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Wordly Obsessions

~ … the occasional ramblings of a book addict …

Wordly Obsessions

Tag Archives: peter ackroyd

Book Review | ‘Florence and Giles’ by John Harding

15 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by mywordlyobsessions in Book Review

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

book review, edgar allan poe, florence and giles, gothic fiction, henry james, john harding, literature, peter ackroyd, poe a life cut short, the turn of the screw


Florence and GilesFlorence and Giles by John Harding

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was my Hallowe’en read for the year, and I did get rather excited at the prospect of a ‘Poe’ meets ‘The Turn of the Screw‘, but it really wasn’t to be. While the concept is firmly rooted in the Gothic tradition (thanks to it being almost a re-write of the illustrious, aforementioned title by Henry James) it really does lack in the ‘scare factor’ that it so promises on the back cover.

This is the story of Florence and Giles, two orphaned children living with their estranged uncle in a vast, sprawling estate known as Blithe House. However, the name of the house is grossly misleading as nothing about the place is ‘blithe’. It is a cold, forbidding mansion with ancient turrets and a dark history. Florence is our precocious little narrator, and guides us through the ghostly happenings of the place and the strange people who live there.

Besides her quiet, rather innocent brother (who needs protecting most of the time) there is her uncle, a pedantic odd sort of man who much to Florence’s annoyance, forbids her to read. Despite her uncle’s stern request Florence does read and her midnight sojourns to the crumbling library were the most enjoyable parts of the book. A bit of a childhood fantasy come true for me! Another endearing aspect to Florence’s personality is her affection for Shakespeare, which she admires so much that she adopts his ‘word-forgery’. As a result she develops her own take on English, splicing words together to make them seem more dramatic. In some aspects she is uncannily like her uncle, and as the novel progresses is further strengthened to suggest a far closer blood-bond.

However when it comes to the accidental death of the old governess, and the appointment of the new one, I find things get a bit tedious. I could clearly see that the new governess was supposed to be a very scary witch-like character, possibly even a revenant, and Harding almost DID pull it off in a particularly hair-raising sequence, but it was never followed up after that.

Instead there is a ‘twist’, in that we realise that our narrator may not be as reliable as we first thought. For me, the turn of events served to kill the story rather than improve it.

It is a good novel for gothic fiction fans, but those looking fora bit more ‘oomph’ needn’t bother. If you want something like Poe, read Poe. There are really no substitutes for them in my opinion, but having said that I do commend Harding for having a go at it.

If you are interested in Edgar Allen Poe, please read my review on Poe: A Life Cut Short by Peter Ackroyd.

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Literary Blog Hop! – Does Literary Non-Fiction Exist?

19 Friday Nov 2010

Posted by mywordlyobsessions in Authors, Book Review, Meme

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

biography, fear and loathing, gonzo journalism, hunter s thompson, literary nonfiction, meme, percy bysshe shelley, peter ackroyd, richard holmes, romantic poets, rum diary, shelley the pursuit, victor frankenstein


Don\

Welcome to the ‘Literary Blog Hop’, a meme hosted by The Blue Bookcase for book bloggers who focus on reviewing literary fiction. This weeks’ hop comes with the question:

Is there such a thing as ‘literary non-fiction’?

My rough answer to this question would be yes, there is most certainly a genre that can be called ‘literary non-fiction’. However, if you want a succinct description pinpointing exactly what that might be, I honestly can’t say for sure. And the reason for this can be found in a post for the previous hop ‘What is Literary Fiction?’. Here I explored the fact that the term ‘literary’ is a Gordian knot unto itself, an overarching, super genre that has been equally revered and reviled over the years due to one of its’ characteristics: literariness or ‘writing in a writerly way’. Confused? I thought so. To put it crudely, a piece of literary fiction usually focusses on philosophical or psychological issues and often has an inner theme or subtextual nuances. People argue that it’s nothing but a vehicle for the author to showcase his or her literary dexterity by using as many tricks and techniques as possible. Unfortunately this can also mean archaic language and difficult plot-structure that readers may find hard to follow. While this may be the exception, it is certainly not the rule.

