A Poem For November.

Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s #fridayschoice. The first week of November is nearly behind us. Happy Friday, I hope you all had a great week, and I hope you all enjoy the weekend.

Today’s Friday’s Choice is short and sweet. I’m talking about a poem that I really love.

The poem is entitled November Night, and it was written by Adelaide Crapsey.

This poem can be found on poetryfoundation.org.

This poem is short. It is only five lines. The poem is about leaves falling to the ground on a crisp November night. Many of Crapsey’s poems feature themes of death, and one could assume this was because she suffered from a terminal illness. Many of her poems are also about autumn or winter, so the scenes she describes are a wonderful mix of bleak yet beautiful.

I think there is something really beautiful about the poem November Night. I think this is a lovely poem to read aloud because of the assonance and the onomatopoeia that Crapsey uses. I especially like the last two lines, “The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break from the trees/, And fall.” (Crapsey, November Night, lines 4/5).

I like these final two lines because I like the image they create of a delicate, frosty leaf breaking away from the the tree and falling to the ground. I think that the leaves on the ground, in all of their various colours, red, orange, brown, and gold, are a true indicator that autumn is turning into winter and I think there is beauty in this change of season.

I also think that if one was to analyse this poem on a deeper level, then they could recognise a minor theme of loss and death, and the leaves falling to the ground could be suggested to be a metaphor for one’s failing health, and autumn is a time where things die.

Sometimes it is the simple poems that stand out the most, and this poem has been on my mind since the start of the week because I always think of this poem at this time of year.

Go and read it if you get the chance, I would highly recommend it.

This has been Friday’s Choice. I hope you enjoyed it.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Kate xo.

Epistolary Form.

Hello everyone and welcome back to Theory Thursday. Last week I talked about tropes so you should check that out if you haven’t already. Today I am talking about epistolary form.

Let’s dive into #theorythursday.

I mentioned epistolary form briefly in my #bookofthemonth discussion about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein because the novel is a very good example of a text that is written in epistolary form. I decided that today I would talk about this form in more detail.

What is epistolary form?

As I said in my #bookofthemonth discussion, when a text is written in epistolary form, it means that the text is written through a series of letters and documents by one or several characters.

Texts that are written in epistolary form are often more focused on thoughts and feelings instead of dialogue, and this makes sense because if a character is writing a diary entry for example, they will be writing down the experience through their eyes, and they will be writing down how they felt about it, so it is important to remember that all of the text’s events are filtered by the character’s memory. Two people could write about the same event and yet they could write two extremely different things.

Another example of a text that is written in epistolary form is The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker.

Why is understanding epistolary form important?

I think that if you’ve never encountered this form before it can take a moment to get used to, because you’re not simply reading the story, you’re reading someone’s experience of the story, and it is the letters and diary entries that keep the plot’s events in order. For example if two characters are writing letters to each other, it is in their responses that the plot advances. It is a really interesting way to tell a story, and I think it is important to know that this method of telling a story through letters or diary entries is called epistolary form.

I also think it’s important to know about epistolary form because having a broad range of knowledge about different forms and how they function, expands our understanding of literature, and I believe that in turn, we expand our enjoyment of literature.

This has been Theory Thursday, I hope you all enjoyed it. Happy Friday Eve.

Kate xo.

November’s Book Of The Month.

Hello everyone. Here’s to a new month. I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks as I have a few exciting things planned which will be revealed soon.

If you follow my on Instagram (@katelovesliterature), then you’ll already know that November’s Book Of The Month is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This is a childhood classic and I’ve chosen it because I wanted to be nostalgic in November. Feel free to read along with me.
Kate xo.

A snap of my gorgeous hardback copy of the book.

Cheaper by the Dozen 2.

Starting With The Sequel.

Hello everyone and welcome back to #moviemonday. It is November first, it is a new month so let’s keep moving onwards and upwards.

Today I’m doing something a little out of order, I’m starting with a sequel. Over the weekend I sat down and I watched a childhood favourite of mine – Cheaper by the Dozen 2. I wanted to watch something upbeat and lighthearted after a month of watching horror movies, and this movie ended up being my choice. The reason I am talking about the sequel before I talk about the original is because the stories are not connected. In the sequel, we are given an entirely new story and a different antagonist.

This movie was released in 2005 and it was directed by Adam Shankman.

Let’s dive into Movie Monday.

Plot.

This movie follows Tom Baker as he and his wife Kate take their twelve kids to the lake for one last family vacation before some of the kids fly the nest. At the lake, Tom runs into an old rival and the two become determined to compete in the family contest for the cup. What was supposed to be a friendly game quickly turns into the two fathers being highly competitive because it has become personal, it has become about parenting styles. Ultimately this movie is about what it’s like when your kids start growing up and they need you less. It’s a bittersweet time and Tom Baker is learning that while he’d love to hold on to his children, he has to let them go.

Characters.

Tom Baker is our lead protagonist. He is a football coach, he is a loving father, he is struggling to accept the fact that his children are growing up and becoming independent. They need him less and this is a fact that he was not prepared for. He believes that kids are the way they are and that they need love and guidance. He disagrees with Jimmy Murtaugh’s parenting style, he thinks that so much pressure will surely make a child crack. He wants to compete for the family cup. He wants his entire family to do one last thing together before they inevitably start going their separate ways. He’s a loving father and a great character, but he lets his competitive side get the better of him.

Jimmy Murtaugh is the movie’s antagonist. Technically, because he isn’t a bad person, but he is misguided. He thinks he is doing what is best for his children. He loves them, he is proud of them, but he has taken his tough love and expectations too far and he struggles to understand that his children are their own people and that he has to let them make decisions about their lives for themselves.

Kate Baker is Tom’s wife. She is fed up by Tom’s competitive nature, and she keeps reminding him throughout the movie that the tighter he holds on, the more the kids will want to pull away. Kate is a loving, understanding mother, and she wants her children to know that they can come to her no matter what. Kate is an accomplished writer and she is the one who narrates the movie.

