-death-and-starshine.63807/ Next post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-8-dread.63810/
Welcome to part 6 of my study of Clive Barker. Today we will be looking at Sex, Death and Starshine, story 5 in The books of blood. Summary: Sex, Death and Starshine tells the last days of the Elysium theater before it is scheduled to be demolished. The theater company is planning one final play 'The twelfth night.' As they prepare, a strange visitor by the name of Mr. Lichfield come to offer his support (though he has an eerie feel to him). The story ends with the theater company performing the play flawlessly, but as the company looks upon the crowd they discover that the theater is filled with the undead who have come to watch them perform. The theater is burned to the ground (killing the acting company) and Mr. Lichfield resurrects the core members of the company. The group decides to roam around the country and perform plays for the dead. Notes: This story is rich in theme and subtext that it really shows the brilliance of Clive Barker's writing. I will be going through 7 different aspects of this story and explaining their meaning, and possible reasons that Clive Barker wrote this in the manner that he had. 1. Mr. Lichfield: Anyone who reads fantasy (or roleplays) will look at Mr. Lichfield's name and pick up on its meaning right off the bat. A Lich is an undead being, but unlike a zombie, who is still maintain its intelligence. Liches often have magical powers and can raise the dead. This is indeed what this character is, and what I like about it so much is that Clive has taken a sword and sorcery creature and used it in a contemporary setting. 2. Mr. Lichfield is actually the (dark) hero of this story. It took me some time to figure this out, but it terms of story structure it makes sense. Mr. Lichfield has two goals (He wants his wife to perform the role of Viola in the Twelfth night, and he wants the acting company to continue to perform their plays). Mr. Lichfield is the one that has to overcome the most obstacles throughout the story; though the story is never told in his POV which takes us to point # 3. 3. POV character vs Hero: Just like in the great Gatsby, we never see the story through the eyes of the main character. The reason for this is subtextual; seeing the story from Mr. Lichfield would remove us from a Human POV and make his actions look a little less horrifying. The only scene in which we see Mr. Lichfield's thoughts is when one of the actors touches his wife; Mr. Lichfield becomes afraid. He is afraid that their secret (that they are undead) will be revealed, but it is not. The purpose of this scene is to humanize Mr. Lichfield by showing what he is afraid of and earn some sympathy before the final massacre (the burning of the theater). 4. There is a great exchange between Mr. Lichfield and Calloway (the main POV character) that is rich with subtext and double meaning. Mr. Lichfield informs Calloway that The Twelfth Night will be the last 'last production' Elysium will have. Calloway believes this is the case because the owner is planning on selling the theater; what Mr. Lichfield really means is that he plans on killing everyone in the company after they perform the play. Another great example is this brief exchange between the two is as followed. (Calloway speaking to Mr. Lichfield) "... Tell me, were you ever and actor yourself?" ... "I have, I will confess, dabbled in the craft a little." The horror of this line is not revealed until the very end of the story, but what Mr. Lichfield is actually saying here is 'I am currently acting as if I am alive, but really I am dead.' These innocent remarks take a deeper meaning after you've reread this story. This is a great example of how subtext is suppose to work when conversations that the reader put little thought into takes on a whole new meaning after reading the entire story a second time through. This is the reason writers have the POV of the story coming from someone other than the Main character. They want these subtexts hidden. 5. I've been saying that the Dionysian theme appears a lot in Clive Barker's works, and this one is no expectation. Mr. Lichfield expresses his admiration for Dionysian a number of time (he even prays to him later on in the story) and expresses contempt for Apollo (Apollo is meant to be the opposite dynamic of Dionysian.) I am going to go a little deep into why the dead would pray to Dionysian. It has nothing to do with Dionysian being a god of Death, in fact, Dionysian is sometimes called the god of Wine and sex orgies. Part of the Dionysian ideology is the destruction of the individual and the importance of spiritual unity. A more drastic view of this would be that only through death can we be unified (which is one of Mr. Lichfield's goals as he is trying to unify the acting company in death.) 6. I wanted to highlight a passage that is the perfect 'Save the Cat' moment for Mr. Lichfield. A Save the Cat moment is meant to be a scene where the hero of the story performs an action that earns him or her the respect of the audience (reader). Clive Barker has a dark hero who is about to massacre a theater full of people, and yet he needs to get the reader behind this character. Seeing this problem, Mr. Barker puts in this simple exchange between Mr. Lichfield and Tallulah (an old woman who knew Mr. Lichfield when he was alive, and keeps his secret that he actually undead.) To give you a little background info, Tallulah is an old woman who is in a lot of pain due to her age. "Would you like to die, Tallulah?" "Does it hurt?" "Scarcely at all." "It would make me very happy." "And so it should." (Page 122) Mr. Lichfield simply kisses her and she passes away without any pain. This simple act of kindness -though twisted- is meant to get us on the side of Mr. Lichfield who just took away the pain from his dear friend. For me, this scene got me to really like Mr. Lichfield. 