Overall critics do not look favourably upon the amorphous, and this extends to the even more illusive genre of ‘literary non-fiction’. But even if I can’t pinpoint EXACTLY what it is, I can certainly come up with some examples  that might illustrate the point a bit better than my own flawed attempts.

When one says ‘literary non-fiction’ I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is journalism, but not the kind that is buried in facts, mind you, but those that create a ‘factually accurate narrative’. What I’m thinking of is the sub-sub genre of ‘New Journalism’ first penned by Hunter S. Thompson: ‘Gonzo Journalism’. I think this is a good example of how literary non-fiction illustrates its’ hereditary trait of hybridization and its’ power to fuse fact and fiction without completely blurring those boundaries.‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ is probably the pioneer piece of Gonzo journalism, which has now become so popular that every magazine today has interviews and articles with a dash of Gonzo thrown in for good measure.  

Added to this are biographies that read like fiction, in the way that as readers we are ‘living’ the history of that person, and are not being constantly hit over the head with dates and other historical data. The most famous literary biographer at the moment would probably be Peter Ackroyd (see ‘The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein’ and ‘Poe: A Life Cut Short’). Yet in my opinion the best biography I have read has got to be ‘Shelley: the Pursuit’ by Richard Holmes.

Shelley: The Pursuit

“If the art of biography was ever damned, Shelley: The Pursuit redeems it” – New York Times

Aside from it being an amazingly detailed account of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s short but tumultuous life, it is also packed with of a lot of painstaking research which reveals aspects of Shelley’s character and life that has never been published anywhere else. The book itself is as thick as ‘Les Miserables’, but is an absolute must read for any self-respecting enthusiast of Romantic Poets and Poetry. As a Mary Shelley enthusiast, I picked up the book hoping to shed some light over the origins of Frankenstein (the ever-popular topic of research for us Frankenstein freaks). To my delight I found it to be a gold-mine of information. Holmes is so very thorough in his research, and to think he wrote this when he was 29.

What I also like about it is how Holmes cast aside the popular ‘ethereal’ image of Shelley and persevered to portray him warts and all. He was no angel, far from it; he was a pyromaniac, an adulterer and a hypochondriac. He was obsessed with electrocuting cats by tying them up to kites during thunderstorms and also his siblings who during childhood were constantly experimented upon with acids and caustics. It wasn’t for nothing that his peers called him ‘Mad Shelley’.

For more information about ‘Gonzo Journalism’ and Hunter S. Thompson, check out my posts on ‘The Rum Diary’, my tribute to Hunter and my Character Connection: Dr. Gonzo.

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The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

19 Friday Nov 2010

Posted by mywordlyobsessions in Book Review

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

book review, frankenstein, london, Lord Byron, mary shelley, percy bysshe shelley, peter ackroyd, Romanticism


Ackroyd being the expert on London and the Romantics, is in his perfect element here, as he winds through the delicate passages of Shelleyan research that he has impeccably dissected and rearranged in order to form his own grotesque monster-myth. Frankenstein has always been a firm favourite of mine, and I was a little doubtful as to whether I should read Ackroyd’s fictionalised version of events. To be honest, I was a little scared that I might be disappointed in discovering yet another clumsy rehash of the classic story – but I was wrong. Ackroyd’s fine-tuning of the essays and academic findings regarding Mary Shelley‘s modern classics shows his attention to detail. A turn of phrase, a meaningful allusion placed in the right moment adds a well-structured depth to the simple story of the man who deigned to be the modern Prometheus.