Serena is Jimmy’s third wife. She is young and beautiful, and extremely kind. She may seem like a stereotypical ditz at first, but Serena is caring and very emotionally intelligent and she is the one who finally breaks through to Jimmy and makes him realise that he is hurting his kids.

The kids are the ensemble, and some kids have more prominent storylines than others. The movie begins with Lorraine Baker’s graduation, she is due to move to New York and this is one of the things that Tom is struggling with. Nora Baker is married and she is pregnant. She and her husband Bud are figuring out what they should name their baby. Charlie Baker is trying to figure out what he wants his next move to be, and Sarah Baker experiences her first crush and first date on this vacation.

Annie Murtaugh is Jimmy’s superstar. He expects her to join him at work because in his opinion she is corporate material. Unfortunately, Annie dreams of going to art school, and she doesn’t know how to tell her father. Elliot Murtaugh is Sarah Baker’s first crush, and he reciprocates her feelings. The two go on a date in the movie. Charlie and Annie also go on a date.

Themes.

This is a fun, family friendly movie so the themes are not too complex but that doesn’t mean they aren’t touching. The movie’s most prominent themes are love and family, growing up, and the idea of a parent letting their child fly the nest.

Ultimately, this is a movie about family. These two families love each other, and they don’t do everything perfectly but that’s okay. Both sets of parents just want to do what’s best for their children, and I think Nora’s line “There’s no way to be a perfect parent, but there’s a million ways to be a really good one.”, sums this movie up quite nicely. Tom and Kate aren’t perfect parents, neither are Jimmy and Serena although Jimmy’s kids may appear perfect on the surface at the beginning of the movie.

I think this movie is heartwarming, and very funny, but it still shows the very real bittersweet emotions that come with watching your kids grow up and need you less, they start to do things independently and parents have to let them. There is this idea that parents want to get their children ready to face the world, but then when that times comes, they struggle to let go, and this is what Tom is struggling with.

As always, Steve Martin is the ultimate dad. I love how Steve Martin portrays Tom Baker, he’s loving, and imperfect, but he is a family man and while yes he does get swept up in the competition, he’s not a controlling father. At times he’s a little overbearing, and he does embarrass his kids, but in the end, he knows that his kids will find their own way and he’s proud of each and every one of them.

There are a few firsts in this movie. Nora is having her first baby, Lorraine is moving into her first apartment, Sarah and Elliot go on their first date. These are very important moments in a child/teenager’s life. These moments are mixed with excitement and nerves, and the parents watch on proudly but also with a few tears because that’s another first done with, and it is yet another signal that the kids are growing up.

If one was to take a deeper look at this movie, there is an element of nature vs nurture. Tom and Jimmy have completely different parenting styles. Tom is more laid back, while Jimmy has very high expectations. His children are high achievers and they appear perfect from the outside looking in, but Serena tells Kate that his children are miserable and that she fears he will push them away entirely if he doesn’t accept that he has to let them make mistakes, and more importantly, he has to let them make decisions for themselves.

Tom’s kids seem more wild but they are good kids. They are a tight knit unit and the kids do achieve things too. They all are finding their own paths and Tom is more understanding of the fact that kids will screw up sometimes, but they have to because that’s part of life.

I remember my own dad telling me once that one of the hardest things to do as a father is to allow his child to fail, because when something goes wrong and your child is upset, it may be because of a failed test or an interview that didn’t go well, or a first breakup, but seeing your child upset and being unable to fix it is hard, but those moments are necessary. We all have to experience failure so that we can grow and learn.

I also think that this movie demonstrates that just because your kids are grown up, it doesn’t mean that you stop being their parent. You always worry, you always love them, and the bond doesn’t end, it just changes. I also think it’s interesting watching this movie through adult eyes now, because so much of the movie’s message is true, we all do grow up, and things change but the love doesn’t go away. I need my mam less now than I did when I was little but today she’s one of my best friends. Our bond will never end, it’s just a different bond now, and that different bond is a good thing.

Structure.

This is a fun movie with a structure that is easy to follow. The movie is just over an hour and a half long, and I actually think that this is the perfect length. It’s not too long or too short. Kate is the movie’s narrator, and since she is a writer, her monologues at the beginning and the end read as though she is writing another book about the events of the summer.

Lorraine’s graduation at the start of the movie sets the tone. A child has achieved something. This is a milestone. This represents change. It is Lorraine’s graduation, and Nora’s pregnancy, and the fact that all of the Baker kids are doing their own thing now that prompts Tom to want to go on one last big family vacation. So it’s decided, we’re going to the lake.

The lake is where the body of the movie occurs, and when we meet Jimmy Murtaugh, his and Tom’s rivalry is set up very nicely. We get all the information we need quickly, and it isn’t hard to figure out how this movie will play out.

The movie’s climax is the competition for the cup. The entire movie has been leading up to this moment, and I won’t say what happens at the competition because that would be a spoiler, but this competition and what happens at the competition, highlights just how close the Bakers are. Nothing is more important than family.

I think that this movie does a good job of showing not telling us what is happening, and I also was very impressed with how this movie juggled so many storylines without anything feeling rushed or out of place. The important moments were done really well, and with so many kids having first moments, the movie did a really good job of letting us see the build up to those moments, and then letting those moments play out. For example, we see Sarah asking Tom if she can go on a date with Elliot. This is her first date. We see her getting ready for it. We see her as she is nervous and excited, we see her parents see her off, and then we see Sarah and Elliot at the cinema.

Final Thoughts.

My final thoughts are that this is a fun, lighthearted but still heartwarming movie. It was a welcome change after a month of horrors as it is a childhood favourite of mine. It’s fun, it’s easy watching, and it’s great for laugh. I’d highly recommend it if you need a pick me up.