7. I wanted to end this with another important note on detail. The Theater is called Elysium, the Greek version of paradise/Heaven (kinda). While a lot of people might know the Elysium is a place where the dead go (which is ironic since the dead come to the theater to watch the play) but there is richer meaning behind this that I believe Clive Barker was thinking of when he named the theater Elysium. The story ends with the acting company begin brought back from the dead, as undead, and traveling the country to perform plays for the undead. In Greek Mythology, people who were allowed to go to Elysium were to perform their earthly jobs in the afterlife. The acting company, in a way, has been blessed with this gift. They will now perform plays for their fellow dead for all eternity. - That concludes my thoughts and note of this short story. If you have any thoughts or comment please leave them. Previous post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-5-pig-blood-blues.63795/ Next Post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-7-in-the-hills-the-cities.63809/
Pig Blood Blues is a showcase piece when it comes to violence, philosophical concepts, Symbolism, and subtext. This is one of those short stories that takes a different meaning after you've read through it a second, or third time. I'd like to warn you now; if you don't want the deeper meaning of this story ruined for you then click off of this. - Summary: An Ex-cop takes a teaching job at boys home. There he meets a young boy named Lacey who claims that the ghost of a missing boy named Hennessey is possessing a giant pig. The cop comes to believe Lacey after he witnesses both the other boys and the faculty trying to feed Lacey to the giant pig. The story ends with the cop being tied up as Lacey, now possessed by the spirit of a pig, eats him alive. (My summary does not do this story justic. This is one of those Short stories you really need to read to grasp everything that happens.) First, I want to start off with the level of violence shown in this; it is just the right amount. Only during the climax (the third act) of the story does thing get really violent. The story starts off slow, with a mystery, before it gets into the violence and gore. In the past I've rushed to the violence and gore in my writing; instead, I think we should take our time before getting to blood and guts. Second, I wanted to touch on two philosophical concepts. First, a lot of horror writers study Nietzsche -I'm not sure why. But he is referenced in this story by name. Going back to the first short story, Book of Blood, I made mention of the Dionysian aspect of art and human nature. This concept was constructed by Nietzsche. While I am not well studied in his works, I'd be willing to wager that there is a lot of Nietzche's concepts within Barker's works. The second concept I want to touch on is the six level of incarnations. (Demon, Ghost, Animal, Demi-god, Man, and Angel). The fact that Hennessey returns back in the form of a giant pig, is actually pretty sound. As you can see, Ghost and Animal are close together; this works well with the fact that Hennessey's ghost is inside an animal (pig). Third, there is some minor symbolism that is going on. The fact that a cop (also called a pig) must face off against an actually Giant Pig has a sense of Symmetrical symbolism behind it, at least in my opinion. And forth, the game-changing subtext behind this story. Redmen (the cop) is everything we'd want in a hero: Bold, not afraid to speak his mind, willing to sacrifice his life to save Lacey. Why would Clive Barker have Mr. Redmen Canbalized by the very boy he is trying to save? This doesn't sound like a fate fitting for a hero, does it? Remembering my previous post about the type of characters that end up dead, let us take a real look at Mr. Redmen. Mr. Redmen is an ex-cop; the reasons for him leaving the department are never stated; he hints at there being a disagreement about the way he handled things (maybe being too violent with a suspect? the reader is not sure.) The second thing we have to remember is that Mr. Redmen has decided to work at the boys home. Now for the one line (that if a reader was just scanning the story they might miss this one) that changes the game for this story. "...It had a certain truth behind it. Was there something in him that wanted Thomas Lacey naked beside him?" (Page 89) The true motivations for Mr. Redmen are revealed. Mr. Redmen is attractive to young men/boys. That is the disagreement that forced him to leave the department. That is the reason he decided to work at the boys home. That is the reason why he is cannibalized at the end of the story because he was after forbidden pleasures. To further this point, A parallelism must be drawn between Mr. Redmen, and Leverthal (A Dr. and another character from this story.) Leverthal admits in having sex with Hennessy. She claims that since he was 18, there was nothing wrong in her actions; she dies by being burned to death during a struggle with Mr. Redmen. Mr. Redmen's death is deserving not because of his physical actions, but the motivations behind those actions. An important lesson can be learned from this; when your hero has a dark and disturbing motivation behind his actions, give him a lot of positive qualities so that reader will like him. (This concept is heavily studied in Blake Synder's Save the cat.) I hope you've enjoyed this review of Pig Blood Blues. - Previous Post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-4-the-yattering-and-jack.63793/#comment-10841 Next post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-6-sex-death-and-starshine.63807/
