Week 7: Spiritual Fantasy

Spiritual fantasy novels and movies tend to be geared towards young people and as such derive from many experience teens tend to go through. The anxieties of being young is addressed and these books tend to guide young people through this uncomfortable stage that everyone must go through. Being different and not belonging serves as an example, most teens are trying to figure out who they are and where their interests and ideas stand. More often than not, these interests are not in line with older generations so these books tend to lend comfort and reassurance that this isn’t bad necessarily. That this flow of new and different ideas is what makes a character unique and it is in fact a positive characteristic.

Week 6: Rich Fantasy

The hobbit reflects the hero's journey in the conventional and not so conventional sense. Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist, is the unlikely hero of the story after being drafted by a wizard to be a burglar for a band of dwarves. Bilbo begins reluctantly, not particularly in favor of being a part of this dangerous mission to reclaim the Dwarves' homeland, however as most heroes on a journey he begins to discover things about himself such as his wit and loyalty when tested by trials throughout his travels. From fumbling to confident, Bilbo follows through as the hero who rises to the task, reaches self-discovery and comes out as the hero but Bilbo is flawed. Whereas conventional heroes are shed of their less-than-honorable traits and rely on goodness solely, Bilbo's strongest ability comes from something of evil and he obtained the ring, which he uses throughout the book, through trickery and herein lies Bilbo's unconventionality. Bilbo does not transform into a new, better being, while he has risen to the task and proved himself a hero in the sense of his mission and overall character, he reached a part of it through dishonorable means. The ring was an object of evil but without it Bilbo would not have been able to complete many of the feats that he did.

Week 5: Witches

A witch is a symbol of female empowerment and connection to nature. The character in Aunt Maria not only has power but she has a strong and manipulative personality to go with it. She has her own agenda which she doesn’t reveal to others until later. Personification of male seduction is a common theme with witches and there’s a sexual context; power seems to be ubiquitous to sexual attraction. Aunt Maria also believes she was right despite what she’d done, I think this speaks to the belief of women in power; there is a stubbornness. The power struggle is between male and female, they balance this out by the brother and sister team in order to demonstrate that can be an equilibrium.

Week 4: The New Weird

After reading American Psycho, a horror story narrated by a privileged young businessman whose on a killing rampage, one must consider what will become of the horror genre.
American Psycho is not a traditional story, straying from the supernatural and sci-fi it explores the horrors of the mundane world. The villain of the story who is also the main character Patrick Bateman is what would traditionally be considered a hero-type character; young, white, rich, and social and it is because of his position of money and power, he never has to face the consequence of his actions. I believe this is what is becoming of the horror genre, it is breaking down the paradigms of what makes a horror story, that it does not have to be supernatural or sci-fi nor does the antagonist need to be a monster or typical hunch-backed, mustache-twiddling villain but it could be anyone, that any person is capable of committing horrible acts.

Week 3: Asian Horror

When considering Japanese Horror vs. Western horror, the distinction between good and evil is not as clearly as defined, in fact it is arguable that Japanese horror that there isn't such a thing as good or evil but that bad things happen can happen to anyone regardless of their "goodness" or "badness". This is true in Battle Royale by Takami, a high school class is selected by random to fight against each other; they did not choose these students because they were the rowdiest or for their poor marks. In western horror there is a clear definition of the hero and villain, and more than not the hero, which is the embodiment of "good", triumphs over evil. In Battle Royale, the students brought together to kill each other engage in brutal acts in order to survive, acts that one would consider "evil" but because it is for the sake of survival etc, it becomes a grey area. Even when the survivors triumph and beat the game, they face uncertainty and haven't necessarily won anything or gained anything except their lives whatever that may mean for their futures.

Week 2: The Vampire

Interview with a Vampire explores the musings of a troubled vampire named Louis. Unlike traditional vampire, Louis feels remorse for killing and struggles with morality and mortality through out his lifetimes. Louis constantly tries to find purpose in his life as well as attempt to validate or invalidate his existence as a vampire, this makes him a passive character. This also reflects in his relationships with different characters. Lestat, the vampire who sired him is a prime example, because of his lavish lifestyle and shallow outlook on life Louis is disappointed and feels doomed to know nothing more about his existence as a vampire and what it all might mean however he stays with Lestat because he is afraid to be alone and that he may be withholding some information that may be key therefore Lestat has dominance over him. Claudia, another crucial relationship, also holds a dominance over him but for a different reason. Where Louis stayed with Lestat out of necessity, he stays with Claudia because of his love for her and with that she is able to keep a hold on him. Both Claudia and Lestat did not have trouble feeding on people nor struggling with morality in the sense that Louis did, they embrace their power and existence which attributed to their dominance. Because they were absolute and confident in what they were, Claudia and Lestat did not waver as Louis would because he constantly questioned everything.