This has been Movie Monday. I hope you enjoyed it. Have you see Cheaper by the Dozen 2? Let me know.

Kate xo.

Frankenstein.

Hello everyone. Happy Halloween. I can’t believe that it is the end of October. The month has flown by, and I hope that you have all enjoyed #spookyseason.

I hope that you all have a fantastic Halloween, have fun, stay safe, and always beware of the headless horseman.

Let’s dive into October’s #bookofthemonth discussion all about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

I am going to start this discussion by elaborating some more on why I chose Frankenstein as October’s Book Of The Month. Over the past few weeks, I have been embracing the Halloween spirit here on Katelovesliterature.com and I have spoken a lot about gothic literature, subversive literature, and the horror genre.

Now, I think that it can be argued that it is easy to assume that Frankenstein fits into the horror genre, and in many ways it does because of course there have been many horror movies based on, and about Frankenstein. I think it would also be fair to say that many people would associate the name Frankenstein with the image of a monster, but I think that Shelley’s text is far more complex than being just simply a horror story. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a gothic, romantic novel that presents a very layered plot that depicts some very complex and nuanced themes, which is why I decided that I wanted this text to be October’s Book Of The Month.

In many ways, Frankenstein is a very romantic text, because Romanticism (always with a capital R), is very interested in the idea of wonder and curiosity, and in this idea of embracing the unknown and the unexplainable. In Frankenstein, it is wonder and a scientific curiosity that drives Victor Frankenstein to experiment and attempt to do what has not been done before.

Let’s talk about form. Frankenstein is an epistolary novel. When a novel is written in epistolary form, it means that the novel is written in a series of documents. This is an interesting form to use because somewhat similar to the third-person perspective, epistolary form allows the novel to present different points of view, but because letters and diary entries and newspapers etc., can make a story feel more grounded, it could be said that using epistolary form makes the story feel more realistic.

Another interesting thing to note is that in Frankenstein, there is a cautionary tale within the story as the writer Robert Walton is exploring in the hopes of expanding his knowledge. He reaches the North Pole where he sees a sled being pulled by a huge creature. Walton wants to find the huge creature and discover who or what it is, but instead he finds the scientist Victor Frankenstein who has nearly frozen to death in his pursuit for that same huge creature. Victor sees some of himself in Robert, and so he tells Robert his tale, which is in fact, the creature’s tale, and thus, the true plot of the novel begins.

From a very young age, Victor was obsessed with science and experiments but his ideas were considered extremely outdated. His mother’s death caused him to bury himself in his work in order to deal with his grief. Victor explains how he excelled at chemistry and through his very intense studies of science, he discovered a way to give life to non-living matters. Victor becomes obsessed with the idea that he can give life back to a nonliving thing, and so he decides to perform an experiment, and he begins to create a humanoid. Victor selects the pieces for his creation, but he does not properly think about proportions, and even though he selected things with the intention that his creation would be beautiful, instead he creates a tall, hideous, terrifying looking creature. This creature is appropriately called the Creature, and it is important to remember to capitalise the name if one is speaking of the Creature from this point forward, for that is the character’s name. Victor is repulsed by his creation and so he abandons it in the lab. When he returns later, the Creature is gone. Now even though this is a #bookofthemonth discussion, I am not going to discuss the plot in much greater detail because I don’t want to spell out the story for those who have not yet read the book but may decide to later on.

Let’s now talk about themes because Frankenstein presents many thought provoking themes, and the layered, nuanced themes are the primary reason why I love this text.

The first theme is of course the notion of wonder. Without wonder, Walton would not be exploring, and without wonder, Victor would have never experimented. Both characters had an insuppressible desire to discover, to expand knowledge, to learn the unknown, and this theme is one that I love because I think it further complicates the tension between romantic writing and enlightenment writing, because romantic writing is about wonder, nature, curiosity, and the unknown. It is about the idea that not everything can and should be measured because not all things can be, like feelings for example. Feelings are very often not rational, but that does not mean they are not real. Enlightenment writing is about the idea that all questions can be answered with logic, reason, facts and figures, and if one was to think about the Gradgrind approach in Hard Times by Charles Dickens, if it cannot be measured then it cannot be real, so there is a tension between romantic writing and science, but the notion of wonder depicted in Frankenstein complicates this tension even further because I would put forward the question, can someone experiment if they have not had an idea? Would this desire to do something that has not been done before not be considered original? Does this then mean that all ideas have to be sparked from some form of creativity, highlighting the importance of creativity?

I said at the start of this discussion that Frankenstein is a very thought provoking text and I meant it.

An extremely prominent theme in this text is the idea of nature vs nurture. This text presents that famous question, is one born evil or made evil? A point that I would like to make before I expand on this theme, is that when I discussed The Great Gatsby, I spoke about how this text had a prominent place in popular culture because when one hears The Great Gatsby, images of grandeur, decadence, champagne and flapper dresses spring to mind, and I think it is important to mention that Frankenstein has a similar place in popular culture. Many people hear the title Frankenstein, and they think they know the story, but they do not actually know the story. Frankenstein has been adapted many times, and some versions stray away from the original text completely. Some people even call the Creature by the name of Frankenstein. I think it is fair to say that the thing that many people associate the word Frankenstein with is the image of the green, monstrous looking zombie, with bolts in the side of its neck, and it is a monster that can hardly speak, the work of a mad scientist who wanted to create such a monster. This is not the case. The Creature looks human, but it is grotesque because of how huge, hulking, and disproportionate he is, and because the parts were stolen from the dead. Another extremely important thing to note is that the Creature is very intelligent. Victor Frankenstein is not a mad scientist, but he is a misguided one.