@Jupie (Since you are a fan of this story, I've tagged you.) Summary: Both comical and a comedy (there is a difference), The Yattering and Jack is one of the most memorable short stories from Books of Blood. In the Yattering and Jack, The Yattering is a minor demon bent on driving Jack Polo insane. Jack, who is aware of the demon, plays ignorant and goes about his daily life as if nothing is wrong. In the end, Jack is able to drive the demon to the point of insanity and enslave it (The irony). Notes: First, I wanted to highlight a passage I found rather enjoying and serves as a good illustration of Show vs Tell. In lesser hands, this would be telling: "Jack had loving and fun daughters who he had missed very much." Showing (written by Clive Barker): "They came into the house with their bustle and laughter; they rearranged the furniture; they threw out the junkfood in the freezer, they told each other (and their father) how much they had missed each other's company." (Page 50). This is a very warm-felt passage, and best of all, it is rather simple and easy to read. The second thing that I wanted to note, there is a very simple moral to this story. In most of Clive Barker's tales, there is always a character that is striving for some great pleasure or escape. It is through the character's desires that the horror in the stories begins. Jack, however, is a simple man who is completely content with his life. Even after he enslaves the demon and is able to get anything he wants, Jack simply states that all he want is "...love for his children, a pleasant home, and a good trading price for gherkins." (Page 63.) I believe it because of Jack's simple taste and desires in life that he is able to escape the horrendous torments that Clive Barker tends to put his other characters through, and in this, a valuable lesson for us writers can be learned. Sometimes the MC causes their own horror and hardship. Previous post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-clive-barker-part-3-the-midnight-meat-train.63791/ Next post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-5-pig-blood-blues.63795/
Welcome to Part Three of my study on Clive Barker. Today I'll be looking at his short Story, The Midnight Meat Train. Summary: The MC Leon is a disenchanted person who after moving to New York City (which he calls The Palace of Delights) to only learn it is just like any other type of city. As the story progresses we meet another Character who is a serial killer. He kills people in order to feed monstrous entities that live under the city. As the story progresses Leon falls asleep on the subway and wakes up to witness the serial killer at work. The two men fight which results in Leon killing the serial killer. The story ends with Leon meeting the monsters under the city and he becomes enticed by them, taking up the mantle of a new 'butcher.' Notes: There is a great description of New York City that I want to highlight. Often I read some people describing a city by the cars, highways, shapes and material of buildings etc. I often this type of description dull and uninspiring. Let's take a look at how Clive Barker, through Leon, describes New York City. "New York City was just a city. He had seen her wake in the morning like a slut, and pick murdered men from between her teeth, and suicides from the tangles of her hair." (Page 15.) One of the purposes of Imagery is to reveal things about the speaker, and right now Clive Barker is revealing how the Leon feels about the city. The last thing I want to look at is the ending. Just like in Book of Blood, Leon is looking for some way to reinvigorate his love for the city and gains this by becoming the new 'butcher' for the monsters under the city. A common theme I've noticed in Clive Barker's works is that the heroes of the story usually get what they want by becoming the very monster they just defeated or through the pain and suffering of another person. This first example: Leon kills the serial killer, decides to take up the killer's mantle, and finds the great happiness in doing so. Previous post:https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-clive-barker-part-2-book-of-blood.63789/ Next Post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-cliver-barker-part-4-the-yattering-and-jack.63793/
The first Clive Barker book I will be looking at is Books of Blood, a collection of his short stories. The first short story shares the title of the book and is called 'Book of Blood.' Summary: In Book of Blood, a con-man tricks a scientist into believing that he can talk to the dead. The Irony of this con is that the dead become angry over the con and exact their revenge on the con-man by carving their personal stories into his body. The scene ends with the scientist reading the stories the dead have carved into the man (this serves as a plot device that connects all the short stories in a shared universe.) Notes: The first thing I want to look at is the purpose of this first story; it serves as a prologue of a type. It connects all the stories that are about to be read into a Share universe. A lot of writers have their own story universe; another famous Horror writer that does this is Stephen King. I myself plan on having a shared story universe, as I think it gives my works a solid backbone. The second thing I wanted to make note of is the opening paragraph, 'The dead have highways... through cracks of cruelty, violence, and depravity." I want to look at cruelty, violence, and depravity. These are abstractions, and for the most part, abstractions are lazy writing; however, Clive Barker is using them however to give a sense of the type of stories we are about to read. Abstractions are only lazy writing when the writer does not give a solid image (or story) to justify their use, and Clive Barker delivers as some of the stories we will be looking at