My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often that that with any luck at all, I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amarita phalloides, the death-cap mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.After wrapping up the Elmore Leonard caper Swag, I decided to reread Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. As I think the passage above demonstrates, Jackson had a way with opening paragraphs. The Haunting of Hill House had a choice opener as well. Yes, I had to think about the "two middle fingers" bit, because I always count the hand as having five fingers, and with odd numbers you just have one middle. Some people don't count the thumb, though. Merricat Blackwood isn't like me, of course. I like dogs. Books about people unlike you, those about whom you don't even initially know how to feel, are vital. The test, the necessity, is that they be well-drawn.
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Sister act
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2 comments:
I'm pretty sure the first movie I ever saw that actually scared me was The Haunting based on Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. As I recall even though no actual ghosts or monsters made an appearance in the film the aura of menace along with the banging on the bulging door made it all the more terrifying. That being said I never since have liked horror books or movies and I'll admit to cowardice in that regard. Didn't much like roller coasters for that matter either although I was coaxed into a couple of rides long ago.
Anyhow, I did read that opening line of her book and see what you mean. I also read the summary of We Have Always Lived in The Castle and can well understand what a sensation the book must have been when it came out in the early 60s. Knowing now what I wouldn't have guessed then (maybe) it was easy enough to guess that Merricat was the poisoner and not her accused sister. That doesn't take away from the tension and complexity of the family relationships in the least. Jer asked me to tell you it's one of his very favorite novels.
Her two middle fingers line is a bit of a pause inducing statement even though you know immediately what she means. Strange girl.
I recently got around to reading Swag and it really was fun. The scene in the grocery store with the coupon lady was amazing. It turned out they really should have stuck with Frank's rules. The surprise for me was that the girl (Arlene?) hadn't just taken the money when she left for California.
The Haunting is a great film, and you're right that no ghosts appear in it. The story is more about the idea of haunting than sentient beings from the other side that haunt us. Based on a great book that also has an enviable opening paragraph.
What I like about horror isn't necessarily what everyone else does. For me the fleeting emotions, the late night thrills, that surround horrific events in fiction are more interesting than the actual fear. As to rides I'm not big on roller coasters myself. Rotor rides are a lot more fun. The idea of clinging to a wall, held up by apparently nothing.
Merricat is a delightful character. It's not so much that she elicits sympathy as that the villagers have no idea what they're dealing with, and it's fun to look forward to her getting the better of them. Again, this is a sensation that most of us will never have in our real lives, but it can be enjoyable in fiction.
Yeah, Frank's a little too cavalier about breaking his own rules, perhaps. Actually what surprised me is that the police never followed up on an acquitted felon and the guy who didn't testify against him becoming roommates. Maybe they're just too busy? Arlene was probably smart. Take too much money and someone will track you down.
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