With that being said, let’s now return to the idea of nature vs nurture. I cannot remember the exact quote, and I don’t know who originally said this, so please forgive my paraphrasing, but I remember laughing when I saw a quote that said something along the lines of ‘knowledge is knowing that there are two monsters in Frankenstein.’ I like this quote a lot, because after reading this text many times, and even studying it in great detail in college, an idea that could be put forward is the idea that the Creature is not the monster but Victor Frankenstein is in fact the monster, because he created this being and then abandoned it, and therefore it is because of circumstances beyond its control that the Creature had to become a monster in order to protect itself from those who wished to kill it, because people were terrified of this figure. Victor gave the Creature life, but nothing else. He abandoned his creation when it was not what he expected it to be, he gave it no guidance, no love, nothing. He abandoned his creation, and so one could argue that the way things played out is Victor’s fault. I think this is really interesting because the novel demonstrates how evil can be made. If something is called evil often enough, if something or someone is an outcast, if they are shunned, if they have no friends, if they are feared, and threatened, then in order to survive, they must protect themselves. The Creature does so, and then becomes the monster that everyone feared he was in the first place and so it becomes a vicious cycle where society creates no other choice for the Creature other than to become monstrous, but then when it does, those people who called him evil all along feel justified and vindicated, and so they continue to do so, and this means that the Creature cannot ever escape this cycle because he is never given the chance to. It is a very complex idea, and I think that it will always be a very relevant idea.

Following the idea of nature vs nurture, mob mentality is another theme in this novel. There is a point in the novel where the Creature finds refuge in a structure that is connected to the cottage of a poor family. The Creature taught itself to speak by listening to them, the Creature discreetly collected firewood for them, and did other kind things such as clear the snow from the path for them. This demonstrates that the Creature was capable of kindness, and that the Creature was thoughtful. This point is really significant because when the Creature sees its reflection in a pool of water, the Creature too is horrified by the reflection. The Creature knows that humans will not ever be accepting because of the way the Creature looks. The only person to ever give the Creature a chance is the father of the poor family in the cottage. The Creature snuck in one day while everyone else was away, and the Creature and the father chatted. It was very pleasant, and this conversation shows that when given a chance, the Creature can be perfectly civil. The catch is that the father of the family in the cottage was blind. He could not see the terrifying looks of the Creature, so he was not afraid of him, when his family returned, they were terrified of the Creature and feared their father was in danger so this novel presents very nuanced ideas about judging a book by its cover, and also it can lead one to think about how appearance based the world can be. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast even touches on this idea of mob mentality and nature vs nurture, because the enchantress curses the prince to look like a beast until he can love and be loved in return, but the cruel catch to her curse was that she asked who would ever learn to love a beast? Everyone was terrified of the beast because of his appearance, and so they never gave him a chance to love or be loved, and when the mob storms the castle led by Gaston, the beast has no other choice but to fight them off, which only further solidifies his terrifying and dangerous status in the villager’s minds, and so again we can see this cycle that I mentioned earlier. People act out of fear, and when the beast fights back they only fear him more, and he was never able to break that cycle until he met Belle.

There is also a tension that exists in Frankenstein between the scientific world and the natural world. This text puts forward an idea about the ethics of science. Victor Frankenstein wanted to experiment but he seemingly put no thought into what would happen after he created the Creature, and when the Creature was not what he expected it to be, Victor abandoned his creation. This decision led to a lot of hurt and danger. The Creature lived a wretched, isolated existence, feared by everyone, and so the Creature became so mistreated by society that it had to protect itself. It reacted when it felt threatened, and the Creature did commit violence and murders. One could ask though, would the Creature have been entirely different if it had not been so shunned and abandoned? We will never know. Some argue that because the Creature was not a ‘natural creation’, it did not matter how he was treated, he still would have been monstrous, but that idea is usually put forward by scholars such as Rousseau. Rousseau believed that everything created by God is good, and then society is what corrupts us, but because the creature was not created by God, if one follows Rousseau’s thinking, then they may also argue that how the Creature was treated did not matter.

There is a moment when the Creature initially comes to life, that it reaches out for Victor, and Victor flees the lab because he is terrified. Now, this moment can be left open to interpretation. One could ask if the Creature was reaching out to embrace Victor? Or was the Creature reaching out to harm Victor? We don’t know, because Victor tells us his account of this moment, so we don’t actually know what the Creature intended to do. We also don’t know how this moment actually occurred. Victor describes it as an ‘escape’ because he was so afraid, but did he just leave immediately without giving his creation a chance? We don’t know, and I love that this moment is so open to interpretation. Personally I would ask the question: what would have happened if Victor had stayed for even five more minutes?

I really enjoyed reading this text again, and if you read it during the month too then I hope you enjoyed it. If you have not read it then I would definitely recommend it. It is one of those texts that I always find something new in. I always think about something different. With each read, something new stands out, and I really enjoy how thought provoking this text is because as I have discussed above, it is a text that is full of layered, nuanced, complex themes.

This has been October’s Book Of The Month discussion. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any thoughts on the novel then please let me know because I would love to hear what you think. Keep an eye out because I will be announcing November’s #bookofthemonth very soon. Happy Halloween!

Kate xo.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Hello everyone. Happy Friday. Today is the last Friday in October, the month has flown by. This Sunday is Halloween and my #bookofthemonth discussion all about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein will be published, and that will be my last Halloween/horror/gothic themed discussion for a while. Content choices will become more varied again in November before we move into the festive month of December.

Today I am talking about Sweeney Todd, and I am referring to both the movie and the musical.

If you are familiar with the tale of Sweeney Todd, then it may sound surprising when someone who says they don’t love horror turns around and says they love Sweeney Todd.

I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was fifteen. My best friend loved it, and I remember hiding behind a cushion because I could not stand the sight of the blood.

Warning – There is a lot of blood.