are very disturbing. The third thing I wanted to look at is a genius use of personification. Personification is a poetic device where you give something non-human, human qualities. "Insect voices buzzed, and sung, and complained." (Page 6.) The con-man personifies flies that are in the room, however, what makes this so genius is that this foreshadows events to come. A few pages later we learn that what the con-man was hearing was not flies, but ghosts in the background. Clive Barker used a poetic device to draw attention to a small detail that ends up being a very important detail. It also shows a great understanding of horror; small events (such as flies buzzing in the background) might actually have supernatural attachments. The fourth thing I wanted to look at is another use of a poetic device Synesthesia. Clive Barker makes reference to the Dionysian aspect of art throughout a lot of his works. Being that I've studied the Dionysian aspect for my story, I was able to pick up on this fairly easy. In essence, the basic idea behind it is that when a person enters a state of ecstasy, their senses blend together and they become one with Dionysian. This idea is why I use Synesthesia for my MC, and I would be willing to wager that this was the same line of thought Clive Barked was using when he employed the poetic device. In the story, the scientist enters a state of sexual ecstasy as she thinks about having sex with the con-man. She starts to describe items in a Synesthesia terms examples: Sour Metal, Stale Gold. It is a great use of the device. The fifth thing I wanted to point out is the ending of the story. The scientist (The MC) wants two things: She wants proof that ghost exists, and she wants to have a sexual relationship with the Con-man; she gets both of these things. The Con-man is mutilated beyond recognition (he doesn't die). His mutilated body is proof that ghost exists, but it also provides her with the opportunity to make him hers. He is now ugly (due to his injuries) but she is willing to make him hers because his ugliness proves ghost exists. The subtext of behind this is rather disturbing, the idea of getting him medical attention or that fact her cameraman has died doesn't even cross her mind, all she cares about is that she get everything she wants despite the horrendous price that was paid to get it. I hope you've enjoyed this look the first short story in his collection, and hope you will continue reading along as I make my way through his works. Leave a comment if you have an idea or thought on this story or what I've written up. - Previous post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-clive-barker-part-1-intro.63788/ Next post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-clive-barker-part-3-the-midnight-meat-train.63791/
Hello and welcome to my new Blog series. Over the next 6 months (Possibly More) I am going to be taking a deep look at my favorite Horror writer (the man who inspired me to write horror) Clive Barker. The reason I love Clive Barker is his daring imagination, his willingness to be offensive, and his easy-to-understand prose. As some people who have followed my blog will know, I just did a long study on basic grammar; in the future I will be doing a study on an element of writing (just like how I did Grammar) that will be followed by a study on a famous body or collection of work (as I am doing one now on Clive Barker). In my opinion, it is important for people to study the craft of writing and read published work as well as write yourself in order to advance. So here is the list of books by Clive Barker I'll be reading and breaking apart: 1. Books of Blood 2. The Damnation game. https://www.writingforums.org/entry/a-study-on-clive-barker-part-33-the-damnation-game-prologue.64193/ 3. The Hellbound Heart. 4. Weaveworld 5. Cabal 6. Imajica 7. The Theif of Always. 8. Sacrament. 9. Galilee 10. Coldheart Cayon 11. Mister B. Gone 12. The Scarlet Gospels. 13. The great and Secret Show. 14. Everville. 15. Abarat 16. Days of Magic, Nights of War 17 Absolute Midnight. I'll be mainly looking at his prose, but I'll also be looking at Imagery, Theme, and Story Structure as well. As for Clive Barker himself, Clive Barker is 64-year-old British Writer famous for his horror/dark fantasy works (his most famous being a Hellbound Heart which serves as the basis of the Hellraiser movies.) If anyone would like to follow along as I read his stories, I'll be looking at Books of Blood first. This should be an interesting 6+ Months. - Next Post: https://www.writingforums.org/entry/horror-a-study-on-clive-barker-part-2-book-of-blood.63789/
An Adverb Clause is a clause that describes a verb, adjective, or an adverb. An Adverb clause tells: What, Where, How, Why, To what extent, and Under what conditions. Adverb Clauses start with a subordinating conjunction such as Although, as if, when, what, until etc. For Comma usage, if the Adverb clause starts the sentence then you need a comma to separate it from the main clause. If the clause comes after the independent clause then the subordinating conjunction is strong enough to hold them together. Example: Because it was snowing last night, we did not go dancing. Example: We did not go dancing because it was snowing last night. When locating an Adverb clause the rules as if it was just a single word adverb still apply. When the clause modifies a verb it can be moved around the sentence in a number of places (Look at my Adverb post to see where.) If the Adverb Clause is modifying an adjective or an adverb it must be located right the word it is modifying. Adjective example: Raidne's hair was breath-taking as if it was made of starlight. Adverb Example: The two fought bitterly like a mongoose and a snake. This ends my notes on Adverb clauses. Next, I will be looking at Noun Clauses.