The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein

The special thing about the book is that it’s both highly readable for the average reader, yet shows it’s academic foundations very clearly to those who know a bit about the prose and poetry of the era, especially of Byron, the Shelleys, Polidori and Godwin. The scenes of 19th Century London were also vividly brought to life. There were moments were I could almost smell the filth of the city. I also enjoyed the description of the grave-robbers, which were a reailty back in the 1800’s.

I derived more pleasure spotting the moments where Ackroyd used his historical sources (even going as far as guessing down to the essay/works it was derived from) to support his dynamic storyline. The only weakness I can speak of that truly hampered the plot, is the weakness of the creature (though his confrontation with Victor was a watered down version of the one in the book) and the ending itself. Not to spoil the book for anyone, in case they should decide to read it, I will only say this much; it was a bit of a cheap trick Ackroyd… I’m sure you could have done much better than that.

So far I have read one other novel by Ackroyd, and that is ‘The Lambs of London‘. I can honestly say that ‘The Casebook of Frankenstein’ is by far his better novel.

I give this 3/5 stars.

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Quick Review | ‘Poe: A Life Cut Short’ by Peter Ackroyd

06 Saturday Nov 2010

Posted by mywordlyobsessions in Authors, Book Review

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

biography, book review, edgar allan poe, gothic fiction, literature, peter ackroyd, poe a life cut short, Rufus Wilmot Griswold


Poe: A Life Cut ShortPoe: A Life Cut Short by Peter Ackroyd

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anyone interested in the life of Poe will be aware of the tremendous hype surrounding his death. It is a fact that he died in a state of delirium, and was found in this state only a week after he had cheerfully waved goodbye to his aunt from a steamboat bound from Richmond to Baltimore. This was the last sighting of Poe until he was found dying six days later in a dirty tavern. What happened during that missing week is a complete mystery; one that is just as confounding as his tales of ‘ratiocination’ or detective fiction. Ackroyd’s short but succinct biography of this enigmatic literary figure begins with his death and the scant facts of his final days on earth.

As an author of the perverse and the macabre, Poe’s literary legacy has somehow managed to pervade all aspects of his life, and this is something Ackroyd explores without falling into the trap of sensationalism. But having said this, there were certain themes that ‘haunted’ Poe which Ackroyd looks at in great detail. Poverty, death from consumption, loneliness and abandonment were some of Poe’s most destructive and constant companions; demons that rode his back and coloured his outlook on life. As an orphan, Poe always yearned for love in the way of literary recognition. Acceptance by the masses was to be his vanity; which sadly pointed to a very deep and forlorn void stemmed by the women in his life; or a lack of them.

“Be silent in that solitude
           Which is not loneliness, for then
The spirits of the dead who stood
           In life before thee are again
In death around thee, and their will
          Shall overshadow thee: be still.”

Ackroyd deftly highlights in a straightforward manner how all these elements combined to produce Poe’s most extraordinary tales of terror and the suppressed psyche. Through them, Ackroyd explores the varying stages of Poe’s mental and psychological health, which unfortunately were always in a state of painful flux. If he was ecstatic and full of hope one minute, he would be found floundering in the pits of despair the next. Ackroyd doesn’t state as much, but he gives the impression that Poe might have been a manic-depressive or even bipolar. But it was probably his alcoholism that condemned him mockery by his literary peers and kept him from the fame that he so despaired for. Ackroyd documents how Poe struggled to keep a job down due to his binge-drinking and lost some very prestigious positions because of his unpredictable nature. In fact, drink was a common demon to the Poe family, as a letter by William (a cousin) shows.

“William Poe also wished to caution his cousin against that ‘which has been a great enemy to our family.’ The enemy was of course, a ‘too free use of the Bottle’. The Bottle was the demon of the Poes.”