Time passed. I did not watch the movie again, I had no desire to. Fast forward to 2018, and I am studying film theory in one of my college classes. I am studying German Expressionism and the impact it has had on the film noir genre and how it has inspired contemporary directors such as Tim Burton – If you are not familiar with what German Expressionism is, don’t worry. I will be talking about it in further detail on #theorythursday at some point in the future.

I love the class, I love the topic, I love Tim Burton, and I love Stephen Sondheim the composer – so I decided to watch Sweeney Todd.

I loved it. I still could not look at the blood, but luckily I knew when to hide my eyes, but I loved the story.

For those of you who don’t know, Sweeney Todd tells the tragic tale of Benjamin Barker who lost everything he loved because of a cruel and jealous corrupt judge. This injustice turned Benjamin Barker into a hardened man, and he is determined to get revenge on all of those who wronged him.

It is a horror story, and yet it is so complex that I would argue it is also a revenge tragedy. The story is dark, gritty, and gory, and it presents such layered themes about love, loss, corruption and revenge. The story explores class differences, and how those in power can abuse it. The story highlights what happens to the innocents who get caught in the middle. The story demonstrates what can happen when someone loses everything they love so unfairly, and it shows how truly dangerous someone who is desperate for revenge can become. The story is not all doom and gloom though, there are moments of hope and love in there too. I don’t want to discuss the plot or the characters too much because I will talk about the movie on a #moviemonday in the future.

I have not seen the musical live onstage, but I would love to because I adore the score, and I actually think that this piece would be incredible onstage. It would be dark, and gory, and a spectacle, but in the best way. This is one of those tales where I would say that the story goes beyond horror. This story makes a statement, and I think it is a piece that stays with you for a few days after you watch it. Stephen Sondheim is an impressively talented composer. The score is intricate, and fast, and yet there are some absolutely stunning emotional melodies that weave and wind through this story, so musically, I love this score without even seeing the movie or the musical. I would listen to the score of Sweeney Todd by itself because the score tells the story beautifully.

The score is the other factor that drove me to finally face my fear and watch this movie again, because I had been listening to the score, and I fell in love with it and then I was so fascinated by my film theory class that I decided I could watch the movie and just close my eyes during the gory parts. Doing this is what led to my revelation that I have been mentioning throughout the entire month of October, which is that I don’t hate horror, I just hate blood. Horror still is not, and will never be my favourite genre, and if you know me in real life then you know I am so jumpy, but there are aspects of horror that I do enjoy.

When it comes to Sweeney Todd, I love the story. I love the characters and how well fleshed out their backstories and motivations are. I love the very dark and complex themes that this story presents, and I adore the score.

This has been Friday’s Choice. I hope you enjoyed it. Happy Friday Everyone. I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Kate xo.

Tropes.

Hello everyone. Welcome back to #theorythursday.

Last week I talked about subversive literature, and you should go and check that out if you have not already.

Today I am talking about tropes. Let’s dive right into Theory Thursday.

What is a trope?

It is important to note that the word trope can have many definitions, but in literary terms, a trope is a commonly used plot device or character trait that is used so often that it appears to be conventional.

An example of this is the ‘final girl’ trope that is often recognised in horror movies. This is the idea that there can only be one female character surviving at the end of the movie, and this female character is usually smart, studious, and she is usually a virgin. I’ve talked about this ‘final girl’ trope in greater detail in this week’s #moviemonday discussion as Laurie Strode’s arc in Halloween is an example of the ‘final girl’ trope.

Many fairy tales contain a ‘rags to riches’ trope where the protagonist rises from a situation in which they are struggling and they are rewarded for their kindness and courage along the way. The protagonists in ‘rags to riches’ tropes usually have hearts of gold. They are usually very endearing, and easy characters for us as the audience to root for. If we think about the Disney version of Aladdin, the character Aladdin experiences a rise from rags to riches. He exemplifies these kind, heroic, endearing traits because despite being given the title of ‘street rat’, Aladdin is also called a ‘diamond in the rough’, showing us that he deserves this good fortune.

Certain tropes can become associated with certain genres, for example, the ‘rags to riches’ trope could be argued to be associated with fairy tales, and the ‘final girl’ trope can be heavily associated with the horror genre, and these stories occur so often, that we begin to view the idea of the final girl in horrors as normal, we think that’s just how horror movies work.

Tropes become familiar, and I think that people have certain tropes that they enjoy.

Enemies to lovers is a very popular trope, and this trope explores the idea of two characters who start off hating each other, but over time they begin to have romantic feelings towards each other. This usually happens after the two characters were forced to spend a lot of time together for some reason, and although both characters hate the idea at first, as time passes they grow on each other. I would argue that this trope tends to be popular in young adult fiction.

Why is it important to understand what a trope is?

I think it is important to understand tropes simply because they occur so often in literature. When one is talking about literature, tropes will come up because they are so central to the stories so it is important to understand what they are. Tropes can also cause interesting discussions because some tropes are considered extremely popular, while others could be argued to be outdated. I will discuss this further at some point in the future.

This has been Theory Thursday, I hope you enjoyed it.

Kate xo.

Halloween.

Hello everyone and welcome back to #moviemonday. Today is the last Monday in October which means that today’s movie will be the last #spookyseason movie until next year. I’ve really embraced the Halloween spirit this year and I’ve been watching movies that I usually wouldn’t as horror isn’t my favourite genre, but I’ve said many times this month that I have found aspects of horror that I do enjoy, and so I am glad that I challenged myself to watch some different movies. With that being said, after today I will be taking a break from horror as I’ve been talking about it a lot lately and I know that not everyone enjoys it.

Today, I am ending #spookyseason with a bang. I am talking about the scary movie of all scary movies, today’s #moviemonday is all about Halloween.

Let’s dive into Movie Monday.

Halloween was released in 1978. The movie was directed by John Carpenter. The amazing Jamie Lee Curtis made her acting debut in this movie.

Plot.