An adjective clause is a dependent clause the modifies either a noun or pronoun. An Adjective clause tells the reader 'Which one' or 'What kind.' Adjective clauses almost always come after the noun or pronoun they are modifying. An adjective clause usually starts with one of the following pronouns: That, Which, Whom, Who, Whose. Example: Merry, who we see every day, is coming to the party. Independent clause: Merry is coming to the party. Dependent clause: Who we see every day. Note: Sometimes you can leave pronoun out the dependent clause and the sentence will make sense. Example: The girl whom I had a date with is pregnant! Example: The girl I had a date with is pregnant! Both ways are fine. Just say it out loud. If it sounds fine without the pronoun it most likely is. If you are however writing something formal you should keep the pronoun. Adjective clauses can also start with Relative adverbs: When, where, Why. Example: The Jewel where there was a shooting at is one of my favorite places to go. Like everything else that acts as an adjective (Prepositional phrases, Participles phrases etc.) Adjective clauses can either be restrictive or non-restrictive. If it is restrictive the clauses does not need commas, if it is non-restrictive than it needs commas around it. That vs. Which. I believe I covered this is the pronoun section, but as a reminder, That is used in restrictive clauses, and which is used in nonrestrictive clauses when referring to non-people. Example: The Car that has the dent is mine. Example: The Divine Comedy, which is my favorite book, has three parts to it. This ends my notes on Adjective clauses. Next, I will be looking at Adverb clauses.
Clauses, the climax of writing! Everything we've been working on has lead to this moment, for every part of speech: Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Predicates, subjects, objects, indirect objects, subject complements, object complements, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, interjections, Verbals, and phrases are used in the construction of Clauses. What is a clause? A clause is a group of words that has both a subject and a predicate. Let me be clear, every simple sentence is a clause, but not every clause is a sentence. (Does that make sense?) There are two forms a clause can take, independent and dependent. Independent clauses make sense by themselves. They express a complete thought. Example: Katie/ went out dancing. (Katie is the subject. Went out Dancing is the predicate.) Dependent clauses do NOT make sense by themselves. The difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause is that a dependent clause usually starts with a subordinating conjunction, a relative pronoun, a relative adverb, or some other word that turns an independent clause into a dependent clause. Example: (Although) Katie went out dancing. The although turns my original independent clause into a dependent clause. For a dependent clause to make sense you need to attach it to an independent clause. Example: Although Katie went out dancing,/ she did not feel better about her father's death. Independent: She did not feel better about her father's death. (This makes sense by itself.) Dependent: Although Katie went out dancing, (This does not make sense by itself.) A dependent clause can be placed at the start of a sentence, the middle of a sentence (in between the subject and predicate) or at the end of a sentence. Beginning: Although Katie went out dancing, she did not feel better about her father's death. Middle: Katie, although she went out dancing, did not feel better about her father's death. End: Katie did not feel better about her father's death, although she went out dancing. - I'd like to end this blog post with saying that there are three types of dependent clauses: Adjective, adverb, and noun dependent clauses. Due to the complexity of each, we will be looking at them separately instead of them all in one big blog post.