But despite the negativity, Ackroyd also states Poe’s achievements. He was for one, a great critic who had an innate understanding of real art. He was a perfectionist, and it was often this sensitivity to beauty and an aggressive intolerance for anything short of it that earned him many enemies. Ackroyd describes how his reviews were often scathing, bordering on personal attacks. In ‘Poe: A Life Cut Short’ Ackroyd tries hard to present Poe as a more rounded personality. His loves were all-consuming and full of sacrifice; his hate was also much the same; and his financial state did not hinder him from saying exactly what was on his mind. His most famous disagreement to date is probably with Rufus Griswold, who abhorred him so much that after Poe died, he published a false memoir which stated all sorts of defamatory allegations against the deceased. Much to my relief, Ackroyd sensibly ignores this aspect of Poe’s life (again, too much hype), but does make a statement that very neatly sums up the actions of Griswold:

“Poe had met Griswold two years before, and they had circled each other in mutual suspicion masked by professional admiration. Griswold had succeeded Poe at Graham’s Magazine, where he had gained a reputation for literary chicanery. But the publication of his anthology in 1842 brought him a measure of success. Poe was ambivalent, describing it as ‘a most outrageous humbug’ to a private correspondent while lauding it in print as ‘the most important addition which our literature has had for many years received.’ The protestation was not enough. When a wholly and sarcastically negative review appeared in the Saturday Museum, Griswold assumed (wrongly, as it happened) that Poe had composed it. The there came Poe’s animadversions upon the book in his series of lectures. But Griswold eventually had his revenge. After Poe’s death he would be responsible for the most lethal character assassination in the history of American literature.”

This probably illustrates the reason why Ackroyd found it wise to steer clear of this episode (as interesting as it is). He acknowledges the fact, but does not allow it to take over and give birth to half-baked theories and gossip about Poe’s death that have found root over the years. A ‘character assassination’ it definitely was, but Ackroyd also makes it clear that Poe was no angel during his time as editor of various journals and magazines. For one, he reveals that Poe regularly wrote ‘spoofs’ or ‘hoaxes’ that were soon found out to be nothing but lies. These little events did not go in his favour, and reflected badly on his status as a credible editor.

Overall, I think this biography did a good job in weeding out the ‘gossip’ from the ‘facts’ surrounding Poe’s life. Ackroyd is an academic writer, and I appreciated his sensitivity in what went into the account and what was left out. The best thing about it is that Ackroyd allows the reader to make up their own mind about Poe. There is a very clear relationship between his life and his works and Ackroyd gets this just right. His account is not overdone with quotations which neatly side-steps the path to sentimentalism. After reading this I realised that Poe was a difficult man to pin down. The accounts of him vary from being as ‘unstable as water’, a ‘characterless character’ to being ‘the merest shell of a man’. Those who loved him commented on his deep intellect and his way with words. I think Ackroyd sums it up very well when he states that:

“Like a salamander he could only live in fire. But the fire was often started by himself. He stumbled from one passionate outburst to the next. He hardly seemed to know himself at all, but relied upon the power of impassioned words to create his identity.”

While alive, Poe’s words were constantly used against him. He was mocked and ridiculed, only because he had mocked and ridiculed others (a sign of starting the fire himself in many ways). But it was only after the death of this orphan, when only his words were left that he finally found his identity.

“Tennyson described him as ‘the most original genius that America has produced’, worthy to stand beside Catallus and Heine. Thomas Hardy considered him to be ‘the first to realise in full the possibility of the English language’… The science fiction works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells are heavily indebted to him, and Arthur Conan Doyle paid tribute to Poe’s mastery of the detective genre… The orphan, in the end, found his true family.”