On Halloween night, 1978, teenage Laurie Strode faces the most terrifying night of her life when escaped killer Michael Myers makes his way back to his hometown and begins wreaking havoc on those who live there. Michael Myers is a terrifying killer on a slashing spree, and he’s got his sights set on Laurie.

Characters.

Laurie Strode is the movie’s protagonist. She is the typical all American girl. She’s kind, she’s respectful, she’s a good student. She’s a babysitter. She is shy, studious, and she doesn’t date much.

The movie’s antagonist is Michal Myers. Michael stabbed his sister to death when he was just a child, and after spending years in the sanitarium, he escaped on his way to court. After his escape, he made his way to his hometown in Haddonfield and there he began his killing spree. Michael is a lurking, hulking, terrifying figure. He is the boogeyman. He is ruthless. He is described as being pure evil, and I will talk about Michael’s impact more in the themes section of this discussion.

There is an ensemble of characters in this movie. Annie and Lynda, Laurie’s more outgoing friends. Dr. Sam Loomis who describes Michal Myers as pure evil. Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace, the children who are being babysat by Laurie, etc. All of these characters are important because at some point or another in the movie, they are all victims of Michael Myers. Some survive, others don’t but there will be no spoilers here. Watch the movie.

Themes.

Halloween is a slasher movie, and some would argue that this movie is the reason that slasher movies became popular in the 80s. I think it is also fair to suggest that Halloween defined, or helped to define, many of the themes and tropes that are now almost automatically associated with horror movies.

When I think about Halloween, there are a few themes that come to mind. The most prominent one in my opinion is this idea of good vs evil. Haddonfield is an idyllic suburban town. Laurie Strode is a shy, innocent young high school student. Michal Myers is the evil that descends upon this idyllic town. He ruins it. Things so horrific don’t happen in places like Haddonfield. Haddonfield is a safe, suburban, good place but this person, this figure has arrived and he is murdering that image. He has ruined the idyllic bubble of Haddonfield. He has made it a place of fear, a place where bad things happen. Laurie faces Michael Myers, she is the personification of the idyllic place because she is the idyllic, good teenager and Michael shatters her world, the same way he shatters the town of Haddonfield.

Fear and violence are also very prominent themes in this movie. Halloween is a violent movie. Michal Myers is a violent man. He creates fear wherever he goes. He stalks Laurie, he lurks around corners, he appears, then disappears, then reappears. She sees glimpses of his figure, watching her, staring at her, and she is scared of him. Michael Myers kills violently. He stabs his victims. He seems to be this unbeatable, terrifying figure, and I think that this movie is an excellent one to study if one is analysing violence onscreen.

There are certain tropes that are depicted in Halloween that have become associated with the horror genre. Some call them the “rules”. The movie Scream touches on this in a really creative way as the characters in that movie are watching Halloween in one particular scene, and they discuss how to survive a horror movie. Scream is another movie that I have watched recently, however it didn’t make it into my final #moviemonday list for October, but I will touch on it again at some point in the future.

An important trope in this movie is the idea of the “final girl”.

This is a trope that is common in horror movies, and the idea is that only one female character will survive. That female character is usually a virgin. In Halloween, studious Laurie Strode is the movie’s “final girl”. She is shy, bookish, and claims that her studious nature “scares boys away”. Her lack of dating experience makes her the innocent virgin character. It is important to note that in this movie, Michael’s violent attack scenes are usually juxtaposed with scenes of intimacy. A character’s sexual awakening, or sexual activity signals a loss of innocence and this exposes them to being victims of violence. This is where the “rule” comes from – if you want to survive a horror movie, don’t have sex.

From an English Literature student’s point of view, I think it is hard to watch a movie like Halloween without thinking about the idea of violence against women. Michal Myers does not only hurt and kill female characters, but he does stalk, terrify, and viciously attack Laurie Strode. He picked her. He saw her, he followed her, he attacked her. Why? Because he could. He zoned in on her. This is important. Laurie Strode is a good kid. She does everything “right”. She’s kind, she’s a good student, she’s a good friend, she’s responsible, and yet a violent man still decided to target her. This is significant. Unfortunately victim blaming is a problem that exists in the world. The victim can be male or female – victim blaming still exists. People are told what they should have done, what they shouldn’t have done, their every action is scrutinised, but the sad fact remains that you can do everything “right” and still face violence, and I think that Laurie Strode’s experience is an example of this. Laurie Strode may be fictional, and her experience may be fictional, but Laurie Strode exists. Michael Myers exists. There are Laurie Strodes in the world. There are violent predators who stalk and attack victims that they know, or victims that they’ve randomly selected. It’s a scary fact, and I think analysing a movie like Halloween from a somewhat feminist view is part of the reason why I think that the scenes where Michael Myers is silently stalking Laurie from an uncomfortably close distance are some of the scariest scenes in the movie. The action scenes, and the violent scenes are tense, and fast paced, but the scenes where he is stalking her are so incredibly unsettling. These scenes build tension and the threat of danger becomes closer, more tangible, and more frightening every time we see a glimpse of that white mask.

Structure.

Halloween is just over an hour and forty minutes long. I think that this movie creates tension in a very clear way. The first part of the movie is composed of “the shape” creepily staring at Laurie from close distances. Outside her school window, down the street from her friends, in her neighbour’s clothesline. Laurie begins to get scared, she wonders if she is seeing things, but the creepy appearances of this strange figure are playing on her mind. I said already that I think these scenes are the scariest scenes in the movie, and this is because these scenes are the moments where terror is created within the horror. In my breakdown all about the difference between terror and horror, I shared Ann Radcliffe’s thoughts on horror and terror, stating that horror is in the moment and it is caused by something terrifying. It is fleeting, but terror is a more complex feeling, made up of anxiety and dread. Terror builds over time and it is caused by flashes of strange figures in the distance or ominous noises late at night. Laurie keeps seeing strange glimpses of this terrifying figure, she is getting anxious, dread is setting in, this is where terror is introduced and tension builds because audiences know that Laurie is in danger. It’s not a matter of if Michal will strike but when.