So what is a phrase? A phrase is a group of words working together that does not have both a verb and a subject. Here is a list of different types of phrases that I have already gone over. (Read my previous blog post.) Verb phrases: Helping verb + Verb. (Have been walking) Prepositional phrases: Prepositional + Noun & modifiers. (Between the two walls) Verbal phrases: Verbal + noun & modifiers. (Singing her song) Note: Prepositional phrases and Verbal phrases act as either nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. There are two other types of Phrases out there that can really add imagery and meaning to our sentences. The first of these phrases are called an appositive phrase. An appositive phrase is a word or phrase that remains the noun. Here is an example of an appositive phrase from my story. Example: Azure, the woman who saved my life, sat at her desk. Appositives and appositive phrases usually precede the noun; however, they can be used as introductory phrases. (Note: An introductory phrase can be ANY type of phrase you use to start your sentence. An introductory phrase must always be separated with a (,) before the main sentence begins.) Just like other adjective phrases, an appositive can either be restrictive or nonrestrictive. Restrictive phrases will always tell 'Which one' if there is some type of ambiguity. Restrictive phrases do not need commas around them (unless they are an introductory phrase), but nonrestrictive phrases do need commas around them. The last type of phrase is called an Absolute phrase. An absolute phrase is a phrase that uses a noun or pronoun + a Participle phrase. The difference between a participle phrase and an Absolute phrase is that an Absolute phrase modifies the entire sentence while a participle phrase only modifies the noun. An Absolute phrase can be at the start of the sentence, after the noun, or at the end of the sentence. Absolute phrases are always set apart with a (,). Here is an example I wrote: Nooses hanging from their branches, twelves oak trees decorate the side of the road. - In conclusion, phrases can a very powerful tool to use. When I write, I usually just write very simple sentences. (Dave ran.) Afterward, I go back and start adding adjectives, phrases, verbals, prepositions and other things. The reason is that I try not to overstuff my writing and bog it down with unneeded information. This ends my notes and thoughts on phrases. I will be moving onto clauses next.
Now we get to move onto the more interesting parts of English Grammar (I consider verbals, phrases, and Clauses the most interesting because I have the least amount of knowledge on them, but that is going to change!) So what is a verbal? A Verbal is when we use a verb as either a noun, adjective, or adverb. There are three types of Verbals. The first type of Verbal is called Participles. They use, as the name should imply, either the present Participle or past Participle form of a verb. Participles are used as adjectives in the sentence. Here are two examples of Participles. Present Participle: The Burning Tree... Past Participle: The Burned tree... You can also have Participle phrase. Example: Singing her song, Azure awed the crowd. The last part of Participles I want to touch on is that you can have Restrictive and nonrestrictive Participles. What Restrictive means is that it is required for the sentence to make sense. Restrictive example: The girl wearing the blue dress is pretty. (We don't know which girl the speaker is talking about without the 'wearing the blue dress' part. Nonrestrictive example: Beth, wearing a blue dress, is pretty. (This is nonrestrictive because the speaker knows the girl by name, also notice how commas are added to the sentence. Gerunds are verbs that use the present participle form on a verb but act as a noun. Gerunds can act as the subject, subject complement, direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition. Subject: Dancing is my favorite activity. Subject Complement: My favorite activity is Dancing. Direct Object: I really enjoy Dancing. Indirect object: I give dancing all my effort. Object of a preposition: I have sore feet from dancing. A Gerund phrase is the gerund plus its object and modifiers. Example: Dancing the waltz is my favorite activity. Infinitives are the last type of Verbal. Infinitives can act as a noun, adjective, or adverb. To create an infinitive all you need to do is as 'to' + the present tense form of the verb (To walk). Infinitives can also use the passive, perfect, progressive, and perfect progressive form of a verb. Passive: To be murdered... Perfect: To have been murdered... Progressive: To be murdering... Progressive perfect: To have murdered.... Infinitive phrases is made up of the infinitive plus its object and modifiers. Noun: To dance with Walter would make my day. Adjective: Dinner was hotdogs to kill for. Adverb: The light was too bright to look at. - So this concludes my notes on Verbals. I read an article on Verbals, and their purpose is to add flow (I loath the word flow, what does that even mean?) to your sentences and to help paint a concise image for the reader to have; more precisely, you can use verbals to show the relationship between the scene/event and your character. Going back to my opening Paragraph from chapter one (@Lifeline ) let me see if I can paint a little bit of a sharper image to help the reader see the scene a bit better. In a dark vestibule, beautiful cockroaches, with their gorgeous black and amber bodies, crawled up and down the walls, and in and out of the air vents. Standing there, I could feel the sound of a thousand tapping feet in between the drywall and the studs; it felt as if they were crawling in between my bones and muscles on my arms, legs, and chest. My blessed Synesthesia. Hoping the sensation would pass, I hugged myself and rocked back and forth. Well, in any case, onto phrases I go.