View all my reviews

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Hallowe’en Poetry | ‘The Raven’ by E.A. Poe

30 Saturday Oct 2010

Posted by mywordlyobsessions in Authors, Poetry

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

brandon lee, christopher lee, christopher walken, dracula, edgar allan poe, eric draven, frankenstein, halloween, james earl jones, jekyll and hyde, john astin, peter ackroyd, poetry, the crow, the raven, vincent price


‘”While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.”
… You heard me rapping, right?’ – Eric Draven, ‘The Crow’

Even though I do not celebrate it, the Hallowe’en spirit is something that I am very fond of. I suppose it’s my love for Romantic Gothic literature that has me looking forward to it every year. It’s any old excuse really for classics like ‘Frankenstein’, ‘Dracula’ and the ‘Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ to be pulled off the shelf and given a once over. This year however I have changed tack; instead of immersing myself in the epistolary accounts of Jonathan Harker and Victor Frankenstein I have decided to revisit Poe and his wonderfully morbid collection of short stories and poems. So since this is my first hallowe’en blog post I thought what better way to celebrate it than with the famous Gothic poem: ‘The Raven’.

This poem holds a very special place in my heart, as it evokes the true spirit of the Gothic: terror of the unknown and melancholic desire. Peter Ackroyd’s short biography ‘Poe: A Life Cut Short’ has also thrown some very interesting light on the popularity of the poem that I wish to share. In the chapter entitled ‘The Bird’ I discovered its origins and the reason why it has endured as one of the most popular ‘recited’ poems of all time. After it was published, ‘The Raven’ became one of those rarest of things; an overnight success. This intricate masterpiece of form and meter was the only real commercial fame Poe ever gained in his lifetime as he was suddenly being hailed in the street as the ‘raven’ (very apt as he always wore black) and the words ‘nevermore’ had quickly been adopted and immortalised by actors.  

However, the thing that excited me most, was that Poe himself was frequently asked to read the poem out loud. Yet this all began when a famous actor and friend of Poe recited it for the first time in Poe’s office. From that moment ‘The Raven’ has remained as a famous narrative poem that has continued to be recited by famous actors throughout history. Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, James Earl Jones and John Astin are to name but a few who have lent their voices to it, but the version I love most is the one by Christopher Walken. So here it is, complete with scary sound effects that reminds me of that Tim Burton classic ‘Sleepy Hollow’. Enjoy!

Now, the question poses itself: Which famous actor would you like to hear recite the poem? My choice would be the late Brandon Lee who starred as Eric Draven in ‘The Crow’. In the film, he only recited a couple of lines (see caption of image), but it was absolutely fantastic.

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Famous Quotes | Edgar Allan Poe

25 Monday Oct 2010

Posted by mywordlyobsessions in Quotes

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

edgar allan poe, gothic fiction, peter ackroyd



Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849)
The father of detective fiction and probably the first proper ‘Goth’ of modern literature. He was known for his stories of mystery and the macabre.

Calling all emo-goths, Tim Burton fans and general lovers of kohl-rimmed eyes and dark, dark clothing; a round of applause please because our next ‘Famous Quotes’ author is none other than Edgar Allan Poe. Here is the original ‘man of melacholy’ letters. Let’s face it, Hallowe’en just isn’t the same without him. I’m a bit upset that I missed the anniversary of his death (it would have been VERY fitting to have posted this 18 days ago) but you can’t have everything. So here I am gearing up for Hallowe’en by reading up a little on Poe’s dramatic life through Peter Ackroyd’s ‘Poe: A Life Cut Short’. Even though I’m halfway through it, I got a strong sense that although Poe was born under a lucky literary star, he was always sabotaged by his demons, his vanity and his circumstances. Like most great writers, Poe was way ahead of his time; and unfortunately people only truly appreciated his work after his death.

In honour of Poe and all Gothic fiction here are some brilliant quotes from the master of the macabre.

“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”

“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”

“I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active – not more happy – nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.”

“I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.”

“If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered.”

“It is by no means an irrational fancy that, in a future existence, we shall look upon what we think our present existence, as a dream.”

“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?”

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.”

“Men have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence– whether much that is glorious– whether all that is profound– does not spring from disease of thought– from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general intellect.”

“I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom.” 

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.” 

Probably the most curious quote out of all of these is the one about the cat. I would love to know exactly what he meant by it.

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