Something that I really like about this movie’s structure is that the opening scene shows us what we need to know. We see a young Michal Myers commit a vicious crime, then we see him escape the sanitarium all these years later. We see the violence that he is capable of before he returns to his hometown, and then we’re back in Haddonfield and we, the audience, are aware the town is in danger but the residents of the town are unaware. When the camera follows Laurie for the first time, we are suddenly introduced to the fact that Michal Myers has set his sights on her, he’s watching her from a distance, and she has no idea. We are not experiencing this movie from Laurie’s point of view. We are outsiders looking in as this terrible night plays out.

There is a shift in the movie that occurs when the day turns into night. During the day, Laurie was getting scared but she’s brushed it off and she’s ready to babysit. Michael’s first kill, (no spoilers, watch the movie) signals a shift from stalking to violent action. Once he has killed his first victim, we have moved into the movie’s second act. The action has begun, the slashing has begun, and from this point on the pace picks up because now Laurie is in active danger. The question is no longer when will he strike? He has struck and now it’s time for Laurie to fight him and run.

Final Thoughts.

My final thoughts are that when I think of horror movies, the first movie that I think of is Halloween. I’ve said many times in the last few weeks that horror isn’t my favourite genre but there are aspects of it that I enjoy, but with that being said, Halloween is a movie that I am impressed by. I admire this movie for many reasons. I think it is an example of really good storytelling. I think this movie presents one of the most terrifying villains. I think that Michael Myers is one of the most frightening and iconic villains that there is because of the way he has managed to embody and personify evil. He doesn’t even speak, and yet he is a presence that cannot be ignored. I think that this movie has to be talked about when one is talking about horror movies because it has influenced the genre so much. I think that this movie can be studied from many different angles as there are so many interesting and complex themes and ideas that can be explored. I talked about a somewhat feminist approach in my above points because I do think that this movie can be studied when thinking about violence against women, and also the portrayal of violence onscreen. I also think that this movie could be studied if one was going to talk about subversive literature because this movie does subvert the idea of the safe, idyllic, suburban town. This place, this supposedly perfect place is the backdrop to such a horrific night, and the key thing to remember is that Michal Myers is not an outsider, he is not an unknown threat that has come to Haddonfield, he is from Haddonfield. That is his home. He is not just going there, but he is returning there. Such evil emerged from this perfect place, and I think that is a concept that would be really interesting to study and discuss in greater detail. I’m very glad that I watched Halloween and I think it is the perfect t movie to finish out the month of October with.

This has been Movie Monday. I hope you enjoyed it. Have you seen Halloween? What do you think of it? Let me know.

This will be the end of #spookyseason movies and as I said, I will be taking a break from horror movies for a little while. Speaking of spooky season, I hope you all have a brilliant Halloween. Have fun and stay safe.

Kate xo.

Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical.

Hello everyone. Happy Friday. Welcome back to another #fridayschoice.

Today I am talking about a musical that I love, so musical lovers tune in!

Let’s talk about Jekyll & Hyde The Musical.

I am going to start off by saying that I really like all versions of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

I love the premise. If you don’t know the story, a very short summary is that Dr. Jekyll wishes to find a way to separate the evil parts of ourselves from the good, because his idea is that if we can all rid ourselves of our inner evils then there will be no more evil in the world. It sounds like a really straightforward idea, but Dr. Jekyll soon learns that good and evil are not as straightforward as one might think, and separating the good from the bad can actually have dangerous consequences.

I really like the story of Jekyll & Hyde because I think it is a very thought provoking one. I think that this story makes us think about who we are and the world we live in, and we learn that no one is just good or just evil, but that people are actually a complex, and nuanced mix of the two. We all have good and bad aspects of ourselves, and some who appear good are in fact not, and others who we may assume are bad can turn out to be good. I think that a story such as this makes us reflect upon the type of person that we are, it makes us think about the way we perceive and judge others. It demonstrates that appearances are not everything, and ultimately I think this story highlights how much hypocrisy exists in the world.

I really like the musical version, even though I know that not everyone enjoyed it. It is a show that I hope to see live onstage again someday. The music is by Frank Wildhorn, and I am a fan of his work. I will be talking about his work in Bonnie & Clyde The Musical at some point in the future. I think it is fair to say that Jekyll & Hyde The Musical is an underrated piece. I don’t know too many people who have heard about it, and I don’t wish to make any sweeping statements, but I don’t think the show is talked about as much as it perhaps should be.

Is it perfect? No. There are aspects of it that I don’t love, and I think there are certain aspects that should be done in a more subtle, tasteful way however I think that it is a musical that presents some very complex themes in an artistic way, and some of the songs are stunning.

I would have to say that I think the song Facade sums up the show very nicely. Everything is a facade. We are not one person, but two. There is good and evil in all of us, and just because someone is in a respected position, it does not mean that they are automatically good and beyond reproach. ‘There are teachers who lie, there are liars who teach.”

I think that this musical depicts a really interesting tension between instincts and self control. We all have good instincts and bad ones. We all have things that we want to do but cannot, because we know we shouldn’t. When Dr. Jekyll discovers a way to temporarily separate the evil part of himself form the good, we see that his evil counterpart is simply him operating at his most basic desires. Mr. Hyde is instinct walking. He has no conscience, he does think about how his actions will impact others. He does not have morals or self control. Mr. Hyde does what he wants, when he wants, and he does things that will hurt others because this brings him pleasure. Interestingly though, Mr. Hyde highlights the hypocrisy that exists in the upper classes of his society. He points out when people who are respected secretly abuse their positions of power, and do things that they condemn people of lower classes for when they do the same thing. Mr. Hyde points out how money and status don’t mean that someone is not a bad person, but money and status makes it easier for them to hide or get away with the fact that they have done bad things and so even though Mr. Hyde is a character who is made up of entirely the bad parts of someone, he does make some valid points and so there is a certain sense in his quest for revenge. What I am saying here is that while I don’t agree with Hyde, I understand Hyde when he rightly points out the cracks in the facade of others, and this is one of the reasons why I love this story and this musical. It is layered and thought provoking.

One of my favourite characters in the musical is Lucy. Lucy is a whore who works in the Red Rat bar and brothel. She believes that good and evil are intertwined, and although she is poor, and penniless, and repeatedly looked down upon by those of the upper classes, it is her who teaches Dr. Jekyll a lot about life. She inspires him. Lucy has a hard life. She is considered ‘bad’ according to those of higher status because of her job, but it does not stop those of higher status coming to the brothel to enjoy her work. Lucy demonstrates that luck plays a big part in things. Lucy was not born wealthy. She has no family, very little education, and so she is forced to do what she can to survive. She is mistreated at work but she has no other options. Many people would dismiss her based on her status, and by doing so they will never learn that she is kind, brave, and honest.

Lucy’s character and the way people treat her demonstrates how society can treat those who are considered ‘bad’ or unimportant. When Lucy is badly hurt, Dr. Jekyll is horrified, and even more horrified when he learns that things like this happen on a regular basis, and he is shocked when he learns that the man who hurt her was considered a gentleman for how could a respected gentleman do something so violent? You can imagine Dr. Jekyll’s horror when Lucy tells him that the man who hurt her was named Hyde. Dr. Jekyll must accept that the evil side of himself did this. He was capable of such violence when he had no good side to tame the bad. He cannot believe that he could have done something like this but Hyde did, and Hyde is simply Jekyll with no conscience or morals. As I said before, Hyde does what he wants, when he wants, and he does not care who he hurts.

Jekyll and Hyde The Musical, while imperfect, is a layered, complex musical that depicts some very interesting and intense themes. The musical depicts the tension between good and evil, desire and control, and it scathingly highlights the hypocrisy that exists in the world.

It is also extremely gothic, which is why I decided to talk about it during the month of October. The inner struggle that Dr. Jekyll experiences, the philosophical questions that he tackles about good and bad, the struggle between science and the ‘natural’ way of things – all of these are highly gothic elements.

At some point in the future I may choose the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde as my #bookofthemonth, but this month’s #bookofthemonth is the gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and I am looking forward to discussing this book. I may even draw some comparisons to the story of Jekyll & Hyde because I think that both gothic novels share similar themes but they are explored in very different ways.

This has been Friday’s Choice. I hope you enjoyed it. Have you heard of Jekyll & Hyde The Musical? What do you think of the story of Jekyll & Hyde in general? I’d love to know.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Kate xo.

Subversive Literature.

Hello everyone and welcome back to #theorythursday. I cannot believe how quickly the time is passing by. Next week is the last week of October and then we are moving onwards and upwards into a new month. Last week I talked about the difference between horror and terror, and you should check that out if you haven’t already. Today I am talking about subversive literature.

If you follow me on Instagram (@katelovesliterature), then you will already know that I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has left me a comment either on Instagram, or here on the website, and to those of you who sent me a kind message, thank you so much. I really appreciate the support and engagement that I have received during the month of October. I have really embraced the Halloween spirit, and I have been talking a lot about horrors, which I know not everyone enjoys. I will be taking a break from horror as we move into November, but I’ve enjoyed challenging myself to watch movies that I usually wouldn’t as horror is definitely not my favourite genre, but I have found that there are aspects of it that I do enjoy.

With that being said, let’s dive into the second last #theorythursday in October.

What is subversive literature?

Subversive literature is literature in which the plot challenges things we consider normal.

A subversive narrator will take things that the reader should already be familiar with, and challenge our understanding of that thing. Subversive narratives are common in gothic literature, which is why I decided that I would talk about subversive literature in October because it fits into the horror/gothic themes that I have been exploring this month.

An example of subversive literature can be found in a text such as Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto or in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. Both of these novels subvert the idea of home being a safe place. Usually one’s home is their safe place, their sanctuary, their escape from the world, but in these novels, and in many other gothic novels, the home has become the place where danger lurks. Home is the place where the characters must escape from. Sanctuary is found outside of the home rather than in the home, and this development warps the reader’s idea of safety. When we read these novels, we no longer view the home as a safe space, because the idea of being safe at home has been twisted by a subversive narrative.

I think that Neil Gaiman’s novella Coraline is another example of a subversive piece of literature. The character Coraline feels ignored by her parents who have to work around the clock, and so when she first encounters her “other mother” and “other father” in the parallel universe that she discovers, at first everything seems wonderful, so much so that she starts to prefer her “other mother”, but she soon learns that all is not as it seems and her idea of everything being perfect in the parallel universe is challenged and subverted when she learns that the perfect parallel universe is actually a place of nightmares.

Why is it important to know about subversive literature?

As I’ve said above, I felt that it was a good idea to talk about subversive literature alongside the gothic and horror that I have been discussing in October, because subversive narratives are often found in horror movies and gothic novels. I also think that it is important to understand subversive literature, because subversive literature can be extremely powerful. Subversive literature is sometimes radical, or political. Subversive narratives are often employed when an author wants to make a statement, but this isn’t always the case. I think there is something very powerful about a book having the power to take something that we think we understand and challenge it and twist it so much so that we have to re-examine our understanding of that thing. That is powerful. That is thought provoking. That is how conversations start. That is how critical thinking begins, when we are challenged, and so that is why I think that subversive literature is so important, because it has the potential to be incredibly moving and powerful.

This has been Theory Thursday. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you all again for the lovely support I’ve received this past month. It is much appreciated, and I am so excited for the months to come.

Happy Friday Eve.

Kate xo.